New light on an old farm: test pit excavations at Hillgrove, Ombersley (original) (raw)
Related papers
Excavations at Ham Hill hillfort, Somerset - first season [2011]
A technical report on the first of three excavation seasons at Ham Hill hillfort in Somerset, Britain's largest hillfort. The current programme of investigations have been commissioned in advance of a quarry extension on the hill, which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. As a combined project between the Cambrigde Archaeological Unit and the University of Cardiff this is one of the largest investigations within a hillfort in recent years, the archaeology of which is thus far dominated by rich Mid to Late Iron Age inhabitation.
Excavations at Ham Hill hillfort, Somerset - second season [2012]
Second report on excavations at Britain's largest hillfort. Excavations revealed a complex sequence of Iron Age rampart construction overlying features dated to the Neolithic, along with the interior and entrance to a large rectangular enclosure. Extensive middle and late Bronze Age field systems and structures were also examined.
A Possible Hillfort at Hawthorn Rise, Tibberton, Worcestershire
An archaeological excavation was undertaken at Hawthorn Rise, Tibberton, Worcestershire (NGR SO 9037 5779). It was undertaken on behalf of Speller Metcalfe Living Ltd, who intends a residential development for which a planning application will be submitted. The excavations at Tibberton revealed two large parallel ditches that ran roughly east to west around the slope of the hill. Whilst the full extent of the enclosure was not ascertained, the siting of these large contemporaneous ditches around the breast of a hill suggests a possible promontory fort function, potentially enclosing an area of c 1.8-4ha. The pottery recovered from these ditches suggests a Middle Iron Age origin, with closure in the Late Iron Age. This closure was represented by intentional backfilling of the ditches after they had been largely allowed to silt up, and then the placement of a two pots into pits cut into the top of the northern ditch. The pottery vessel type distribution suggests an ordered closure of the site. Later pits cutting the ditches contained possible conquest-era Severn Valley ware pottery, suggesting a limited amount of activity on the site following the demise of the earlier enclosure. A typical assemblage of domestic animal bone for the period was recovered from the site, although as it was largely from the ditch fills, it may have been skewed in favour of bones from larger species.
Excavations at Ham Hill, Somerset (2011)
Cambridge Archaeological Unit unpublished report 1101, 2012
A technical report on the first of three excavation seasons at Ham Hill hillfort in Somerset, Britain's largest hillfort. The current programme of investigations have been commissioned in advance of a quarry extension on the hill, which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. As a combined project between the Cambrigde Archaeological Unit and the University of Cardiff this is one of the largest investigations within a hillfort in recent years, the archaeology of which is thus far dominated by rich Mid to Late Iron Age inhabitation.
Castle Hill and its Landscape; Archaeological Investigations at the Wittenhams, Oxfordshire
2010
This volume describes the results of archaeological investigations carried out between 2003 and 2006 on behalf of the Northmoor Trust in the parishes of Little Wittenham and Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire. The work included examination of cropmarks, large-scale geophysical surveys, fieldwalking and excavations. Geophysical survey was concentrated in and around the scheduled hillfort at Castle Hill, Little Wittenham (Oxfordshire SAM No. 208), and revealed a smaller enclosure within the hillfort dated by excavation to the late Bronze Age.The survey also suggested that otherwise archaeological features within the hillfort were relatively sparse. A section across the hillfort ditch and rampart did not produce a clear construction date, though in the interior both early and middle Iron Age pits were found, some containing human burials or bones. The hillfort ditch appears to have been cleaned out throughout the Iron Age, the spoil probably used to enhance the outer bank. The hillfort was also used in the late Roman period (4th century AD), when very large rectangular pits were dug, and midden material was piled up behind and over the Iron Age rampart. People were also buried in the interior at this time. Saxon finds were very few, but a medieval pit and a quarry indicate occupation in the 12th/13th centuries AD. Coring of peat deposits beside the Thames north of Castle Hill provided evidence of the environmental succession from the early Iron Age onwards. On the plateau below the hillfort cropmarks and geophysical survey revealed a dense settlement stretching west, to Hill Farm and beyond. This included a late Bronze Age and early Iron Age midden some 50 m across, a middle Iron Age curving boundary ditch down the middle with smaller sub-rectangular enclosures either side, and early and middle Iron Age penannular enclosures, four-post structures and pits. Settlement seems to have shifted southwards and westwards in the middle Iron Age, and late Iron Age or early Roman ditches were also found near to Hill Farm. The Roman settlement was mainly 2nd–3rd century AD, and probably consisted of four enclosures, one of which contained a masonry building (now largely destroyed) with a tiled roof, decorated with mosaic tesserae and painted wall plaster. This enclosure was approached by a ditched trackway, with a second larger enclosure alongside. A third enclosure was partly revealed north of Hill Farm, and a fourth enclosure (not investigated) lay alongside Roman field boundaries west of Hill Farm. Despite earlier finds at Hill Farm, no Saxon evidence was found in these excavations. The project has revealed a unique combination of late Bronze Age hilltop enclosure, external settlement and an adjacent midden. In the early Iron Age the hilltop enclosure was replaced by the hillfort, where feasting occurred, while the adjacent settlement around the midden grew to be one of the largest in the region.The midden was abandoned in the middle Iron Age, and a long boundary ditch may have divided this ancestral area off from settlement to the south and west. There was also more middle Iron Age activity within the hillfort, including a number of human burials. In the Roman period the settlement probably included a small villa, while the hillfort itself was probably reoccupied in the later 4th century AD. Intriguingly both Roman cremations and inhumations were buried around and within the hillfort, suggesting a continuity of burial location spanning 1000 years. Geophysical survey and evaluation trenches were also dug across a cropmark complex at Neptune Wood east of Long Wittenham, revealing an early Iron Age enclosure ditch, a Roman trackway and associated fields, and a pair of large middle Saxon pits or waterholes.
Road to the Manor: Excavations at Graven Hill, Oxfordshire, 2015–2016
Oxford Archaeology Monograph 35, 2023
Oxford Archaeology undertook a series of excavations in 2015–16 at Graven Hill on the former site of MoD Bicester, a large military storage and distribution centre built during the Second World War. The archaeological works revealed evidence of prehistoric, Roman, medieval and post-medieval activity, as well as finds relating to the use of the military site during the 1940s and 1950s. Ephemeral signs of early prehistoric activity were limited to stone tools, including an impressive Neolithic axe head, and a Bronze Age cremation burial. The first sign of occupation dated to the middle Iron Age in the form of a small settlement on the northern slope of the hill. A late Iron Age settlement to the north-west appeared to have been abandoned shortly after the Roman invasion, perhaps as a direct consequence of the arrival of the army at Alchester, 1.6km west of Graven Hill. This coincided with the construction of Akeman Street, the alignment of which was discovered to circumnavigate the north side of the hill. The town of Bicester later originated in the 6th century AD, around the time that a collection of dress and personal items were buried to the north of Graven Hill. A new farmstead was established in the late 11th century, developing in the 13th century with a series of masonry buildings arranged around a central courtyard, linked via a road to the deserted medieval village at Wretchwick. The site is significant for its well-preserved structural foundations and a considerable number of artefacts, including one of the largest medieval pottery assemblages known from rural Oxfordshire. The farmstead was abandoned about the same time as the village in the mid-14th century, perhaps as a result of the Black Death. The land was subsequently used for agriculture until the development of MoD Bicester in the 1940s. Together, the archaeological findings presented in this monograph have enriched our understanding of the history of the Oxfordshire landscape.
Archaeological Evaluation Report, 2019
John Moore Heritage Services carried out an archaeological evaluation to establish the quality of any archaeological preservation in advance of proposed developments to the land surrounding the main house located on the Bletchingdon Park estate in Bletchingdon, Oxfordshire (NGR SP 50533 18026). A total of 42 trenches ranging from 3m to 30m in length and 1.9m in width were strategically placed in five areas across the estate. Areas 1 &2 were in the northern field systems which were thought to be of low archaeological potential based on historic maps and records. However, due to the long-standing nature of the use of the land for agriculture associated with the estate, and the limited amount of archaeological testing in the immediate area, it was determined to be prudent to produce a sample of the area. Of the 42 total trenches, 24 were placed between these two areas, but only three of these contained evidence of activity earlier than that associated with modern agricultural use. The archaeological evidence showed a series of three separate ditches, two running on a N-S alignment and one on a E-W alignment, were present prior to the modern layout of the fields and tracks. Area 3 was located to the northwest of the main house directly south of the fish ponds which were being heavily renovated. The topsoil had been previously removed prior to monitoring of the excavation of the seven trenches, but the natural clay was immediately present below the removed topsoil. No archaeological preservation was observed in this area. Areas 4 & 5 were to the south of the main house and were determined to be of greater archaeological potential. Of the 11 remaining trenches in these two areas, all but two contained archaeological preservation. Evidence of the earlier medieval road leading from the village to Saint Giles Church was seen in TR2 and TR36. There was evidence of previous garden landscaping including level formation deposits and spatial division methods (i.e. walls and ditches), a garden boundary wall running parallel to the road, multiple ditches and pits which were likely to predate the current main house, and a substantial foundation wall which could have associated with a fairly substantial structure. Material recovered dates predominantly to the medieval period. Should it be deemed necessary a strip, map and sample exercise could be carried out in Areas 1 and 2 to record the agricultural features. The archaeology encountered in Area 4 could be preserved by record during excavation of the proposed area of underground car parking, access road and tunnel. This would give an understanding of the type of activity and its duration occurring in this location during the medieval period. The diffuse archaeological remains in Area 5 could be recorded and further investigated by a watching brief conducted during the groundworks in this area. All of the recording work over Areas 1-5 can be addressed by appropriate planning condition and the recording work carried through implementation.
Down Barn Farm, Cholderton, Wiltshire: Archaeological Evaluation
2020
An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in December 2019 - January 2020 at Down Barn Farm, Cholderton, Wiltshire. Ninety trenches were excavated across nine fields, targeted on geophysical anomalies. Two targeted areas of archaeological mitigation were also excavated. Fifty one of the ninety trenches contained archaeological features. A ring ditch, with two offset entrances, of prehistoric date was identified within Trench 8. Two distinct phases of activity were evident, with an unusually shaped recut of the feature adding an additional stretch of ditch to the southern entrance which created a dog-leg porch type structure. The ditch was associated with a possible cremation vessel, located outside the southern entrance. It was not possible to closely determine the feature's date or function although the lack of domestic waste would suggest that it was likely ceremonial. A stretch of a Wessex Linear Ditch was also excavated within Trench 13, confirming it extended through, and beyond the site. Where exposed, it measured 6.6m in width and 1.16m in depth with no evidence of surviving external banks or re-cutting. It did not contain any dateable artefacts. Cropmark evidence suggests that the ditch truncated the earlier field system, marking a shift in landscape usage. Ditches associated with a coaxial field system were identified across the site. Many features were undated although limited ceramic evidence suggests they were likely to have been constructed in the Middle Bronze Age. A placed deposit of a cow skull and ribs was excavated within one of the ditch terminals. A very small assemblage of unstratified Romano-British pottery was also recovered, suggesting a low level of activity within the site during this period.
Land East of Barrow Hill, Suffolk ~ An Archaeological Evaluation
Land East of Barrow Hill, Barrow, Suffolk - Archaeological Trial Trench Evaluation, 2016
In July 2016, Archaeological Solutions Ltd carried out an archaeological trial trench evaluation of land east of Barrow Hill, Barrow, Suffolk (TL 7670 6310). The survey was commissioned to inform and support a planning application for a residential development. The principal features recorded during the evaluation were medieval (12th – 14th century). Trenches 12, 13 and 17, located on the western side of the southern sector of the site, each contained four or five medieval features. At some slight distance Trenches 10 and 11 each contained a medieval feature. The majority of the dated medieval features were ditches, but discrete features were also recorded: Pit F1035 (Trench 13), Pit F1014 and Post Holes F1019 and F1021 (Trench 17). The latter are indicative of structural remains and daub was found within Ditches F1005, F1007 (Trench 22) and F1037 (Trench 13). Undated pits were recorded in Trenches 12 (F1082) and 17 (F1010, F1012 and F1023) and may be associated with the medieval remains. Trench 22 contained Ditches F1003, F1005 and F1007. The three ditches were part of the same interrupted enclosure identified during the geophysical survey. Ditch F1007 contained medieval pottery. Ditches F1003 and F1005 however, contained Late Medieval Transitional pottery (15th-16th centuries), and a sherd of post-medieval glazed red earthenware (as well as residual medieval sherds). There was no evidence of internal features, and further investigation of the enclosure would resolve its dating and function.