Data copyright © Chris Breeden unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Wessex Archaeology
Portway House
Old Sarum Park
Salisbury
SP4 6EB
UK
Tel: 01722 326867
Fax: 01722 337562
An archaeological topographic survey of ridge and furrow field systems located off Burgh Road, Skegness. The survey confirmed the existence of extant ridge and furrow earthwork features across the site and also identified several possible field boundaries.
The ground-truthing survey successfully identified the upstanding earthwork remains of ridge and furrow farming practices across the site. These features proved to be very discrete in nature. The form of the ridge and furrow, being straight and narrow, suggests that it was created in the late or post-medieval period as it would have been created by a steam-driven plough or short plough team. This is opposed to earlier forms of ridge and furrow which would have a wider form with a discernible 'S' shape that would be created by using a long plough team.
The survey also recorded a number of extant field boundaries. One of these lies in the southern field containing the ridges and furrow, dividing it approximately north to south, perpendicular to the ridge and furrows direction, though the stratigraphic relationship between the two features is unknown. This feature can be seen to continue through the field immediately to the north where there a feature of similar form approximately 50 metres to the east.
Within the digital surface model, it is possible see wide linear topographic trends within the data, parallel to these field boundaries, suggesting the remains of contemporary ridge and furrow within the northern field. These ridge and furrow features are wider in size and spacing than those in the southern field and this would normally suggest that they are of greater antiquity.