Excavations on an Enigmatic Structure at Street House, August 2024

Introduction

Excavations at Street House in 2024 have been focused for the first time on the south side of the road, south of Upton Farm. The fieldwork has followed a programme of magnetometry by AOC Archaeology, which suggested a number of potential sites meriting investigation. We chose to look south of the road as a Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age site was excavated due south of Street House Farm in 1984-1986, the Street House Wossit. I wanted to investigate if there were further sites in the immediate area that could be related to either the Wossit or the concentration of Early Neolithic sites to the north.

Fig. 1 Drone view of the site during cleaning, August 2024

Description

Whilst four of the evaluation trenches were negative in terms of archaeological features or finds, the fifth trench measuring 10m x 2m revealed an area of stone cobbling. On day one of the evaluations the trench was widened and there was a suggestion that we had the southern and northern ends of a cobbled arc of stones. Trowelling the stones revealed a number of finds that indicated this was a prehistoric monument. A further day of work with a 360 degree excavator exposed a circular stone monument with a diameter of 15m and a clay platform on the interior.

The stones, recorded as [2005], are placed within what appears to be a cut feature that is 2m wide. The stones are densely packed sandstone boulders, and there are 17 cup-marked stones so far identified by cleaning the feature (Fig. 2). In addition to the rock art, other finds were found within the packing fill around the stones, including seven jet beads, lithics, pottery and one broken battle-axe.

Fig. 2 Cup-marked stone within feature [2005]

The excavations in 2024 have focused upon cleaning the internal clay platform that has a number of stones, seemingly placed within the natural boulder clay, and areas of potential burning. The plan has been to characterise and sample these deposits, where possible, but some may be left in-situ for the present. The western side of the site is partially beneath a footpath. The site could extend west for a distance of 3m. It is therefore proposed to examine the full extent of the monument in 2025. The excavation will determine if this is a continuous ring of stones, or if there is an entrance or causeway.

Date and Interpretation

The finds assemblage is reminiscent of that found at the Wossit (dated 2200-2000 BC) that also had a layer of stones masking ditches (but not to the same extent as found here). Similar monuments such as ring cairns and stone circles have some characteristics of Site 20. The closest parallel may be Barnby Howe barrows near Whitby, but further research is needed. Investigating questions such as where the stones came from, why they were placed in this manner and the purpose of the site will occupy the specialists for the months to come. There is some suitable material for radiocarbon dating from a vessel placed into [2005], so the question of dating may be partially resolved prior to a second season by 2025.

The excavations have been possible with the support of the landowners, Heath and Caroline Chadwick, volunteers Shannon Blackmore, Kian Drew, Erin Kurian, John Loudfoot and Gillian Wagenaar from the University of Waterloo (Canada), and Phil Abramson, Linda Davies, Sara Gibson, Dawn Haida, Michelle James, Peter Johnson, Rob Nichols, Helen Maclean, Yvette Marks, Jo Mead and Jenny Parker.

Steve Sherlock