A palynological investigation of archaeological materials from Burrough Hill, Leicestershire

The six samples studied yielded palynofloras dominated by Jurassic taxa. The most significant
lithostratigraphical unit contributing to sample 1 is the Oxford Clay Formation of Callovian–
Oxfordian age. By contrast, the principal element in samples 2–6 is the Lower Toarcian part of
the Whitby Mudstone Formation (the Grey Shale and Mulgrave Shale members). Minor levels of
Carboniferous and Quaternary/Holocene material were also recovered throughout. Certain
samples also yielded rare Permian, Late Triassic and Early Cretaceous material. The glacial tills
of Eastern England are typically rich in Jurassic and Carboniferous palynomorphs. This means
that the clay samples analysed were originally collected from local tills. The non-Jurassic
elements are too abundant and varied for them to have been reworked or otherwise introduced
into the respective in situ Jurassic units. The fact that samples produced mixed Jurassic
palynomorphs is entirely consistent with the till provenance hypothesis. Furthermore, the
Jurassic units identified here are typically organic-rich, such as the Lower Toarcian Whitby
Mudstone Formation, the Oxford Clay Formation (Callovian–Oxfordian) and the Kimmeridge
Clay Formation (Kimmeridgian–Tithonian).