Palaeoenvironmental evidence. In: Romano-British occupation and a late medieval farm complex at The Forty, Cricklade, Wiltshire (original) (raw)
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An excavation and archaeological watching brief were carried out by Wessex Archaeology, in 1998, at the site of a former animal feed mill on the south side of Church Road, Bishop's Cleeve, Gloucestershire (OS Nat. Grid 395855 227560) in advance of the construction of a retail outlet for Tesco (Wessex Archaeology 1999). Additional archaeological excavations and a watching brief were undertaken in 2004, in advance of extensions to the Tesco store and car park (Wessex Archaeology 2005). The results of both these periods of work are presented here. Previous work at Bishop's Cleeve indicates a long history of settlement in the area, from at least the Middle Iron Age, though the information to date is rather piecemeal. Middle to Late Iron-Age enclosure ditches and pits were revealed in an earlier evaluation of the site (Parry 1993). These probably form part of the settlement, also represented by enclosure ditches and pits, excavated on the north side of Church Road at Gilder's Paddock (Parry 1999) as well as 21, Church Road (Cullen and Hancocks forthcoming) (Fig. 1). Romano-British pottery of 1st-2nd-century AD date was found to the northwest of the site prior to and during construction of the Bishop's Cleeve bypass road; first in a number of pits at Gilder's Brook (Wills and Parry 1990) and secondly, associated with a surface of paving slabs, during fieldwalking at Dean Farm (Rawes and Rawes 1990) (Fig. 1). At Gilder's Paddock, Romano-British activity of 2nd-4th-century AD date is represented by a ditch, which follows the line of one of the Iron-Age enclosure ditches, and seven inhumation burials. These features probably relate to the late 2nd-4th-century AD occupation at Home Farm, immediately to the west (Hart 1993; King 1994; Barber and Walker 1995; 1998) (Fig. 1). This consisted of a series of small ditched enclosures, possibly garden plots, the remains of a masonry building, and traces of small-scale industrial activity, including smithing, brass casting and flax retting or leather tanning. Ditches and pits spanning the 2nd-4th-centuries were also revealed during an evaluation at Cleeve Hall (Fig. 1) (Ings and Enright 1996; CAT 1997; Enright and Watts 2002). Evidence for Anglo-Saxon settlement at Bishop's Cleeve has so far proved elusive though it probably lies beneath the modern village (Aldred 1976). A late 6th-century cemetery at Lower Farm (Wilson and Hurst 1970; Holbrook 2000) was seen by Heighway (1984) as an indication of the colonisation of the upper Thames valley by pre-Christian Saxons. The site of a possible
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The archaeological investigations of Crickley Hill, Gloucestershire – which took place over a twenty-five-year period, with the help of several thousand volunteers – led to many exciting discoveries. Since the final season of excavations, post-excavation work has continued, processing an enormous archive, in order to create reports relating to the various phases of activity (from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages). This paper provides a summary of Romano-British and early Medieval settlement and ritual activity on the hilltop. The post-Roman settlement consisted of two separate (but related) late Roman or early post-Roman zones – perhaps demonstrating rare evidence for social stratification. It introduces new discoveries made by the author during post-excavation analysis, considering Crickley Hill in relation to the Roman and post-Roman archaeological landscape of Southwest Britain.
Further Prehistoric and Romano-British activity at Poundbury Farm, Dorchester, Dorset
Further Prehistoric and Romano-British activity at Poundbury Farm, Dorchester, Dorset. Wessex Archaeology Online Report , 2019
Excavations in 2013 completed the archaeological works associated with the development of the area to the north of Poundbury Farm, near Dorchester, Dorset. Investigation of the narrow strip of land, situated between two large areas excavated in 2007, revealed a number of features of prehistoric and Romano-British date. Two Middle Bronze Age cremation-related features, possibly cenotaphs or memento mori, were found not far from a few other, similarly-dated cremation burials recorded previously. A scattering of worked flint came from later features. There remains a distinct lack of evidence for Iron Age activity on or in the near vicinity of the site. It was possible to clarify the relationships between (and the development of) several of the large ditched-enclosures relating to the Romano-British community’s apparently agrarian, predominantly sheep product and crop-based, economy. The very bottom corner of a previously unknown enclosure ditch was revealed along the northern edge of the site, demonstrating that this complex of enclosures continued beyond the investigated areas. Small-scale craft and industry-related features generally appear later in the Romano– British sequence, as observed thus far. The remains of a well-built masonry-lined oven or kiln structure, featuring an iron door-post, had clearly been used, though it has not been possible to determine a particular function. In addition to the metal-working evidence recovered during both phases of excavation, the more recently found antler offcut suggests some variety in craftrelated activities. A number of additional Romano-British inhumation burials were found in the northern part of the site. Three had been made in the local Durotrigian style – flexed and usually with a ceramic vessel or vessels – a tradition that has been proven to continue well into the period. A further 10 (nine found in a close-packed linear arrangement) held the remains of more standard Romano-British style burials, ie, coffined, extended and supine, and often wearing hobnailed footwear. Four of the burials had included complete lamb carcasses, laid along or at the end of the coffin, possibly related to their sheep-based occupations, or perhaps of some symbolic significance, eg, innocence and renewal. Regardless of the reasons, they are a most unusual find. One of these burials was even more remarkable; as well as being buried with a lamb offering, a child of around 10 years of age had been decapitated as part of the post mortem rites. Whilst decapitation burials are relatively common in the period, it is rare to find evidence for the ritual being performed on one so young. It is not possible to determine why they were treated in this manner, though it is likely that there was something that marked the child for special treatment in death. As previously surmised, there is little evidence for occupation in the vicinity during succeeding periods. It appears that, from the post-Roman period until recently, the site formed part of a large expanse of farmland to the west of the settlement now known as Dorchester.
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2012
Excavation at Dowd's Farm, Hedge End, revealed evidence for Mesolithic to post-medieval activity. Mesolithic and Neolithic activity is attested by a small flint assemblage. A concentration of Bronze Age pits provides the first evidence for permanent occupation and an associated burnt tree-throw hole may suggest that tree clearance was being undertaken. Late Iron Age activity centred on two large ditched enclosures and an associated activity area, together with drainage, boundary and trackway ditches. Early medieval occupation focused on an area to the north of the existing farmhouse. Possible continuation of the field system established in the medieval period into the post-medieval period is suggested. Work on documentary sources has provided further evidence for occupation at Dowd's Farm during the medieval and post-medieval periods.
Excavation of a multi-period site at Foster Road, Ashford, Kent
2010
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Archaeological Test Pit Excavations in West Wickham, Cambridgeshire, 2013
This report presents the results of the West Wickham Big Dig programme of excavation of eighteen 1m2 archaeological ‘test pits’ in the Cambridgeshire parish of West Wickham in summer 2013. The excavations were funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund’s ‘All Our Stories’ grant to West Wickham & District Local History Club and were supported by Cambridge Community Heritage, funded by the AHRC. The aim of the West Wickham Big Dig was to enable members of the public to experience places familiar to them in new ways by excavating in private gardens and other open spaces within West Wickham, searching for archaeological evidence left by people who lived in this parish in the past. Over two days, more than 100 people took part in the excavations in West Wickham which produced thousands of finds and provided new evidence for the development of settlement in the area from the prehistoric period onwards. The results indicated that the landscape around West Wickham was extensively but lightly used by humans in the prehistoric period, although two pits yielding Bronze Age pottery hints at settlement or mortuary activity in the vicinity of the present church. No evidence of Roman date at all was found in the test pits within the present village, with the earliest post-prehistoric finds dating to the Anglo-Norman period, which were found near the parish church of St. Mary, suggesting that the present settlement at West Wickham was founded in this period as a small hamlet, arranged as a thinly occupied interrupted row, predating the foundation of Streetly End or Burton End. In the high medieval period (11th – 14th century), this settlement appears to have taken the form of a small nucleated village around a green extending east from the church of St Mary. Both Streetly End and Burton End appear to be later in date than West Wickham, but were in existence by 1100-1200 AD. This process of high medieval settlement expansion was abruptly arrested in the later medieval period, which saw the volume of pottery recovered severely reduced, with none at all found at Burton End. This decline does not appear to have been evenly felt across the parish of West Wickham, however, as all the test pits in Streetly End yielded sherds from this period, hinting possibly at expansion in the extent or intensity of settlement here at this time. Recovery was not established until after the end of the medieval period, but was robust when it did occur, with the dispersed character hamlet-dominated character of the high medieval settlement pattern maintained until the later 19th / early 20th century. By successfully involving members of the public of all ages and backgrounds from within, across and beyond the community of West Wickham in planning, organising and undertaking the excavations, the West Wickham ‘Big Dig’ excavations enabled participants to find out more about their local heritage, take part in the Heritage Lottery Fund’s ‘All Our Stories’ project and enjoy a community event while generating new evidence to inform understanding of the past development of their homes, their community and its wider landscape.
Prehistoric, Romano-British and medieval occupation in the Frome Valley, Gloucestershire
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s .................................................................................................................... vi Foxes Field, Ebley Road, Stonehouse Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 Excavation Results ...................................................................................................... 3 The Finds .................................................................................................................. 13 The Biological Evidence ............................................................................................ 30 Discussion ................................................................................................................ 47 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... 50 Bibliography ...................................................................................