Monument record 5419/0/1 - Undated ring ditches

Prehistoric or Roman interlocking ring ditches seen faintly as cropmarks on air photograph. Review of aerial photographic evidence suggests that these marks are actually fairy rings.

{1} Ring ditches (?)(SP 653571) lie on the Heyford Hills in the SW of the parish, on Northampton Sand at 125 m above OD. Air photographs in NMR show very indistinctly what appear to be two interlocked ring ditches, one about 15 m and the other about 20 m in diameter.

{2} (SP 654568). A site remembered by plant hire workers as tumuli where ring marks were recorded.

{3} Although the GRN in authority {2} locates the site further south than presently in the NAR they are likely to be referring to the same site.

{4} Several interlocking fairy rings of between 15m and 20m are visible in the field at SP 653571.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.88/Site 2 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<2> Historic England, Unknown, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Letter and Map by Ellis R, 01-NOV-1987 (held by RCHM in Northants County File) (Oral Report). SNN111577.

<3> Historic England, Unknown, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Inf E Jones, Northants SMR 1993 (Oral Report). SNN111577.

<4> Vertical Aerial Photograph, Google Earth 08/04/2017; Accessed 06/11/2024 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<5> Environment Agency, LIDAR Composite DTM - 1m, Accessed 06/11/2024 (Digital Plots). SNN111710.

Record last edited

Nov 6 2024 4:03PM