Late Iron Age to Roman field-system, building, well and burials, Langford Road (EHER 14652)

Trial trenching and archaeological excavation in 1993 and 1994 recorded three phases of continuous Late Iron Age to Roman activity at Langford Road. The first phase was during the Late Iron Age where the site shifted from the domestic Middle Iron Age settlement (EHER 81882) to an agricultural landscape dominated by a linear field system and ditched trackway. The implementation of these field boundaries perhaps reflects the shift of population to the increasingly nucleated settlement to the south-east and the intensification of agricultural production is presumably related to the needs of the nearby nucleated settlement. Continuity of the Late Iron Age/Early Roman agricultural landscape is indicated by the continuing use of the trackway and several ditches which remained significant features into the 2nd century AD. To the south of the trackway more activity was revealed including possible storage pits, a building, a well and a cremation burial. Building 4 was a seemingly rectangular structure defined by a series of post holes. No structural evidence or occupation debris survived to identify specific use, but the building probably had a non-domestic function such as a barn. The well was situated to its immediate south and the remains of a timber access structure were recorded. It produced 2nd century pottery from the primary backfill deposit. In the later 2nd or 3rd century a significant change in land organisation occurred with the cutting of a substantial ditch which cut across the Iron Age-Early Roman ditch alignments and trackway, presumably marking an end to its use. The triangular plot of land to the south-west was demarcated as an area for burial and five cremation burials, two possible cremation burials and three possible inhumation burials were recorded.

1993. Trial trenching. The evaluation recorded Roman activity in most of the eleven trenches. This appeared to be 4th century activity rather than 1st century as found at the adjacent Elms Farm Site (EHER 81914). The majority of the Roman features located were ditches and finds consisted of pottery and tile. <1> <2> 1994. Archaeological excavation. Following the evaluation a full excavation was carried out in 1994 and identified three main phases of continuous activity. The first phase was during the Late Iron Age where the site shifted from the domestic Middle Iron Age settlement (EHER 81882) to an agricultural landscape dominated by a linear field system. This field system persisted into the 1st and 2nd centuries AD and is indicated by the continuing use of the trackway and ditches. Also in this second phase a series of other features were recorded including a rectangular (probably agricultural) building, a well, storage pits and an isolated burial. The third phase of activity can be characterised by a significant change in land organisation in the late 2nd or 3rd century AD. A large area of the former agricultural land was also given over to burial. The burials are suggestive of a small plot on the periphery of a settlement. Following this there was very little evidence for Late Roman activity, with the exception of a possible inhumation burial. Late Iron Age to Roman. In the Late Iron Age or Early Roman period eight ditches were cut on a north-west/south-east alignment, parallel with the stream channel, and a further three ditches were cut on a north-south alignment. A further subdivision o the land was created with the cutting of two ditches. Together these ditches are likely to define a track or droveway. The lack of datable evidence for these ditches means that they may be placed in either the Late Iron Age or the Early Roman era. The implementation of these field boundaries perhaps reflects the shift of population to the increasingly nucleated settlement to the south-east (a Late Iron Age origin for the Roman 'small town' is now well attested by the recent excavations). The apparently systematic layout of several ditches suggests organised farming of the settlement hinterland, with the 10m wide track or droveway suggestive of a mixed pastoral and arable agricultural economy. This intensification of agricultural production is presumably related to the needs of the nearby nucleated settlement. This initial layout of field boundaries is continued and modified, with the recutting of existing ditches and the cutting of new ditches on the west side of the site. It is of note that the ditches may reflect earlier land-use divisions. Bronze Age activity was broadly located to the north and to the south the Middle Iron Age (EHER 81882) and Late Iron Age activity was found. These divisions continued into the Roman period with the trackway apparently dividing areas of different land use well into the 2nd century. 1st-2nd century AD. Continuity of the Late Iron Age/Early Roman agricultural landscape is indicated by the continuing use of the trackway and several ditches which remained significant features into the 2nd century AD. In this period there appears to be a difference between the type of activity found either side of the trackway. To the north of it virtually no Romano-British activity was identified until the later Roman period when pits were dug over the line of the trackway. It is therefore probable that this area was farmland throughout the Roman era. To the south of the trackway more activity was revealed including possible storage pits and burials. Building 4 was a seemingly rectangular structure defined by a series of post holes, enclosing an area 6m wide and in excess of 9m long (the south-east end was not found). The long axis of the building lay parallel with the trackway. No structural evidence or occupation debris survived to identify specific use, but the building probably had a non-domestic function such as a barn. No associated dating evidence was retrieved, but by virtue of its rectangular plan is has been allocated to the Romano-British period rather than earlier. A well lay immediately south of Building 4. It consisted of a large circular cut measuring 4.60m in diameter and 1.70m deep. There was no evidence of a lining to the original well cut but the remains of timbers on the east side of the well suggest some form, of wooden access was constructed. This survived as a line of five deeply driven stakes revetting a number of roughly hacked-off branches and two pieces of reused planking laid horizontally to the east of, and pushing against the line of, the stakes. It was attributed to this period owing to 2nd century pottery from the primary backfill deposit. An isolated cremation burial, Burial 1, was found at the southern end of the site. It consisted of the damaged base of a cooking pot or jar in Going fabric with a hole cut in the base, which contained the cremated bone of an unsexed adult and four iron hobnails. In the absence of the remainder, the vessel can only be dated generally to the 2nd - 3rd century. It was set in a small cut in the middle of a D-shaped or possibly oval shallow ditch, containing early to mid 2nd century pottery along with some redeposited Iron Age sherds. The cremation was cut by another ditch, unlike the other cremations discussed below, which are presumed to be later than the ditch. Late 2nd century onwards. In the later 2nd or 3rd century a significant change in land organisation occurred with the cutting of a substantial ditch which ran along the north bank of the stream channel and curved northwards to run in a straight line into the northern limits of excavation. The purpose of this ditch is not clear; it may have been simply a land boundary, or else enclosed a farmstead or some such, but as the majority of the enclosed area fell outside the limits of excavation this cannot be ascertained. This ditch does not respect the Iron Age-Early Roman ditch alignments, and cuts across the trackway, presumably marking an end to its use. Further evidence for the disuse of the trackway came with the cutting of six pits along the line of the south-west boundary ditch of the trackway, and the fact that the latter was sealed by a layer which was visible on the high ground in the middle of Area A. The cutting of the substantial ditch was accompanied by further changes, most notably the use of an area of land to the south-west of the former trackway for cremation burial. Five certain (and two possible) cremations and one possible inhumation were found within a triangular piece of land that was utilised as a burial ground by the later part of the 2nd century. The triangle was defined by ditches. Although the trackway had probably ceased its function, it was probably still visible in the landscape, perhaps with the bank still slightly raised. The cremation vessels appear to have been placed above the grave goods and covered in earthen mounds, although the horizon in which they were found was indistinguishable from the general subsoil. The presence and position of nails accompanying the grave goods, particularly in Cremations 4 and 5 suggests that the goods may once have been within simple wooden containers. No metal fittings were found. Box burials are well attested in southern England, but normally with the cremated remains inside the box along with some, or all, of the grave furnishings. At Langford Road it appears that only the grave goods would have been contained within the box and that the cremation vessel was placed above it. This is an unusual variation but not unique. In addition, a large group of pits were excavated to the south of the trackway, particularly in the area later given over to cremation burial. Their function is unknown but one of them, a rectangular cut, may have contained an inhumation burial. The cut was 3.2m long by 1m wide and orientated north-south. At the south end of the cut were a series of nails, seen in section to form a semi-circle around the base. Also at the south end were 39 hobnails, the remains of boot(s). Whilst the cut is very long to be a grave, the position of the hobnails at one end and the nails recorded in section suggest that this might have been a burial contained within a wooden coffin. The absence of bones is readily accounted for by the acidic gravel subsoil. Two further possible graves were found to the south-east of a ditch which defined the cremation area. Another possible grave comprised a rectangular cut 2.3m by 1m with its long axis aligned north-west / south-east. At the north-west end of the cut was a later 4th century crossbow brooch, and in the middle by the eastern edge was a plain copper alloy disc. Given the position of these objects in the cut, and the overall paucity of metal finds from the excavation, they are suggestive of grave goods. This feature lay in close proximity to another pit which may also have been a grave. It contained an almost complete funnel-necked beaker of late 3rd century form at the north end of the cut. The 4th century date of possible grave means it post-dates the cremation group, which in turn is stratigraphically later than the possible inhumation burial discussed above. It should however be noted that the contemporary use of mixed burial rites is known from other sites in south-east England such as Mucking, where inhumation and cremation occurred contemporaneously in the 3rd - 4th century. <3> <4> Area = 1.17 Note: The material described in this record may be associated with the settlement at Elms Farm, see EHER 81914 and EHER 17445.