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Description
Prehistory On The Surrey Downland - Excavations At Cherkely Court by Ian Hogg
The activity found at Cherkley Court shows a diverse range of prehistoric features including land division, quarrying, crop processing and potential ritual activity. Arguably the most notable aspect of the findings is the possibility that Stane Street runs along the line of a pre-existing route, possibly dating back to the Bronze Age or earlier.
In the centre of the site, just to the west of Stane Street, lay an area containing the most intensive Bronze Age activity. A number of post built structures were recorded in this area. They included two possible granaries as well as rectangular six post structures associated with cereal crop storage. Two further clusters of post- holes most likely represent roundhouses.
This type of domestic activity is fairly typical of the period. How- ever the easternmost of the structures was far more unusual, com- prising 42 postholes in four concentric semicircles surrounding two central pits. Taken as a whole these features would have screened the two pits on the northern and western sides. The eastern side was kept deliberately open and seems to face the line of Stane Street. The feature could have had some form of ritual purpose. One of the pits contained burnt material suggesting a possible hearth with the second pit of being of uncertain function.
See page 28 and on here from Leatherhead & District Local HIstory Society: leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/LDLHS-Newsletter-2020-09-September.pdf
The activity found at Cherkley Court shows a diverse range of prehistoric features including land division, quarrying, crop processing and potential ritual activity. Arguably the most notable aspect of the findings is the possibility that Stane Street runs along the line of a pre-existing route, possibly dating back to the Bronze Age or earlier.
In the centre of the site, just to the west of Stane Street, lay an area containing the most intensive Bronze Age activity. A number of post built structures were recorded in this area. They included two possible granaries as well as rectangular six post structures associated with cereal crop storage. Two further clusters of post- holes most likely represent roundhouses.
This type of domestic activity is fairly typical of the period. How- ever the easternmost of the structures was far more unusual, com- prising 42 postholes in four concentric semicircles surrounding two central pits. Taken as a whole these features would have screened the two pits on the northern and western sides. The eastern side was kept deliberately open and seems to face the line of Stane Street. The feature could have had some form of ritual purpose. One of the pits contained burnt material suggesting a possible hearth with the second pit of being of uncertain function.
See page 28 and on here from Leatherhead & District Local HIstory Society: leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/LDLHS-Newsletter-2020-09-September.pdf
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