| Description | Earthwork enclosure located in Kit Wood, first discovered by Mr. J. Whatmuff in 1960, and also that it was visited by members of the Bradford Archaeology Group in the same year. The O.S. field officer stated in 1968, that this site was a ''roughly oval earthwork comprising a level platform scooped into the hillside to a depth of 1 metre on its SW side and bounded on SE side by a slight earth and stone bank. The remaining sides appeared to have been levelled''. The enclosure assumes no recognisable form and its date are purpose are uncertain.
The site was visited and photographed by WYAAS in December 2011 (digital photos are stored on WYAAS' M: Drive in HER Photos Tong Township). The enclosure is located in the southern half of the wood, immediately south of the public footpath, and to the east of a heavy vehicle access track. It is visible as a ‘D shaped’ enclosure, consisting of a curving stone and earth embankment with a straight northern boundary of evenly spaced boulder stones (which run parallel with the footpath). The enclosure is roughly c.25m in diameter.
The survival of the enclosure is pretty much how it was described in 1968 (see above). The south eastern corner survives the best, with the embankment clearly visible as a stone and earth earthwork measuring roughly 0.5m above the flat central area (although this is only an approximate height due to large amounts of leaf litter on the ground). The south western section is less clear, measuring roughly 0.2m in height. There is also a central break in the southern section of the embankment at approximately SE 2060 3054, which may be a possible entrance.
The function of the enclosure is uncertain, however it may have been used for keeping animals. The monument’s form is also not certain – although currently the northern boundary of the enclosure is thought to be represented by the linear line of earth fast boulders, it is possible that this was actually an internal feature. As such, it is possible that the enclosure was originally circular or ‘oval’ in shape, with a continuous embankment. However, if this was the case the northern half of the enclosure has now been completely flattened, as no obvious earthworks were visible north of the footpath. Nevertheless, both D shaped and curvilinear enclosures are thought to date from the Iron Age/Romano British period.
(Text edited from WYAAS, 2011)
The wood can be accessed by a public footpath which runs from Ryecroft Farm (off Raikes Lane) to Gib Stubbing Farm (off New Lane), and appears to be semi natural, consisting of oak and silver birch (quite well spaced apart). The wood can first be seen on a map drawn by a J. Lickinson in 1725, and is named ‘Nettleton Wood’; it is also visible on Thorpe’s 1822 map (this time with no name) and the 1st Edition OS map (named ‘Kit Wood’). |