Shiels

NS56NW 15 5233 6676.

(NS 5233 6670) Earthwork (NR) (site of)

OS 1:10,000 map, (1973)

An oval enclosure was revealed as a crop mark at Shiels farm during air reconnaissance in 1957.

J K S St Joseph 1957.

This feature, of which there is no trace visible, lies in a level arable field, recently ploughed. The farmer, who knew nothing of the site, has ploughed the area to a depth of 1', and noticed nothing of interest.

Visited by OS (W D J) 24 December 1970.

This ditched enclosure, which has been interpreted as a possible henge (Burl 1969) was excavated by Scott in 1973-4. He revealed an enclosure, about 42m E-W by 36m, with a single entrance in the E. Set across the entrance to the enclosure there had been a rectangular building, 5m x 3m, the longer sides consisting of upright timbers close-set in stone-lined holes. One end was defined merely by a shallow trench, whilst 2m further towards the centre was a similar transverse trench. The opposite end was open. About 1m back from this end a trench containing post-holes of similar character projected about 1.25m from each side of the main structure. From the tip of each side wall at the open end of the building there extended a shallow trench curving slightly outwards to a distance of about 1.5m on each side, in the manner of a facade, though clearly these trenches had not held posts. The open end of the building faced the interior of the enclosure, and clearly there was a relationship between the two. There was evidence that the posts had been deliberately removed from the postholes. It might be suggested that the building antedated the enclosure and was demolished on its completion. Two scraps of pottery, possibly but not certainly neolithic, were recovered from the postholes.

The ditch ends, N and S of the entrance to the enclosure, were examined. On the N side, the rounded end had been stepped in at least three stages, as though to facilitate removal of excavated material. On the inner side, there appeared to be a marking-out trench linking the end of the ditch with the structure described above. The ditch was approximately V-shaped, 6.5m wide and 2.5m deep where sectioned. No artefacts were found.

On the S side there was evidence that an attempt had been made to stabilise the side of the ditch, dug in sand and gravel, by applying a clay lining. At the bottom there was a dark, damp filling some 0.75m deep, containing remains of vegetation, beetles, animal teeth and what appeared to be a mussel shell. Some of the wood recovered showed signs of working, and there were at least two recognisable, if enigmatic, wooden objects, a small dome-shaped piece of wood and a stick, 73.5cm long, with deliberately charred ends.

Attempts to date the round structures, presumably huts, revealed as stains in the subsoil, were unsuccessful. The centre of one such structure was examined from the original field surface downwards, but the thin topsoil was found to merge directly into the subsoil, no recognisable floor or original ground surface surviving.

H A W Burl 1969; J G Scott 1973; 1974.

Carbon-14 dates for material recovered from the ditch silts: 1930+ 14 0 b.p. (SRR-576); 1640+ 80 b.p. (SRR-577). Site is domestic or defensive, not a henge.

A F Harding and G E Lee 1987.

RCAHMS rectified transcriptions show that this settlement enclosure is centred on NS 5233 6676. Cropmarks of a second settlement have been recorded 350m to the SE (NS56NW 3). Transcriptions of both these sites are contained within the NMRS manuscript MS 840/362.

Transcription prepared by RCAHMS 1 November 1999

Transcription file MS 840/632, 1999

Information from RCAHMS (KB) 25 January 2000