Monument record 2121 - Hollins Lane Enclosure

<1> Historic England, Various, National Mouments Record Aerial Photographs, NMR 5993/1 & 3, NMR 2167/1132 13/07/1984 (Aerial Photograph). SCH8321.

<2> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Turner R C (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

Single-ditched subrectangular enclosure, see (1 & 7-9). A small scale excavation by N Higham in 1987 failed to locate the south-east corner of this enclosure.

<3> Hall D, Wells CE, Huckerby E, 1995, The Wetlands of Greater Manchester, p.161 (Monograph). SCH3789.

'A complex of enclosures and boundaries shows as a clear cropmark at this location, encompassing Nevell's sites Winwick 1-111, Nos. 400-2.

Field Survey Data: The chief cropmark is a rectangular enclosure with rounded corners straddling a Roman road marked on the OS 1:10,000 map. The cropmark has had previous fieldwork and a section has been excavated yielding second-century Roman pottery.

A field visit showed that a division across the photograph dividing into light and dark parts is a geological boundary. The light part is sandy high ground and the dark area lies lower, with a cover of colluvium on sand that would yield no finds. The field has very little nightsoil rubbish, and was sown with winter corn just emergent. Careful searching revealed no dark area of occupation, and only a single Roman pottery sherd of local rustic fabric was discovered, lying outside the enclosure and associated with burnt stones. The only finds within the enclosure were a few 'archaeologically' burnt stones. These stones are important markers for sites in the region, rather like fire-cracked flints ('pot boilers') on prehistoric sites in lowland England.'

<4> Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit, 1991, Alder Root Farm, Winwick. An Archaeological Assessment, p.3, 16 (Client Report). SCH4191.

Parallels elsewhere would suggest that this is a type of enclosure typical of the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age.

<5> Cheshire County Council, 1992-1995, Cheshire Past, No.3, p.6 (Newsletter). SCH870.

Two enclosures of sub -rectangular form were discovered in the Winwick area. One of these, at Croft (see CHER 2410) , was subsequently trial-trenched and produced 2nd century pottery in the ditches and a probable basket-lined pit in the interior.

<6> Leah, MD; Wells, CE; Appleby, C; Huckerby, E, 1997, The Wetlands of Cheshire (North West Wetlands Survey 4), p.20 (Monograph). SCH3260.

'Other enclosures have also been detected from aerial photographs in the vicinity of Winwick, to the north west of Rixton/Risley. A total of three such enclosures (SMR 2121, 2410, 2411) is now known from this latter area, one of which, when trial trenched, produced second century Roman pottery (SMR 2410).'

<7> Huntings Surveys Ltd, 1971-1973, 1971-1973 County Survey, Run 25, no. 1929, 16/05/1973 & Run 25, no.2215, 03/04/1973 (Aerial Photograph). SCH4881.

<8> Airviews Ltd, 1983-5, 1983-1985 Airviews Survey, Line 5, no.32225, 08/1983 (Aerial Photograph). SCH5296.

<9> Higham N J, 1984-9, Professor Nick Higham's Aerial Photographs, 1988/4/1/9 & J87/2/22 (Aerial Photograph). SCH7659.

<10> Historic England & Archaeological Research Services, 2017, Cheshire National Mapping Programme and Lidar Mapping Project: Sampling the Peak Fringe, Cheshire Plain and Mersey Valley, 1605220 (Digital Archive). SCH8172.

A curvilinear enclosure and further potential associated enclosures or boundaries of possible later prehistoric or Roman date are visible as cropmarks on oblique aerial photography. The main enclosure measures roughly 115 x 100 metres and is defined by a ditch, the only potential breaks in the perimeter being located on the eastern and south-eastern sides. The associated enclosures or boundaries are located to the west and north-west of the main enclosure and all are overlain by later field boundaries, also visible as cropmarks (NMR 2167/1132 - see 1).

<11> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Edwards R, 02/10/2017 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

Source (3) appears to have attributed the excavations at CHER 2410 and this enclosure (see 5 & 6).

<12> Portable Antiquities Scheme, Various, Portable Antiquities Data Import, LVPL-93F327 (Digital Archive). SCH5212.

A contemporary copy of the Denarius of Hadrian, Rome AD 119-22, found within the enclosure by metal detector. The obverse shows: IMP CAES TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG; Laureate head right. The reverse: P M TR P COS III; Victory flying right, holding trophy. See also (14).

<13> The British Museum, Portable Antiquities Scheme Online Database, LVPL-93F327 (Web Site). SCH5176.

<14> Mattingly, H & Sydenham, E A, 1926, The Roman Imperial Coinage Volume II: Vespasian to Hadrian, p.352, c.f. 101 (Book). SCH7799.