Archaeologists make ‘rare’ find of previously unknown henge in Crowland
One of the largest prehistoric monuments ever discovered in this region has been uncovered by archaeologists on the outskirts of a historic Lincolnshire town.
Archaeologists from Newcastle University with experts from the University of Sheffield discovered the previously unknown Late Neolithic of early Bronze Age Henge, which is a type of circular earthwork, during excavations at Anchor Church Field in Crowland. It is thought to be the largest one ever discovered in eastern England.
The academics have been undertaking excavations in the area in a bid to learn more about the town and it’s links to the St Guthlac – a former solider who went to live in isolation in hermitage on the island of Crowland following a profound conversion in the late seventh century.
They have learned that the henge was later re-used by the Anglo Saxons and a 12th century hall and chapel, which was built by the abbots of Crowland.
One of the people leading the excavation was Dr Duncan Wright, Lecturer in Medieval Archaeology at Newcastle University, said this work has highlighted that Crowland has been a sacred place for many years.
He said: “We know that many prehistoric monuments were reused by the Anglo-Saxons, but to find a henge—especially one that was previously unknown—occupied in this way is really quite rare.
“Although the Anglo-Saxon objects we found cannot be linked with Guthlac with any certainty, the use of the site around this time and later in the medieval period adds weight to the idea that Crowland was a sacred space at different times over millennia.”
The remains of a 12th-century hall and chapel, built by the Abbots of Crowland probably to venerate the hermits, was also discovered during the dig.
The hall would have been used for elite accommodation, perhaps for high-status pilgrims who were visiting Crowland. Although most of the stone from these buildings was robbed in the 19th century, documents suggest that the chapel on the site was dedicated to St Pega, Guthlac’s sister, who was herself an important hermit in the region.
These same sources describe the chapel as lying in ruins by the 15th century, and it is possible that the site began to lose popularity as interest in pilgrimage waned around the Reformation.
Directly in front of the hall and chapel, the archaeologists also found a one-metre stone-lined pit that was thought to be a well when it was uncovered in the 19th century. In light of what the archaeologists now know about the site from the excavations, they think this pit could be more accurately thought of as a flag post hole or, more likely, the setting for a large cross.
After the 12th century, draining of the marshland surrounding Crowland began, transforming the topography of the area. No longer surrounded by water, the Anchor Church Field was now instead on land that could be ploughed and farmed. The hall seems to have lasted longer than the chapel, it too lost its high-status function over the centuries.
Despite this change in use, the site retained its sacred history until relatively recently: 18th century documents record that the owner of the cottage, built on the site from the remains of the hall, continued to venerate the hermits, going into his back garden every Sunday to kneel and offer prayers.
“By examining the archaeological evidence we uncovered and looking at historic texts, it’s clear that even in later years Anchor Church Field continued to be seen as a special place worthy of veneration,” said Dr Hugh Willmott from the University of Sheffield. “Guthlac and Pega were very important figures in the early Christian history of England, so it is hugely exciting that we’ve been able to determine the chronology of what is clearly a historically significant site.”