The Prehistoric Pottery Sites of the Lincolnshire Coast

Abstract

The existence of ancient pottery sites between the tide lines on the Lincolnshire Coast, north of Skegness, has long been known, but references to them in literature are scanty. The lack of detailed knowledge about them is due to the unusual difficulties which confront the would-be investigator. In the first place they lie buried under six or eight feet of marshland clay. Away from the coast itself they are to be seen only where drains dug to this or to greater depths happen to cut through them. This is naturally a rare occurrence. Along the coast, however, exposures are more common, for there the erosive action of the sea is slowly removing the clays and bringing the pottery sites to view at mid-tide level. The same process unfortunately also removes the material of the sites. Opportunities for investigations are therefore fleeting.