Summary

Ewart Park henge, 780m SSW of Thirlings.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 1 June 2016. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes the remains of a Late Neolithic henge situated on level ground on a sand and gravel terrace. The henge is preserved as a cropmark and is sub-oval in plan and measures approximately 12m by 16m internally. The henge has a single ditch broken by two opposed causewayed entrances on the north-west and south-east sides. Off-centre within the interior is the remains of a large pit. The form of the enclosure with its opposed entrances indicates it to be a henge monument and its associated internal pit is similar to several other henge monuments within the Milfield basin.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Henges are ritual or ceremonial centres which date to the Late Neolithic period (2800-2000 BC). They were constructed as roughly circular or oval- shaped enclosures comprising a flat area over 20m in diameter enclosed by a ditch and external bank. One, two or four entrances provided access to the interior of the monument, which may have contained a variety of features including timber or stone circles, post or stone alignments, pits, burials or central mounds. Finds from the ditches and interiors of henges provide important evidence for the chronological development of the sites, the types of activity that occurred within them and the nature of the environment in which they were constructed. Henges occur throughout England with the exception of south-eastern counties and the Welsh Marches. They are generally situated on low ground, often close to springs and water-courses. Henges are rare nationally with about 80 known examples. As one of the few types of identified Neolithic structures and in view of their comparative rarity, all henges are considered to be of national importance.

The monument is preserved as a cropmark and aerial photographs have indicated that below ground features such as ditches and a pit survive, which will contain archaeological deposits relating to the construction, use and abandonment of the monument. The monument is extremely representative of its period and the form of its ditches with two opposed entrances is classic for its type. The significance of the monument is increased by its close proximity to two pit alignments of Ewart 1 to the north and Ewart 2 to the south. Partial excavation of Ewart 1 retrieved Late Neolithic Grooved Ware pottery and the alignment should be considered to be broadly contemporary with the henge. The monument also lies within a wider landscape of important archaeological sites within the Milfield basin including the henges of Milfield North, East Marleyknowe, West Akeld Steads and Milfield South, which lie to the west and south. Taken together these monuments form a complex of ritual monuments representative of one of the most important Neolithic landscapes in England.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:- 3816

Source: Historic England