An Early Beaker Funerary Monument at Porton Down, Wiltshire by Phil Andrews and Steve Thompson with Contributions by Alistair J
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38Wiltshire ArchaeologicalTHE & Natural WILTSHIRE History Magazine, ARCHAEOLOGICAL vol. 109 (2016), pp. 38–82 AND NATURAL HISTORY MAGAZINE An Early Beaker funerary monument at Porton Down, Wiltshire by Phil Andrews and Steve Thompson with contributions by Alistair J. Barclay, Kirsten Egging Dinwiddy, Michael J. Grant, Phil Harding, L. Higbee, Matt Leivers, Jacqueline I. McKinley, Lorraine Mepham and Sarah F. Wyles. Illustrations by S.E. James Excavation of an Early Beaker−Early Bronze Age funerary monument at Porton Down revealed an unusually complex burial sequence of 12 individuals, spanning four centuries, including eight neonates or infants and only one probable male, surrounded by a segmented ring-ditch. In the centre was a large grave which contained the disturbed remains of an adult female, accompanied by a Beaker, which had probably been placed within a timber chamber and later ‘revisited’ on one or more occasions. This primary burial and an antler pick from the base of the ring-ditch provided identical Early Beaker radiocarbon dates. Two burials were accompanied by a Food Vessel and a miniature Collared Urn respectively, others were unaccompanied, and there was a single and a double cremation burial, both within inverted Collared Urns. A C-shaped enclosure nearby may have been contemporary with the funerary monument, but its date and function are uncertain. Other features included an Early Neolithic pit which contained a significant assemblage of worked flint, and several Middle Bronze Age ditches and a Late Bronze Age ‘Wessex Linear’ ditch that reflect later prehistoric land divisions probably related to stock control. Introduction a geophysical survey (Archaeological Surveys Ltd 2008) and an archaeological evaluation (Wessex Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Dstl Archaeology 2009), indicated significant and (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) to extensive prehistoric remains within the site. undertake the archaeological mitigation required A Written Scheme of Investigation set out the ahead of the development of a new magazine strategy and methodology for the archaeological storage facility at Porton Down, Wiltshire, centred mitigation (Wessex Archaeology 2011), and an on National Grid reference (NGR) 421450 136400. assessment of the results of the summer 2011 The development covers an area of approximately excavation was produced in early 2012 (Wessex 24 hectares and involves the construction of Archaeology 2012). A draft publication report was a replacement explosives storage facility with prepared by 2013, but changes to the development associated landscaping and access. Information from plans led to further excavations being undertaken in the Wiltshire Historic Environment Record and summer 2014 (Wessex Archaeology 2014) and early previous archaeological investigations, including 2015, the results of which are included here. Wessex Archaeology, Portway House, Old Sarum Park, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 6EB AN EARLY BEAKER FUNERARY MONUMENT AT PORTON DOWN 39 Site location, topography and geology Ltd 2008), the results of which identified a number of anomalies of certain or probable archaeological The site is located on Porton Down, between origin. The subsequent trial trench evaluation was Idmiston Down to the northeast and Battery Hill to targeted on these results. the southwest, c. 1.5km east of the village of Porton (Figure 1). The northern third of the site is fairly flat, atc . 110m above Ordnance Datum (aOD), but Archaeological field evaluation the remaining land slopes down to the southwest, falling to a height of 98m aOD, with a shallow dry The archaeological trial trenching was undertaken valley in the southeastern corner. The majority of the in November 2009 (Wessex Archaeology 2009). The site lay under pasture at the time of the excavation. main findings of the geophysical survey alongside The British Geological Survey map for the area the locations of the trial trenches are illustrated in (1:50,000 Solid and Drift Series, sheet 298) indicates Figure 1. that the underlying geology of the site consists of A total of 45 evaluation trenches were machine- Upper Chalk. Alluvial deposits and Valley Gravel excavated across the site. The evaluation established associated with the River Bourne lie a short distance that archaeological features comprising a segmented to the north and west. possible enclosure ditch, a crouched inhumation burial, a segmented ring-ditch, a small C-shaped enclosure and part of a ‘Wessex Linear’ ditch were present, though dating evidence was very limited. Archaeological background Relatively few other archaeological features were identified and the evaluation demonstrated that Since the then Office of War took over Porton Down the geophysical survey had been very accurate in in World War 1, there has been a long history of indicating the distribution, size and general nature archaeological investigations within this protected of features present. area, most notably by J.F.S. (Marcus) Stone beginning around 1930. He and subsequently others have done much to investigate and record the rich prehistoric Excavation Strategy landscape of this area of chalk downland, with a particular focus on the Neolithic and Bronze Age On the basis of the results of the geophysical remains (Ride 2006). This work has continued up to survey and field evaluation, and the footprint of the the present day, led by Porton Down’s Conservation proposed development, a single phase of fieldwork Group’s Archaeological Section. consisting of two phases of mitigation was initially A total of ten Scheduled Monuments lie within agreed (Figure 1). The mitigation commenced the site’s immediate environs. These include several in 2011 with archaeological excavation of two groups of Bronze Age barrows to the north of the areas in the southern part of the site, focusing on site (SMs 26772, 26773, 26774, 26783 and 26784). concentrations of features identified by geophysical The monument listing for SM 26784 also includes survey and evaluation trenching. This was followed a group of early 20th-century gas testing trenches. by a strip, map and record investigation in other Further groups of barrows lie to the east of the site areas within the site where development was (SM 26785, the monument listing for which includes proposed. Three years later in 2014, changes to a Bronze Age enclosure) and also to the south and development proposals resulted in further stripping southwest (SMs 26775–26778). and excavation, particularly in the southwest corner Two previous archaeological investigations of the site where the principal archaeological have been undertaken within the site, consisting features lay. Finally, in 2015, two further areas at the of geophysical survey and field evaluation, both northeast corner of the site were stripped and subject connected with the proposed development. to a watching brief. Overall, approximately 4.5ha of the site was subject to investigation. Geophysical survey Archaeological excavation areas A programme of magnetometer survey was undertaken in October 2008 (Archaeological Surveys Area 1 was positioned partially over the segmented 40 THE WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY MAGAZINE 418000 419000 420000 421000 422000 2015 Watching brief 137000 PORTON Wiltshire The Site The Site 136000 SALISBURY Porton Down Reproduced from the 2007 Ordnance Survey 1:25000 Explorer ® map with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office © Crown copyright, Wessex Archaeology. Licence Number: 100028190. 421400 421700 421800 421600 421500 421300 Pit 5551 136500 Pit 5553 136400 'Wessex Linear' 5234 136300 Section (see figure 6) Grave Ditch 5003 5235 Ditch (see Fig. 7) Pit 5230/5231 (see Fig. 2) Tr 33 5214 Ditch 5233 Development 136200 area Section Ditch (see figure 6) 5232 Section (see figure 6) Excavation area 136100 Watching brief area Evaluation trench Archaeological feature Tree-throw hole 0 100 200m Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown Copyright and database right 2013 Fig. 1 Site location plan showing excavation areas and principal archaeological features AN EARLY BEAKER FUNERARY MONUMENT AT PORTON DOWN 41 ditch and another ditch extending from it to the 2015, in the northeast corner of the site and, as little north, possibly forming part of an enclosure, and archaeology was anticipated in this area, this was included one of the potential entrances. Features subject only to a watching brief. recorded by geophysics and evaluation trenching within the putative enclosure included a segmented ring-ditch and a C-shaped enclosure. The proposed development was designed such that both were to Results be preserved in situ, with archaeological excavation to the immediate south and north of these features. Introduction However, during stripping in 2011 the southern part of the segmented ring-ditch was unexpectedly The topsoil over most of the site was extremely revealed and, following discussions with the County shallow, as is typical of chalk downland which has Archaeologist and the Dstl, it was agreed to extend been under limited agricultural activity in recent the excavation area to the north to expose the central decades. Only in the fairly flat, northern part of part of the ring-ditch in order that more might be the site, (which was ploughed up to 2011) was the learnt about the nature, date and function of the topsoil a little thicker, up to 0.4m deep with, in monument. The remainder was to be preserved places, subsoil up to 0.2m thick. Elsewhere, the in situ. Subsequently,