Birmingham Warwickshire Archaeol Soc Trans 107

Report describing the excavation, in 1970--71, of a cropmark complex comprising an elongated rectangular enclosure, two ring-ditches at equal distances from the terminals of the enclosure and a pair of parallel linear ditches. The area was under threat from gravel extraction. The rectilinear enclosure was interpreted as a long barrow, or related monument, containing a possible turf mortuary chamber. The most northerly ring-ditch proved to be a barrow with a central grave containing a crouched burial probably dating to the Middle Neolithic. The southern ring-ditch, which was undatable, also proved to be a barrow in which the residue of a mound sealed a central pit, devoid of burial evidence yet thought to be the primary grave. Includes specialist reports on

Excavations in advance of a replacement gas main in 1990 re-examined parts of a barrow cemetery, principally the `henge and cursus' examined by D D A Simpson in 1968. The feature at that time interpreted as a `henge' was found to have comprised a large barrow that sealed a Mesolithic and Neolithic fossil soil. An initial ditch cut may have been C-shaped but it was later recut as a complete ring some time after the putative C-ditch had fully silted. No burials were found associated with either phase. The `cursus' feature was confirmed to be later than both the ring-ditch and an early Bronze Age barrow to the south and had been constructed to enclose the two barrow mounds. Parallels for the enclosure of barrow are discussed as is the possibility that the `cursus' was a variant of a post-medieval pillow mound. A Neolithic pit containing Grimston Ware is described. To the east of the barrow cemetery, part of an Iron Age enclosure, previously known as a cropmark, was investigated together with a number of associated pits, one at least of which may have been used for grain storage. The enclosure was truncated by a gravel quarry of medieval or perhaps Roman date on the west; on the east, nearby stream deposits were investigated. Includes specialist reports on

Three seasons of excavations were conducted at Coughton Court, a formerly moated manor-house site in Warwickshire, in 1991, in connection with new service trenches and garden works. Details were recovered of the plan of the demolished east range of the house, along with some evidence of earlier medieval occupation. Traces of Neolithic and Roman activity were also found. Includes specialist reports on

Article on the place-names and topography, including boundaries, described in the early Anglo-Saxon charter of Hellerelege, which appears to deal with locations in the built-up area of Birmingham and in particular the area near King's Norton. The author focuses on the Lint Brook or liontan/leontan, and discusses the possibility that the area of the charter bound was less extensive than that suggested by D Hooke (in West Midlands Archaeol 25 (1982) pages 52--5), and that a now-unnamed tributary of the River Rea was the liontan/leontan referred to in the charter. Documentary evidence for this argument is presented. Includes specific notes on

Reprint (including paragraphs omitted in error) of the note attached to `The Hersum Ditch, Birmingham and Coventry: a local topographical term?' by G Demidowicz (in Birmingham Warwickshire Archaeol Soc Trans 106 (2002) pages 143--50).