Wooden trackways on Chilton Moor

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This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
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The monument includes four fields containing lengths of six Neolithic timber trackways which were recorded during drainage operations in 1968 and excavations in 1969. All have a similar alignment, from the sand island of Burtle, south west towards the Polden Hills, crossing the wetlands of Chilton Moor. The trackways exist 40cm-70cm below ground level, with no visible trace at ground level. The monument is divided by the South Drain, and each field is surrounded by smaller drainage ditches. Thirteen brushwood trackways were recorded in the immediate vicinity during the drainage operations and excavations. The trackways were numbered 1-13, numbers 4,5,6,11,12 and 13 being concentrated within the area of this scheduling. They were mainly of birch brushwood construction. Bore holes were sunk in an attempt to trace the extent of all the trackways. Tracks 4, 5 and 6 were traced for up to 200m, whereas 11, 12 and 13 were only minor exposures. To the west of the monument the intersection of two contemporary Neolithic trackways, Chilton 1 and 2, was revealed. The trackways are all associated with the early development of fenwood; raised bog peat is almost totally absent in this area. Samples taken at the time of the excavation have been analysed for pollen and the vegetational sequence has been established. Two radiocarbon dates for Chilton 1 and 4 give a date range for the tracks of between 3650-3500 BC. Excluded from the scheduling are all modern fences and posts, though the ground beneath is included.