Romano-British ditches, pits and post holes, Activity Area 7, land West of Sheepcoats Lane (EHER 80990)

Trial trenching recorded a high concentration of ditches, pits and post holes of Romano-British date. Across Trenches 453–471 some of the ditches and gullies are likely to be connected between trenches, and a group of five pits possibly form a NE-SW oriented alignment. Many of the ditches have been interpreted as enclosure boundary ditches, and a series of discrete features in Trenches 459 and 460 appear to represent parts of two rectangular structures.

July 2023. Trial trenching. Activity Area 7 contained the highest concentration of archaeological features, which comprised numerous ditches and pits. Linear features (ditches and gullies) were aligned roughly N-S or E-W, many forming parallel boundaries. A group of five pits, possibly in alignment, was orientated NE-SW. Across Trenches 453–471 some of the ditches and gullies are likely to be connected between trenches. Ten features were identified in Trench 456 and only two were selected for excavation. A pit contained Romano-British pottery and although no longer waterlogged, the fill was recorded as pale light brownish red clayey silt originating from waterlogged conditions. A N-S aligned ditch was undated and had a maximum depth of 0.27 m. The remaining unexcavated features in this trench comprise three ditches, three pits and two gullies; these are physically similar to those recorded in other nearby trenches and probably of Romano-British date. Trench 457 contained a dense sequence of archaeological features that comprised three intercutting ditches, one gully and one pit. One ditch produced a small amount of Late Iron Age/Romano-British pottery, Roman ceramic building material, a fragment of box flue tile, as well as a large quantity of animal bone. A sherd of medieval pottery was also recovered, but this is considered to be intrusive. This ditch cut two others and a gully, and is the latest in this sequence of Romano-British activity. The quantity and type of finds suggest that it is close to habitation. A single ditch was identified in Trench 458, containing a high quantity of Romano-British pottery and animal bone. Environmental sample residues suggests that this ditch contained evidence for multiple charred plant remains, which suggest a variety of processes including waste disposal. In Trenches 459 and 460 were a further six ditches and a gully; four of which had been highlighted by NMP data. One of these, a curvilinear feature, and targeted in Trench 459, might form part of a boundary that enclosed the pits identified in these trenches. Discrete features were identified in Trenches 459 and 460, comprising five pits and one posthole. When reviewed against NMP data these appear to represent parts of two rectangular structures or enclosures. Two of these pits contained animal bone, but lacked pottery and remain undated. In Trenches 462–464 four pits and two postholes were also identified, but remain similarly undated. Trench 460 targeted three linear features mapped in the NMP data and recorded three ditches. Two NMP linear features were also targeted in Trench 461, although only one of these was directly correlated. Five ditches and two gullies contained Romano-British pottery, including three small abraded mortaria body sherds, dating to the 3rd to 4th centuries AD. There are several similarities between the remaining undated ditches and gullies with the Romano-British features described here. Feature sizes and orientations are broadly comparable, and similar deposit types/formation were noted. These features may therefore define the Northern and Western boundaries of a large enclosure complex (perhaps one that was triple- or multi-ditched), though it is also possible that they represent multiple phases of a shifting boundary. Complicating interpretation of this ditch cluster further, two within this overall group are likely post-medieval in date (see EHER 80989). Trench 469 was slightly separate from the main group and contained a Romano-British ditch and gully. Environmental samples from the gully produced charred cereals grains, chaff and charcoal that possibly indicate whole plants were burnt close to the feature. The cereals included remains of rye and bread wheat which are usually post-Roman (Saxon or later) in date and are therefore slightly anomalous alongside the pottery. It is not certain at this stage of work, but it is possible that the environmental evidence is indicative of later activity not evidenced via the ceramic assemblage. These features were all aligned broadly N-S and followed the course of the adjacent Spickets Brook. <1>