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Details:
Westhay track is a late Bronze age trackway. Discovered by Mr C Sandford during peat cutting. It was exposed at two places (ST47894124 and ST42984134) by Clapham and Godwin in April 1944. The trackway was about 6ft wide, constructed of birch stems from about 0.5" to 6" diameter laid longitudinally, and pinned down with vertical stakes. The cut ends of the larger timbers showed clear axe marks, apparently from axes with thick blades and curved edges - characteristic of the late bronze age. This dating was supported by the tree pollen diagram and an radio-carbon date of BP 2800+-110. {1}
Mr Sandford confirmed the siting of the trackway given above. He says it was fully exposed and destroyed by peat digging some twenty years ago (c1946). {2}
Radio-carbon date of 850BC. {3}
References:
| 1 |
Mention - Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 1960 vol 26, 6-8 |
| 2 |
Detailed records - Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division 1978 ST44SW19 (SCC Planning Department) |
| 3 |
Mention - Somerset Levels Project. Coles, J and B 1975 "Check-list of RC dates..." no 1, 55 |
Data kindly supplied by the Somerset Historic Environment Record.
Record created in July 1985
© Copyright Somerset County Council 2007 |
