Late Iron Age to Roman settlement remains at land at Weeley (EHER 80366)

Archaeological evaluation and excavation revealed Late Iron Age to Roman ditches, pits, post holes and a possible oven in the NW and South of the investigated area. A small number of ditches and pits in the North corresponded with geophysical anomalies and features in the South were distinct from an earlier phase of Middle Iron Age occupation.

June 2020. Geophysical survey. Archaeological activity was detected in three main areas. To the North of the survey area a pit, ditch and a band of anthropogenic material of possible archaeological origins was located. <1> January 2021. Trial trenching. In Areas 1, 3, 4 and 5 a small number of ditches and pits associated with small quantities of finds of Iron Age and/or Romano-British date suggest the area was on the edge of settlement, with the ditches potentially representing field systems. Features detected by geophysical survey were dated to this period. The small assemblages of Iron Age and Romano-British pottery, recovered from features in Trenches 5, 14, 27, 30, 34, 41, 110, 131, 141 and 143 were dominated by small abraded sherds, and was not found in the kind of quantities/densities indicative of any significant settlement type activity within the development area. The majority of the features associated with these periods were ditches, suggesting the remains were found within field systems outside the main area of occupation potentially either to the North or West of the development area. <2> Archaeological excavation. Late Iron Age to Roman features were found in Areas 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7. Three ditches of probable Roman date were uncovered in Area 1 and the main ditch crossed the middle of the area on a NNW-SSE alignment - is likely the same feature as the that in evaluation Trench 5. In Areas 2 and 5, a WNW-ESE ditch alignment crossed the Southern part of the excavation area and showed evidence of two phases of use indicated by a recut. Area 6 also contained ditches as well as small isolated pits in the NW and SE parts of the excavation area, one of which contained fragments of at least five Middle Iron Age to Romano-British triangular loomweights. Lastly, Romano-British features in Area 7 were concentrated in the NW corner of the excavated area. These comprised ditches, pits, post holes, a pit cluster and a possible oven with two post holes cut into its base. Recovered materials included pottery, ceramic building material and animal bone. Overall, there is minimal evidence for Late Iron Age activity on this site. The Roman features do not appear to overlap with the Middle Iron Age features suggesting a lack of continuity in occupation. However, the recovery of later prehistoric fired clay loomweights and Iron Age pottery ranging in date from around 350‐50BC would indicate some level of activity on this site between the Middle Iron Age and Roman periods. <3>