Old Yeavering Henge View all content for Old Yeavering

Details of henge on Pastscape NT 929304: Old Yeavering Henge was discovered on air photographs 200m. east-south-east of the Anglo-Saxon palace site (NT 93 SW 11). It was found to be a double entrance henge, with the entrances aligned northwest-southeast. Subsequent excavation in 1976 revealed a 4m. wide flattish bottom ditch encompassing an elliptical area of 16 by 19m. Outside the western entrance a grave was uncovered. It was contained in an oval pit 1.96 by 1.14m and 0.70m. deep. The inhumation burial appeared as a silhouette of buff coloured grey material in orange gravel. It lay on its right side, head to the south and was contracted. There were no dateable finds with the burial but it was probably contemporary with the henge. A little to the north of the grave was an irregular bowl-shaped pit circa 0.80 c 0.62m. and 0.31m. deep. Radio carbon dating from a layer of burnt material in the fill gave a date of 2940 +/- 90 bc. This pit appeared to have had a domestic function. Some 6m. outside the eastern entrance of the henge was an irregularly shaped depression containing a large number of Neolithic sherds. The depression does not appear to have been deliberately constructed. The henge was sandwiched between a rectangular house and a double enclosure ditch which appear to be synonymous with the Anglo Saxon palace site. (1) Yeavering. Sub-oval cropmark enclosure broken by two entrances. A stone setting covering a grave was found 2m outside the W entrance on the main axis of the henge, with a domestic pit a short distance to the north. 6m outside the E entrance was an irregular depression. No prehistoric features were recovered in the interior which had been extensively reused in the Saxon period. Saxon features cut into the upper ditch fill. Dimensions, internal diameter 16-19m, ditch 3.5-4m wide. Orientation ESE, WNW. (2) The site has been mapped from the air as part of the Milfield Geoarchaeology Project. (See archive object MD000295)

Posted by Chance 28th December 2014ce

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