Wilsford Henge
  Shown within Wiltshire | |
| Location | Wilsford, Wiltshire grid referenceSU09305732 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°18′54″N1°52′04″W/ 51.31496°N 1.86787°W |
| Type | Henge |
| History | |
| Periods | Neolithic |
Wilsford Hengeis the site of aNeolithichenge,west of the village ofWilsford, Wiltshirein the United Kingdom (grid referenceSU09305732). The site was discovered fromcropmarksin aerial photographs. The monument lies within theVale of Pewsey,a short distance south of the large henge known asMarden Henge.
Description
[edit]Wilsford Henge is a broad irregular circular ditch visible only as acropmarkonaerial photographs,[1]on a gently sloping spur of land about 500m south of theRiver Avon.[1]The internal diameter of the enclosure is around 43 metres and the external diameter is around 62 metres. There is an entrance, 12 metres wide, which faces northeast in the direction of the river.[1]An interior circle of possible post-hole pits has been confirmed bygeophysical survey.[2]Around 1 kilometre in a north by northwest direction liesMarden Henge,on the opposite bank of the river.[3]
Archaeology
[edit]The site was included in a three-year investigation of the Pewsey Vale, beginning in 2015, by the Department of Archaeology at theUniversity of Reading.[4]Among the discoveries in the 2015 excavations was an earlyBronze Agecrouched burial of an adolescent child which included sherds ofbeaker potteryand a collection of necklace beads.[5]
Nearby, within the same field, archaeologists have discovered the remnants of a large Roman farm settlement, and excavations have revealed the outline of a large farm building or barn.[5]
References
[edit]- ^abcHistoric England."Monument No. 1002029".Research records (formerly PastScape).Retrieved24 March2016.
- ^"Marden Environs Geophysical Survey".Historic England.Retrieved24 March2016.
- ^Historic England."Marden Henge (215179)".Research records (formerly PastScape).Retrieved24 March2016.
- ^"About the Vale of Pewsey project".University of Reading.Retrieved16 March2016.
- ^ab"Archaeologists unearth a skeleton in a Bronze Age burial at the Wilsford Henge excavation near Marden".Marlborough News. 22 July 2015.