Late Iron Age to Roman settlement at Shillingstone Field (EHER 18042)

A 1998 evaluation of a field uncovered conclusive evidence of Roman and late Iron age settlement.

1998. Evaluation. The evaluation at Shillingbourne Field, Great Sampford uncovered conclusive evidence of both prehistoric and Roman settlement activity on site. This settlement activity included field boundaries and rubbish pitting dating from the late Iron Age and two parallel ditches, present in trenches C, D and E and F which represent a Roman Field system still in use up to the late 4th century. Examples of Roman Rubbish pitting in the Southernmost trench (F) were also uncovered. The presence of these boundaries suggest that this area has been farmed since the prehistoric periods. Although the evaluation did not uncover any structural evidence of farm buildings or a villa, the character of the materials including the box flue tile, roof tile, nails and daub suggests the presence of a small farmstead within the southern end of Shillingstone Field. As yet the location of this settlement is unknown. However should a programme of systematic field- walking, further geophysical survey work and aerial photography be implemented, the location of a potentially interesting and regionally important site should be uncovered. Finds recovered from the Southern end on Shillingstone Field including Box-Flue tile, roof tile, nails and daub recovered from the evaluation and the wealth of material recovered from metal detecting suggest that a settlement site such as a small farmstead is present. <1> 1998. Geophysical survey. For Geophysics survey report see <2>. The geophysics survey was updated in 1999. <3>