Mark Gillings - Landscape of the Megaliths: Excavation and Fieldwork on the Avebury Monuments, 1997-2003

The project was co-directed by Mark Gillings, Joshua Pollard and David Wheatley. Rick Peterson joined the team as an AHRB-funded research assistant between 20012003, undertaking extensive work on the antiquarian records relating to the Beckhampton Avenue, in addition to providing invaluable assistance with the fieldwork, post-excavation analysis and report preparation.

None of the work would have been possible were it not for the support and access offered by farmers and landowners in the Avebury area. Particular thanks go to Robin Butler, who put up with more disruption over five years of the project than any farmer should, yet maintained patience and interest. Likewise, we sincerely appreciate the support and co-operation of Tony and Judy Farthing. They, along with the National Trust, granted access to the West Kennet Avenue and the Falkners Circle, and have shown much interest in the results of the project. Additional logistical support for that work came from Rob Mimmack and Rosie Edmunds of the Trust. Roger Charlton of Beckhampton Stables Ltd. kindly permitted work in Long Barrow Field, Beckhampton; and Stephen Horton, the Crown Estates and their agents Carter Jonas granted access for geophysical survey and surface collection on Firs Farm, Beckhampton.

During the 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003 seasons much of the excavation work was undertaken by students from the Universities of Leicester, Southampton and Wales (Newport), along with volunteers from other universities, the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society and elsewhere. Glyn Goodrick was instrumental in the initial stone recording exercises carried out by the project in 1997 and 1998 and provided valuable supervisory support during the 1999 excavations. The participation of Patty Baker, Dave Bennett, Ros Cleal, Rosie Edwards, Martin Green, Lynda Murray and Mike Pitts is gratefully acknowledged. Supervisory assistance was ably provided by David Robinson, Lucy Ryder, John Tate, Paul Cripps and Lesley McFadyen. Gill and Robin Swanton provided campsite support during the early seasons, and Rosina Mount maintained excellent morale through splendid cooking and campsite management.

Pre-excavation geophysical surveys of Longstones and Long Barrow Fields and the Falkners Circle were provided, with their usual consummate skill, by Andrew David, Louise Martin and Andy Payne of the Centre for Archaeology, English Heritage. Amanda Chadburn of English Heritage and Duncan Coe and Sue Farr of the Wiltshire County Archaeological Service gave constructive advice on project designs and fieldwork strategies.

For assistance with excavations at the Avebury Cove, we would like to thank Deirdre OSullivan, Jeremy Taylor and Ruth Young. The engineering contractors, Ellis and Co, and especially their site foreman, Andy, provided practical support and good humour. For their help with coordination, advice, support and assistance we would also like to thank Rob Mimmack, Hilary Makins, Rosie Edmunds and Ros Cleal of the National Trust, and Michael Heaton, the Trusts contracted archaeological consultant.

Staff at the Society of Antiquaries (especially Adrian James), the Bodleian Library, Buckinghamshire County Council (Julia Wise), the Alexander Keiller Museum, Avebury, the Wiltshire Records Office and the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society kindly assisted with archival research on antiquarian and early archaeological fieldwork in the region, and on the post-medieval sarsen industry.

For support, academic advice and other input which has made this project successful, the following deserve our grateful acknowledgement: Miranda and Stephen Aldhouse-Green, Bob Bewley, Richard Bradley, Aubrey Burl, Humphrey Case, Amanda Chadburn, Ros Cleal, Duncan Coe, Julian Cope, Chris Dyer, James Dyer, Brian Edwards, Dave Edwards, the late John Evans, David Field, Charly French, Alex Gibson, Chris Gingell, Pete Glastonbury, Jan Harding, Phil Harding, Frances Healy, Audrey Horning, Matthew Johnson, Andrew Lawson, Mike Parker Pearson, Mike Pitts, Colin Richards, Julian Richards, Paul Robinson, Niall Sharples, Colin Shell, the late Isobel Smith, Gill Swanton, Julian Thomas and Alasdair Whittle. Through their earlier work on the Neolithic of the region, John Evans and Alasdair Whittle provided much inspiration, an awareness of the unanticipated discoveries that might be made in the Avebury landscape, and a sense of what was possible. Ros Cleal should also be singled out. Not only did she provide a seemingly endless supply of tea and biscuits when we visited the Alexander Keiller Museum, and ready access to the Keiller archive, but also much invaluable local archaeological knowledge and considerable encouragement to keep digging.

The work was generously funded through an AHRC (formerly AHRB) major research grant, with additional contributions by the Society of Antiquaries of London, the Prehistoric Society, and the Universities of Leicester, Newport and Southampton. Awards made as part of the AHRC Research Leave scheme enabled Gillings, Pollard and Wheatley to work on the final stages of writing and production of this volume.

Many of the illustrations within this volume are the work of Rick Peterson, with others provided by the principal authors, Anne Leaver (Chapter 6) and contributing specialists. Rosina Mount kindly took on the role of collating and formatting the bibliography. Clare Litt and Juliet Blackmore at Oxbow expertly guided the volume through production.

To all those others who we maythrough lapsed memoryhave forgotten to acknowledge, we extend our warmest thanks.

Every effort was made to track down the current copyright owner of the Lilywhite Ltd image reproduced as . The authors are happy to respond to any enquiries from the current owner of copyright.

Note on Authorship

A publication of this kind is inevitably the work of many hands, and authorship of specialist reports is here given, following convention, at the beginning of the relevant sections of text. While the principal authors all contributed in various ways to each section of this work, lead roles in the production and preparation of chapters were divided as follows:

• Chapters 14: Joshua Pollard
• Chapter 5: David Wheatley
• Chapter 6: Joshua Pollard
• Chapter 7: Mark Gillings and Joshua Pollard
• Chapters 811: Mark Gillings
• Chapter 12, Appendices 1 and 2: Rick Peterson
• Appendix 3: Mark Gillings

Figures from Stukeley 1743 are referred to using the published Table numbers. Engravers proofs for these Tables are listed only if they carry subsequent amendments. Drafts of Table I in Stukeley 1743 are referred to using the letter system of Ucko et al. 1991. Breaks or illegible material are indicated by the use of square brackets. Material which has been lined through in the original has been underlined in the transcript.

MS Gough Maps 229 f5 v: small fragmentary view of Silbury from the south with Avebury directly behind and the restored Avenues shown as single lines. The end of the Beckhampton Avenue is missing. Wash.

MS Gough Maps 229 f26 v: view of Avebury from the south, a very free pen and wash drawing which shows the circle and West Kennet Avenue as stones but the two sides of the Beckhampton Avenue as curved lines. Presumably postdates the drawing on the front of the sheet done July 1723.

MS Gough Maps 229 f105 v: fragment of draft T of Table I showing part of the western entrance. Added to a sheet of paper to enable Stukeley to finish a field drawing of Stonehenge dated Aug 1722, dating draft T to before this date.