This volume is an integrated overview and synthesis of available data relating to the Quaternary evolution of the River Trent. It provides detailed descriptions of the Pleistocene sedimentary records from the Trent, its tributaries and related drainage systems - a sedimentary record that spans a period of approximately half a million years - and the biostratigraphical and archaeological material preserved therein.

Significant new data are presented from recently discovered sites of geological and archaeological importance, including previously unrecognised fluvial deposits, as well as novel analyses, such as mathematical modelling of fluvial incision as recorded by the river terrace deposits. In combination with a thorough review of the literature on the Trent, these new data have contributed to revised chronostratigraphical and palaeogeographical frameworks for central England and revealed the complexity of the Pleistocene fluvial and glacial records in this region. The fragmentary Trent terrace sequence is an important element of wider reconstructions of Pleistocene palaeodrainage in Britain, providing a link between the records preserved in the English Midlands and those in East Anglia.

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of figures, tables and plates
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Summary
• Résumé
• Zusammenfassung
• Chapter 1: Introduction: the Trent and its Pleistocene record
  • 1.1 Introduction
  • 1.2 The Trent catchment: relief and drainage
    • 1.2.1 The Lincoln Edge and its Gaps
    • 1.2.2 Tributaries and related drainage
      • 1.2.2.1 Tributaries of the Upper Trent
      • 1.2.2.2 Tributaries of the Middle Trent
      • 1.2.2.3 Tributaries and former courses of the Lower Trent
  • 1.3 Early research on the Trent sequence
  • 1.4 The stratigraphical framework: Quaternary chronostratigraphy and correlation
    • 1.4.1 The formation of river terraces
    • 1.4.2 The archaeological record
  • 1.5 The Quaternary record of the River Trent
    • 1.5.1 Classification of Trent terraces and deposits
      • 1.5.1.1 Geomorphological classification
      • 1.5.1.2 Lithostratigraphical classification
    • 1.5.2 Trent terrace deposits from different reaches
      • 1.5.2.1 The Middle Trent sequence
      • 1.5.2.2 The Trent Trench
      • 1.5.2.3 The Lower Trent sequence
      • 1.5.2.4 Sequences in key tributaries
    • 1.5.3 The record of glaciation in the Trent catchment
      • 1.5.3.1 Anglian glaciation
      • 1.5.3.2 Post-Anglian–pre-Devensian glaciation
      • 1.5.3.3 Late Devensian glaciation
      • 1.5.3.4 Glacial Lake Humber and the final diversion of the Trent
    • 1.5.4 The North Sea basin
    • 1.5.5 The Baginton–Bytham–Ingham River
  • 1.6 The Lower and Middle Palaeolithic record in the Trent Valley
    • 1.6.1 The Trent Valley Palaeolithic Project
  • 1.7 TVPP Methodology
    • 1.7.1 Clast analysis
      • 1.7.1.1 Gravel-forming rocks local to the Trent catchment
      • 1.7.1.2 Lithologies exotic to the Trent catchment
      • 1.7.1.3 Characteristic clast suite of Trent gravels
      • 1.7.1.4 Angularity–roundness analysis of flint clasts
    • 1.7.2 Geochronology
      • 1.7.2.1 Optically stimulated luminescence dating
      • 1.7.2.2 Amino acid racemization dating
• Chapter 2: The geological record: sedimentological and geomorphological data from the TVPP
  • 2.1 Introduction
    • 2.1.1 Geological data collection
  • 2.2 Evidence for pre-Anglian and Anglian Trent drainage
    • 2.2.1 Pre-Anglian drainage from the West Midlands (Baginton–Bytham system)
      • 2.2.1.1 Waverley Wood Farm Pit (SP 372718)
      • 2.2.1.2 Brandon, Pools Farm Pit (SP 384763)
      • 2.2.1.3 Huncote, Acresford Quarry (SP 5024 9754)
      • 2.2.1.4 Brooksby (SK 670160)
      • 2.2.1.5 The Hathern Gravel
      • 2.2.1.6 Castle Bytham
    • 2.2.2 Evidence for pre-Anglian and Anglian drainage in the Upper and Middle Trent
      • 2.2.2.1 Wilford Hill (SK 582352; Fig. 2.4)
      • 2.2.2.2 Possible equivalent gravels in the Rugeley–Uttoxeter area
    • 2.2.3 The Trent via Ancaster
      • 2.2.3.1 Sentinel Wood, west of North Rauceby
      • 2.2.3.2 Ermine Street
      • 2.2.3.3 Sudbrook
      • 2.2.3.4 Between Gelston and Hough on the Hill
      • 2.2.3.5 Harlaxton Reservoir, Little Ponton (SK 905334)
  • 2.3 The Anglian glaciation
    • 2.3.1 The Elvaston and Swarkestone Channels
  • 2.4 The late Middle–Upper Pleistocene Trent (the ‘Lincoln Trent’)
    • 2.4.1 The Upper Trent and the major tributaries
      • 2.4.1.1 Main Trent
      • 2.4.1.2 River Tame
      • 2.4.1.3 River Blithe
      • 2.4.1.4 River Dove
      • 2.4.1.5 River Derwent
      • 2.4.1.6 River Soar
    • 2.4.2 The Middle Trent
      • 2.4.2.1 Alder Moor, Somersal Herbert (SK 145355)
      • 2.4.2.2 Mill Hill, Breaston (SK 4623 3455): Sandiacre Gravel
      • 2.4.2.3 The Etwall Sand and Gravel: Hilton Gravel Pit SSSI (Hilton East Pit; SK 252317
      • 2.4.2.4 Broomhill Farm, Foston (SK 182326)
      • 2.4.2.5 Atkin’s Farm, Stenson (SK 328302)
      • 2.4.2.6 Willington Quarry (SK 278273)
      • 2.4.2.7 Barrow upon Trent, Lafarge (formerly Redland) quarry (SK 3450 2850)
      • 2.4.2.8 Shardlow Quarry (SK 445295)
      • 2.4.2.9 Holme Pierrepont (SK 625384)
      • 2.4.2.10 Lower Derwent: the Allenton Terrace
      • 2.4.2.11 Rivers Smite and Devon (Vale of Belvoir)
    • 2.4.3 The Lower Trent
      • 2.4.3.1 Newark to Lincoln
      • 2.4.3.2 Lincoln to the Wash
      • 2.4.3.3 Lincoln to the Humber
    • 2.4.4 Evidence from between the modern Trent and Witham courses
      • 2.4.4.1 Kirmington (TA 103117)
      • 2.4.4.2 Welton-le-Wold (TF 284882)
  • 2.5 Evidence for a post-Anglian–pre-Devensian glaciation in Lincolnshire
    • 2.5.1 Disposition of the glacial deposits in relation to the Lower Trent terraces
      • 2.5.1.1 Glacial gravels in the Horncastle area
      • 2.5.1.2 Roughton Moor: Wellsyke Farm (TF 232638) and Fox Hill Sand Pit (TF 228627)
    • 2.5.2 Post-Anglian–pre-Devensian glaciation in the Upper and Middle Trent
    • 2.5.3 Tracing the Wragby Till glaciation into adjacent catchments to the south
      • 2.5.3.1 Blossom Hill, Uffington (TF 064089)
• Chapter 3: The palaeontological record: data from fossils for biostratigraphy and palaeoenvironments
  • 3.1 Introduction
  • 3.2 Palaeontological studies as part of the TVPP
    • 3.2.1 Vertebrates
    • 3.2.2 Molluscs
    • 3.2.3 Palynology
    • 3.2.4 Plant macrofossils
    • 3.2.5 Insects
  • 3.3 Gazetteer of palaeontological sites
    • 3.3.1 Pre-Anglian Trent drainage
      • 3.3.1.1 Waverley Wood Farm Pit (SP 365715)
      • 3.3.1.2 Brandon, Pools Farm Pit (SP 384763)
      • 3.3.1.3 Brooksby (SK 670160)
    • 3.3.2 Upper Trent
      • 3.3.2.1 Whitemoor Haye Quarry, Staffordshire (SK173127)
    • 3.3.3 Middle Trent
      • 3.3.3.1 Etwall and Egginton Common Formations (formerly Upper and Lower Hilton Terraces)
      • 3.3.3.2 Beeston-Allenton Terrace
      • 3.3.3.3 Holme Pierrepont Sand and Gravel
    • 3.3.4 Lower Trent: Newark–Lincoln
      • 3.3.4.1 Eagle Moor Sand and Gravel
      • 3.3.4.2 Balderton Sand and Gravel
      • 3.3.4.3 Norton Bottoms Quarry
      • 3.3.4.4 Field House, Norton Disney (SK 851953)
      • 3.3.4.5 Holly Farm, Brough (SK 841585)
      • 3.3.4.6 Fulbeck Sand and Gravel
      • 3.3.4.7 Scarle Sand and Gravel
      • 3.3.4.8 Bassingham Fen deposits
    • 3.3.5 Lower Trent: Lincoln to the Wash (Witham valley)
      • 3.3.5.1 BGS borehole(s) at Coronation Farm, Southrey, and the Hermitage, Stainfield
      • 3.3.5.2 Bain valley and Bain–Witham confluence area
    • 3.3.6 TVPP sites unrelated to modern drainage
      • 3.3.6.1 Kirmington
      • 3.3.6.2 Welton-le-Wold
• Chapter 4: Gravel extraction: history of the aggregates industry in the Trent valley
  • 4.1 Introduction
  • 4.2 Early sand and gravel working
  • 4.3 The emergence of an aggregates industry
  • 4.4 Aggregates and the construction of modern Britain
  • 4.5 The economics of aggregates extraction
  • 4.6 Aggregates and archaeology
  • 4.7 Conclusions
• Chapter 5: Archaeology: the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic record from the Trent catchment
  • 5.1 Introduction
  • 5.2 Palaeolithic research in the English East Midlands
  • 5.3 Trent valley collectors and collections
    • 5.3.1 Fred.W.G. Davey
    • 5.3.2 A. Leslie Armstrong
    • 5.3.3 George F. Turton
    • 5.3.4 K.G. Smith
    • 5.3.5 Other collections
    • 5.3.6 Previous research on the Trent collections
  • 5.4 Gazetteer of Trent valley Palaeolithic sites
    • 5.4.1 The pre-Anglian Baginton–Bytham River
      • 5.4.1.1 Warwickshire
      • 5.4.1.2 Leicestershire
    • 5.4.2 The Upper and Middle Trent
      • 5.4.2.1 Derbyshire general
      • 5.4.2.2 Hilton and Willington (Derbyshire)
      • 5.4.2.3 Nottinghamshire
    • 5.4.3 The Lower Trent and Lincolnshire
      • 5.4.3.1 Newark to Lincoln
      • 5.4.3.2 Witham-Trent, Lincoln to Tattershall
      • 5.4.3.3 Lincolnshire Wolds and other outliers
  • 5.5 Discussion and interpretation
    • 5.5.1 Geographical distribution
    • 5.5.2 Dating and settlement history
    • 5.5.3 Raw materials and taphonomy
    • 5.5.4 Technology and typology
  • 5.6 Concluding remarks: value and potential
• Chapter 6: Synthesis: the Pleistocene evolution and human occupation of the Trent catchment
  • 6.1 Origins of the Trent: evidence for pre-Anglian drainage
    • 6.1.1 Evidence for Trent drainage via Ancaster
    • 6.1.2 Pre-Anglian drainage from the Midlands into East Anglia
    • 6.1.3 Routeways for early humans into the Trent prior to the Anglian
  • 6.2 The Anglian glaciation
    • 6.2.1 The Wilford Hill Gravel: a snapshot of the Anglian Trent
  • 6.3 The first diversion of the Trent: abandonment of west–east flow through the Ancaster Gap
    • 6.3.1 A missing interval (MIS 11-9) in the Trent
    • 6.3.2 Human occupation during MIS 11-9
  • 6.4 A hitherto poorly documented late Middle Pleistocene glaciation
    • 6.4.1 Evidence for glaciation in MIS 8 outwith the English Midlands
    • 6.4.2 Evolution of the fluvial system following MIS 8 deglaciation
  • 6.5 MIS 7: the Norton Bottoms interglacial
    • 6.5.1 The evidence from Norton Bottoms
    • 6.5.2 The Coronation Farm and Stainfield boreholes
    • 6.5.3 The Bain–Trent confluence area (Tattershall Thorpe terrace)
    • 6.5.4 Evidence for human activity in MIS 7
  • 6.6 MIS 6: the Balderton Formation and its correlatives upstream and downstream
  • 6.7 MIS 5e: The Ipswichian interglacial
    • 6.7.1 Human absence: of necessity, negative evidence
  • 6.8 MIS 5d-4/3: The Early and Middle Devensian (Last) Glacial
    • 6.8.1 Mid-Devensian climatic fluctuation
    • 6.8.2 Incision to the Holme Pierrepont terrace level
    • 6.8.3 Neanderthal visitors
  • 6.9 The Late Devensian (MIS 2) glaciation
    • 6.9.1 The final diversion of the Trent
  • 6.10 From Devensian deglaciation to the modern river system
  • 6.11 Dating control
    • 6.11.1 Biostratigraphy
    • 6.11.2 Geochronology
    • 6.11.3 Comparative evidence from the Peak District karst
      • 6.11.3.1 The ‘Pocket Deposits’
      • 6.11.3.2 Karstic evidence in the Dove catchment
      • 6.11.3.3 Karstic evidence in the Derwent catchment
      • 6.11.3.4 Synthesis of Peak District karstic evidence
    • 6.11.4 Mathematical modelling of fluvial incision and vertical crustal motion in the Trent catchment
      • 6.11.4.1 The Middle Trent and its tributaries
      • 6.11.4.2 The Lower Trent and Witham-Trent
      • 6.11.4.3 The Ancaster Trent
      • 6.11.4.4 The ‘Bytham River’
      • 6.11.4.5 Lateral variations in crustal properties
  • 6.12 Concluding remarks
• References
• Colour Plates
• Appendices
  • Appendix I: Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of Pleistocene sediments from the Trent valley
  • Appendix II: Clast-lithological analysis: supplementary data
  • Appendix III: Amino Acid Racemization Analysis
  • Appendix IV: Pleistocene Vertebrate Collections from the Trent
  • Appendix V: Palaeolithic Artefact Collections Analysed as part of the TVPP
  • Appendix VI: Experimental study of handaxe abrasion