Archaeological Screenshots

Most of the shots below are taken of known sites. Unfortunately many of the sites in the book I am using were rescue digs and the sites are no longer intact - a couple (at Biggleswade and Orton) are included below.

I have illustrated several types of site. Crop discolouration, crop height disparity and site undulation are all shown - together with the results from FS2002. It will be seen that crop height disparity and site undulation are not easy to spot in the FS photographs as they are at their most distinctive near dawn/dusk - it is shadows that produce the detail.

Some sites I discovered purely by accident whilst flying around in FS2002 and I have no idea if they are already recorded or not.

Crop marks are strange because there is no guarantee they will show up every year. In 1976 I took photographs of seven Isle of Man sites that I had not seen in four years flying - and some I have not spotted since! It is equally feasible that the VFGM survey could highlight previously unknown sites and this is what makes it so interesting.

 

Baldock

Baldock

Spotted in FS2002.

A complex site and I therefore apologise for putting it first. I have no idea if it is recorded. Try and ignore existing field boundaries.

You will notice that the crops in several fields are discoloured. Look carefully and you will begin to see some patterns emerge. I'm not going to list them all but will just pick out some more obvious features.

(1) is a path or old road that runs from the village at the top of the photo towards the centre of the screenshot.

(2) is a dark area (top arrow) that may have been an extension of the copse of trees (bottom arrow). It is possible that the roadway may have originally run down the left hand side.

(3) To the left of (2) is a series of large rectangular markings - I can see four - which may be old field boundaries. These start at the copse at (2) and run left across the photo. There is further detail on the left both above and below the four areas.

There is a further mark at (6), rather sharp in outline but becomes more vague in the middle of the shot..

Item (4) are unknown marks in the greenery and probably current - they are also seen in the copse at (2). Notice that the green in the rectangular  field in the foreground is limited to the left side only around (4) - the field boundary above it may have once continued through this field. This "line" can be seen to continue into the brighter green field at the bottom of the photo.

Item (5) shows further unidentified marks extending towards the top village.
 

Butterwick

Butterwick

Known site

Crop discolouration.

The complex site below hardly shows up at (1) in FS2002.

Slightly more obvious is the river course immediately above and a second at (2). Between these in the dark field are a couple of sets of parallel lines. Also interesting is the circular feature at (3)..

Original
 

Butterwick

Butterwick 2

Spotted in FS2002.

A couple of miles east of the above site.

At (1) there are four small circular marks in the top right corner of the field.

At (2) a series of three lines run almost parallel from the farm towards the camera (aircraft) location. These overlay an earlier pattern most noticeable at (4) of a series of parallel marks which extend across the whole photo from right to left (old field boundaries?).

At (3) is a circular crop mark (possibly ground indentation too) which can be traced round in a full (if slightly squashed) ring. There is an old river in the background.

I've no idea if this is a known site or not - but it's very clear in FS2002.

 

Cromwell

Cromwell

Known Site

Crop discolouration.

Although the field shown below hardly reveals any detail in FS2002 at (2) there are further interesting marks shown at (1) that may have some value.

Original
 

Digby

Digby

Spotted in FS2002.

These marks stood out very clearly from 5000ft.

They are probably just old field boundaries but there is a complexity in the centre that might be more interesting.
 

Kirkstead Abbey

Kirkstead Abbey

Known Site

Ground undulation.

In the photo below the low evening sun throws out far more relief detail. The three deep indentations bottom right are the only clear feature in the FS2002 screenshot.

Original

 

Orton

Orton

Known site

Crop height disparity.

The original site below has now been destroyed by gravel quarrying for Peterborough - it was located on site of the lake. I would doubt this type of feature would have show up in FS2002 owing to the low sun angle required to highlight the crop height changes.

An extension of the site may exist at (1). Further marks at (2) may prove to be old field boundaries.

Original
 

Biggleswade

Biggleswade

No evidence in FS2002. Now under the Biggleswade bypass.

 

orsett

Orsett

Crop discolouration.

Not visible in FS2002.