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Stone Worlds: Narrative and Reflexivity in Landscape Archaeology

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<< Text Pages >> Earl Shilton Bypass - Round Barrow(s) in England in Leicestershire and Rutland

Submitted by Andy B on Friday, 07 March 2008  Page Views: 9349

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Earl Shilton Bypass
Country: England County: Leicestershire and Rutland Type: Round Barrow(s)
Nearest Town: Leicester  Nearest Village: Earl Shilton
Map Ref: SP483978
Latitude: 52.575880N  Longitude: 1.288703W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
1 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
2 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
no data Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
3

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Round Barrows in Leicestershire and Rutland. Ancient Tombs add to Road Toll. Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient burial ground at the site of a major new road. Evidence of two Bronze Age tombs dating back some 4,000 years were found during work on the Earl Shilton bypass.

They were spotted after an archaeological survey of the site uncovered what would have been mounds of earth, or barrows, on the route between Thurlaston Lane and Mill Lane outside the town.

Experts said the discovery was "significant" and may help to improve understanding of the county's early inhabitants.

However, the work on the find has added about £150,000 to the cost of the bypass, which was originally supposed to cost £15 million and due to finish by the end of this year.

Richard Clark, senior planning archaeologist for the county council, said the discovery of the tombs had not delayed work on the bypass.

Mr Clark said the tombs would have been created for people of "significant status".

He said: "The land above the site had been ploughed flat over the years and so there was no visible evidence of the barrows before our survey of the site.

"They would have been an obvious feature of the landscape in the subsequent 1,000 years after they were built.

"Land boundaries from that time are focused on the site so this would have been a focal point for people for a long time.

"It's a significant find and it's of great local and regional significance."

The £150,000 has paid for the archaeological investigation of the tombs required under planning guidelines, which included a team of experts carefully excavating the site last autumn.

The findings, which also included evidence of human bones and pottery making, are still being studied by University of Leicester experts.

The costs of the road - commissioned by Leicestershire County Council - have been rising and have already faced criticism.

Evidence of as few as one great-crested newt has been found on land next to the road and the council told the Leicester Mercury last week this could delay the project by three months - and add £1.7 million to the bill.

Today, they said that figure had been revised and was now closer to £1.2 million.

However, the finding of the tombs and other unexpected costs of £350,000, along with the delay from the newts, could still add up to an extra £1.7 million in costs.

Earl Shilton councillor Denis Bown, who has previously criticised the high cost of protecting newts at the site, said the cost of the excavation could not be justified.

He said: "It's all out of perspective.

"These newts have been a laughing stock and now this will be as well.

"If the bypass hadn't been going ahead, these tombs wouldn't have been found in the first place. It wouldn't have been a great loss.

"It's a mystery how all these obstacles, expensive obstacles, keep cropping up. The money involved is incredible."

A progress report on the bypass has revealed rising land costs may add £350,000 to the bill, because land purchase negotiations are still ongoing.

Source: This is Leicestershire


IMPORTANT NOTE: Location given is an estimate from the information in the news story. If you know an accurate grid ref please let us know.

Note: Update from the University of Leicestershire, see comment
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Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
SP4897 : Mill Lane by Tim Glover
by Tim Glover
©2017(licence)
SP4898 : Thurlaston Lane near Earl Shilton, Leicestershire by Mat Fascione
by Mat Fascione
©2008(licence)
SP4898 : Normanton Wood by Roy William Shakespeare
by Roy William Shakespeare
©2010(licence)
SP4898 : Thurlaston Lane towards Earl Shilton by Mat Fascione
by Mat Fascione
©2008(licence)
SP4898 : Earl Shilton Road from the junction with Thurlaston Lane by Tim Glover
by Tim Glover
©2016(licence)

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"Earl Shilton Bypass" | Login/Create an Account | 3 News and Comments
  
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New discoveries re-write prehistory of Leicestershire by Andy B on Friday, 07 March 2008
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Leicestershire at the time of Stonehenge

New archaeological discoveries from the site of a bypass in Leicestershire have helped to redefine the picture of the county’s past according to University of Leicester researchers.

Recent discoveries of Bronze Age burials along the Earl Shilton bypass have emphasised how much of Leicestershire was being settled over 4000 years ago. Dr Patrick Clay, Director of University of Leicester Archaeological Services, has been studying this period for over 30 years.

He said: “When I first excavated a Bronze Age burial mound in 1978 our understanding of the first farming communities in Leicestershire was extremely limited – our studies were still in the ‘Stone Age!’

“The county was dismissed as having been covered in impenetrable forest with very little settlement by the first farmers between 6000 and 4000 years ago. With few surviving prehistoric monuments there had been little study of the area. The recent Earl Shilton discoveries have emphasised that this picture is far from correct.”

Dr Clay said there were two reasons why the idea of how the county was settled has changed: “One reason has been the success of community archaeology in Leicestershire through the County Museums scheme run by Pete Liddle.

“For over thirty years amateur archaeology groups have been fieldwalking the arable fields in the county and have uncovered the stone tools used by these people on the surface’. The Lutterworth Fieldwork group has been surveying the Swift valley and has located clear evidence of the area being occupied. The density of flint tools found by the group during fieldwalking is comparable with that found in the Wessex area around Stonehenge which is traditionally thought of as the centre of occupation in the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The significance of this part of the county is emphasised by two Bronze Age gold earrings found north of Lutterworth by metal detecting and currently on display in Charnwood Museum. These rare objects were made on the continent and the only similar examples are known from Spain and Ireland.

“The other main reason we know so much about this period is due to archaeological work by professional units in advance of developments like the Earl Shilton by-pass.

‘Thirty years ago we had no idea of how significant this area was 5000-4000 years ago. Work by both amateur and professional archaeologists has completely revolutionised our knowledge of this period.”

One of the most exciting sites was found near Rothley. Excavations by the University unit in advance of a business park found a settlement with a remarkable group of flint and pottery finds. Dating from around 2500BC this site has more than doubled the number of excavated Neolithic finds known from the county.

The most exciting find is a part of a stone plaque which has a stylised decoration carved into it. This appears to be part of a face and is similar decoration to small stone drums found in east Yorkshire.

Dr Clay thinks this is a very significant discovery: “I’ve been looking for sites like this for over thirty years. Neolithic settlements leave little trace and have usually been ploughed away only leaving a few flint finds on the surface. Here though we have a possible building within which objects were deliberately placed – perhaps as an act of closure. Amazingly it was on a north facing slope on a heavy clay soil – the last sort of place early settlers were thought to favour.

“This was one of the most significant times in human history where prehistoric groups gradually adapted farming to supplement and gradually replace the hunting and gathering lifestyles of previous millennia. These new discoveries are re-writing the prehistory of the county.”

Source: University Of Leicester
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Earl Shilton Bypass by Andy B on Saturday, 01 March 2008
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It is a significant discovery as there isn't that much prehistory in Leicestershire.
If you are from round there and have Denis Brown as your local councillor then tell him from us that he is a Neanderthal!
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Earl Shilton Bypass by Anonymous on Tuesday, 25 March 2008
    He is and I will!
    [ Reply to This ]

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