The ring ditch was located approximately 190m north-east of the first excavation area on a similar elevation but separated by lower-lying ground. The ring ditch was roughly circular in plan but dug in a series of straight sections – this may be due to excavating through the natural bedrock, however, rather than any particular design. It was slightly wider north to south (15m internally) than east to west (13.50m internally). The ditch width varied from 1.00m along the south-west side, broadening to the north to 1.90m, and the sides were moderately steep with a depth of 0.30m–0.50m onto a flat bedrock base. The previous evaluation trench was visible extending north-east to south-west through the southern part of the ring ditch. (1)

Two ditch fills were identified with a third fill visible on the eastern side. The primary fill was a mid-yellowish brown sandy silt containing subangular bedrock fragments. The upper silting deposit was very similar but contained considerably fewer stone fragments. Most excavated sections showed the deposits slumping down from the inner edge of the ring ditch, suggesting the presence of an eroding mound or bank. The exception was along the north-eastern side where the primary deposit was more evenly spread across the lower ditch cut. This layer was a slightly different dark reddish brown sandy silt and was the only fill containing charcoal inclusions. (1)

Along the eastern side of the ring ditch there was a slight change in fill. An excavated section contained a mixed dark greyish and yellowish-brown sandy silt, slumping in from
the interior of the ring ditch – this could have originated from the original topsoil/vegetation dug out from the ditch. Above this was a thick deposit of re-deposited natural upcast with the tertiary silting phase along the eastern edge. (1)

The previous Oxford Archaeology East trenching had recovered one sherd of probable Early Bronze Age Collared Urn pottery. A geological fault was discovered in the base of a ditch on the northern side of the ring ditch. It is unknown whether this would have been a visible feature on the Bronze Age ground surface and thus a factor in siting the ring ditch, but during excavation two post-Second World War beer bottles were found within the fault, suggesting it had remained open for some time. (1)

Four postholes were cut into the base of the southern side of this ring ditch. Two postholes were the most substantive with diameters of 0.18m and 0.22m, steep-sided U-shaped profiles and depths of 0.17m onto irregular bases. To the west were two postholes with diameters of 0.10m and 0.15m – these were shallower at 0.11m. All four features contained a similar fill to the ditch deposits. (1)

Pickering J, Air photos (Aerial photograph). SNT1148.

<1> Jamie Patrick, 2022, An Archaeological Field Excavation on Land of Beck Lane, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire (Unpublished document). SNT5987.