Tyne and Wear HER(5091): Boldon Colliery, Mount Pleasant, Ridge and furrow - Details
5091
S Tyneside
Boldon Colliery, Mount Pleasant, Ridge and furrow
Boldon
NZ36SW
Agriculture and Subsistence
Cultivation Marks
Ridge and Furrow
Medieval
Earthwork
Ridge and furrow earthworks survived [in 1998] on either side of the A184. The site is of botanical importance for its ancient wet grassland (itseld evidence for an absence of recent ploughing). The area north of the road (centred on NZ 3392 6097) is bounded to the north by a lake. Ridge and furrow survives to the west of a relict field boundary. The ridges are c.7 metres wide, run north-suth, there are no reversed S curves or headlands, but no original ends survive. The features appear typical of Medieval to 18th century broad rigg. The area to the south of the road (centred on NZ 3413 6084) is very wet, with standing water in furrows at time of visit in 1998. The western part forms a shallow pond, presumably formed either by recent excavation or by mining subsidence. Within the eastern part, faint ridge and furrow is visible. The ridges run east-west and are c.2.6 metres across. They are at least partly bounded to the west by a faint bank. No reversed S curves or headlands are visible. The width of the ridges is abnormally narrow for broad rigg, and the system does not have the rigid straightness and sharpness typical of late 18th century-19th century narrow rigg. However the width is also abnormally wide for cord rigg. Examination of aerial photographs taken before recent development of the area might allow the contextand date of the features to be established.
3392
6097
NZ33926097
<< HER 5091 >> D. Cranstone, 1998, Mount Pleasant, Boldon Colliery - Ridge and furrow features, Site visit notes; English Heritage Hadrian's Wall WHS Mapping Project, 2008, 1403245; Aerial Photograph RAF 58/B/35 5416 16-MAY-1948, RAF CPE/UK/2352 2186 04-OCT-1947, NMR OS/89266 42 11-JUN-1989, NMR MAL/77024 118 07-JUL-1977