Gillas Lane, ditch

HER Number

16174

District

Sunderland

Site Name

Gillas Lane, ditch

Place

Houghton-le-Spring

Class

Monument <By Form>

Site Type: Broad

Ditch

Site Type: Specific

Ditch

General Period

PREHISTORIC

Specific Period

Iron Age -800 to 43

Form of Evidence

Physical Evidence

Description

A ditch was partially excavated during an archaeological evaluation at Gillas Lane ahead of the development of the field for housing in 2013. The ditch was tentatively dated to the prehistoric period. It was more thoroughly investigated in 2014. Evidence from small charred plant microfossils and charcoal assemblages combined with the presence of calcined bone, suggests the ditch comprises the disposal of domestic hearth waste. Comparison with archaeobotanical studies for North East England indicates an Iron Age origin for this feature.

Easting

434844

Northing

549049

Grid Reference

NZ434844549049

Sources

Archaeological Services Durham University, 2013, Gillas Lane, Houghton-le-Spring, Archaeological Evaluation; Archaeological Services Durham University, 2014, Gillas Lane, Houghton-le-Spring, Archaeological Works; Archaeological Services Durham University, 2014, Gillas Lane, Houghton le Spring - post-excavation full analysis