Scheduled MonumentsEnglandTwo concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney

Two concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney

England
List entry 1006944
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1006944
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.05 hectares
Grid reference
TQ 04077 79599
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Two concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney is an Iron Age enclosure located in Buckinghamshire. The monument comprises two roughly circular ditches visible as crop marks in aerial photography, a common means of detecting archaeological features in lowland England where subsurface remains leave traces in vegetation and soil moisture patterns. The concentric ditch arrangement is characteristic of Iron Age settlement and defensive structures, suggesting occupation or ritual significance during the pre-Roman Iron Age period. The site's preservation as crop marks rather than upstanding earthworks indicates that ploughing and subsequent agricultural use have levelled the original topography, making aerial and geophysical survey essential for understanding its layout and function.

Two concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1006944. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Two concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney?

Two concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney is an Iron Age enclosure located in Buckinghamshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1006944.

Who is responsible for protecting Two concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney?

Two concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1006944.

What other scheduled monuments are near Two concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Schoolhouse (Lord Knyvett's) (5.6 km), Romano-British site 1000yds (910m) W of East Bedfont parish church (6.8 km), Early medieval and medieval palace and associated monuments, Kingsbury (7.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Two concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Two concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Two concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney

Two concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney stands on Thames Group, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.

The wider landscape

Around Two concentric ditches showing as crop marks at Thorney

LondonRoman town · ~17.8 milesSt AlbansRoman town · ~18.1 milesBattle of Barnet 1471Battle (1471) · ~16.9 miles