This complex multi-period monument east of Willington preserves a cursus monument and mini henges of Neolithic date, round barrows of the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, and a substantial later prehistoric and Romano-British settlement and field system. The Romano-British component represents a rural agricultural settlement active from the first to fourth centuries AD, exploiting the gravels and alluvium of the Trent valley. The site's long occupation from the Neolithic through the Roman period reflects the enduring agricultural fertility of the Trent-Derwent confluence area.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The Willington site is one of the most important multi-period ritual and settlement landscapes in Derbyshire, demonstrating continuous human activity from the Neolithic through the Roman period. The Romano-British settlement and field system form part of the wider agricultural hinterland of Derventio (Littlechester), contributing grain, livestock, and other produce to the military and urban market at Derby some 8km to the north-west. Its position on the gravel terraces above the River Trent gave access to fertile soils and river transport.
Extensive aerial photographic survey has revealed the cropmark evidence for the full sequence of monuments, with the Romano-British enclosures, field boundaries, and settlement features superimposed on the earlier ritual landscape. Limited ground investigation has confirmed the presence of Romano-British pottery, building debris, and agricultural features. The scheduled monument protects the entire multi-period complex, one of the most comprehensively documented prehistoric and Roman landscapes in the East Midlands.
This complex multi-period monument east of Willington preserves a cursus monument and mini henges of Neolithic date, round barrows of the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, and a substantial later prehistoric and Romano-British settlement and field system. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a settlement site from the Roman period in Britain.
Cursus and mini henges, of Neolithic date, round barrows of Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date, and settlements, enclosures and fields of late Iron Age/Romano-British date, immediately East of Willington either side of the A5132 is classified as a Roman settlement — a civilian site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Section of Rykneld Street Roman road and remains of Bronze Age cemetery at Littleover (5.7 km), Section of Roman road to the north-east of Moor Lane, Kirk Langley (9.5 km), Strutt's Park Roman fort (9.6 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on Roman heritage, Domesday records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around Cursus and mini henges, of Neolithic date, round barrows of Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date, and settlements, enclosures and fields of late Iron Age/Romano-British date, immediately East of Willington either side of the A5132