CBA SMA\SMA 2002.PDF - Council for British Archaeology

ditches, organic patches and areas of burning. Artefactsincluded flints and a Roman brooch. The number of featuresdeclined upslope towards the pond and towards the brook.To the north of the brook a recut boundary ditch containeda small quantity of Iron Age pottery. In contrast the higherground south of the pond contained modern featuresassociated with the former use of the area as an allotment.The only earlier feature in this area was an isolated boundaryditch of post-medieval date.The peripheral areas of the site were the subject of awatching brief. This revealed an undated former course ofthe brook and a series of recut ditches, possibly of medievaldate, which partitioned the hig,her ground to the north of thebrook. Very few artefacts were recovered from the features,suggesting the area was located away from habitation.Harlington, Land at Goswell End (FL 0388 3096)Julian WattersA trial trench evaluation followed by open area excavationwas carried out during 2001 on 0.6ha of land at Goswell End,Harlington. The site lay within an area of known earthworkswhich had been surveyed during the 1980s and interpretedas medieval settlement remains.Excavation revealed evidence for human activity datingfrom the 12th century onwards. A few isolated pits and postholes were excavated but did not form any recognisablestructures or areas of occupation.Most of the excavated features proved to be hollow ways -linear depressions formed by constant trampling ofestablished pathways. One of these features (recorded onmaps as Long Lane) was particularly well defined. It was6m wide, 1.1m deep and had been re-defined on at least oneoccasion. Other hollow ways had been cobbled andprovided with drainage gullies.The majority of the ceramics dated to the 13th-15thcenturies and came from a spread of dark, buried soil. Thiswas interpreted as a cultivation layer, the result of adeliberate deposition of tnidden material imported fromanother site in order to improve soil fertility.Old Warden, Swiss Garden, Aviary (FL 153 446)Man Edgeworth and Stephen ThorpeAn archaeological excavation was carried out on the interiorof the ruined aviary structure, to obtain information thatwould facilitate its reconstruction. The remains of the aviaryare situated on the eastern side of the early 19th centuryGarden, which was designed in the 'picturesque' style. Thelow walls of the twelve-sided structure survive in partiallyruined condition but the metal cage superstructure itsupported is no longer extant.The interior was excavated in order to locate the former floorBedfordshirelevel, entrances and any interior structures. Several test pitswere dug to examine wall foundations. The outer wall wasshown to be continuous with no gaps or other evidence ofthe location of entrances. A former gravel floor level wasreached, with numerous pieces of cage and other artefactsfound in the demolition layer above. These reveal muchuseful information about the form of the metalsuperstructure. The walls of an interior building were alsouncovered. The axis of symmetry of both inner and outerbuildings is aligned along the principal east-west axis of theGarden itself, perhaps indicating that they were importantelements of the original Garden design.Pavenham, St Peter's Church (SP 9917 5594)Andrew Thompson and Mark PhillipsExcavation of a trench 8m long was carried out alongside acollapsed section of the southern churchyard boundary wallin advance of reconstruction work.The earliest recorded feature was a possible well, dug intoundisturbed boulder clay. The feature contained pottery,dating to the 12th-13th centuries. Its uppermost fill wassealed by a buried topsoil horizon, which also produced asingle sherd of medieval pottery.The remains of two north-south rurming walls, around 1mapart, cut the buried soil horizon and were partly covered byit, prestunably following demolition. The date and functionof these walls are unknown. However, their position doescorrelate with an earlier (more westerly) line of the easternchurchyard boundary, depicted on pre-20th century maps.The foundation trench for the southern churchyard boundarywall cut the earlier north-south walls. A previous collapseevent was evident. This had been repaired by a roughdry-stone wall, which may have included a pedestrianentrance to the churchyard. At some point after the repair, alayer of rubble-contaminated soils around 0.8m deep wasdumped against the north side of the churchyard boundarywall.Two possibly 18th or 19th century burials were cut into thedumped soils. No burials were found in the eastern half ofthe trench, beyond the earlier, more westerly line of theeastem churchyard boundary.Salford, Whitsundoles Farm (SP 9197 4042)Mike Luke and Mark PhillipsDuring September and October 2001 an excavation wascarried out as part of a continuing watching brief in advanceof gravel extraction. The investigation focussed on late IronAge and Roman features, c 300m from a previouslyrecorded concentration of pits and postholes.A water pit, 5m in diameter and 1.1m deep, contained asmall amount of late Iron Age pottery and a quantity of3

Bedfordshireanimal bone. The lower fills were waterlogged andcontained preserved organic remains including threeworked timbers, one of which may have been part of anupright from a ladder. Two small concentrations of pits andpostholes were identified within 40m of the water pit andare likely to be c,ontemporary, although they contained nodating evidence.A pair of ditches defining a track or droveway wereorientated northeast-southwest, turning through 900 to thesoutheast. The fills contained a small amount of animal boneand Roman pottery.The trackway is probably part of the field systeminvestigated 500m to the southeast in previousinvestigations by BCAS and to the west by Petchey (1978).It probably forms part of a pattern of fields that containedsettlement activity now believed to have extended over50ha.ReferencePetchey M R 1978; "A Roman field system al Broughton,Buckinghamshire" in Records of Bucks XX, 637-645Shefford, Land To The Rear Of 77-81 Ampthill Road(TL 374 380)Mark Phillips and Mike LukeArchaeological evaluation comprising seven trial trencheswas undertaken in advance of a planning application forresidential development within an area of 'mown Romansettlement.Earlier prehistoric activity was indicated by residualmaterial (struck flints probably Neolithic or Bronze Age indate) found in later features. Although the sherds of lateBronze Age/early Iron Age pottery were also residual, theirpresence suggests domestic activity in the vicinity.The earliest dateable feature was a substantial late Iron Ageboundary ditch which contained domestic debris. Thismight suggest a pre-Conquest origin for the settlement.Roman features were located in the southem half of thestudy are,a and included ditches, pits, a posthole and cobbledsurface. Many of these features contained pottery, aquemstone, animal bone and fired clay suggesting domesticactivity in the vicinity. Roman brick, flue and roof tilefragments were recovered suggesting the presence of asubstantial building in the vicinity. Whilst the precise natureand extent of the Roman settlement in Shefford is stilluncertain, it seems reasonable to characterise it as a ruralsettlement that induded `high status' elements. One trenchcontained only modem quarrying and two others did notcontain features.Stotfold, the Church Of St. Mary the Virgin(TL 2202 3667)Gary Edmondson and Julian WattersAn archaeological watching brief was undertaken tomonitor ground disturbance associated with drainage workson the eastern side of the church. This extended around theexterior of the South Aisle and Chancel, exposing the wallfootings. Documentary evidence indicates that the Churchof St Mary has its origins in the 12th century, with significantremodelling in the medieval and post-medieval periods.The investigation allowed the wall footing of the 14thcentury south aisle to be recorded. It would appear that theChancel had been completely rebuilt and enlarged duringthe 19th century, with no evidence of earlier wall footings.A fragment of a rare type of decorated medieval floor tilewas recovered from Victorian disturbance adjacent to theSouth Aisle. This artefact probably came from the church,indicating the presence of a floor that no longer survives. Itis possible that it was removed during the Victorian`restoration' of the building. No burials were exposed,though evidence for probable Victorian disturbance wasidentified.Wilstead, Luton Road (FL 062 431)Mike Luke and Rob EdwardsFollowing evaluation by geophysical survey and trialexcavation, four areas (totalling 1.3ha) of this housingdevelopment were subject to open area excavation. Therewas limited evidence in the form of ditches and isolated pitsfor activity during the early-middle Iron Age and the lateIron Age/early Roman periods.The earliest firm evidence for settlement appears from thelate 1st century AD and comprised a ditched enclosuresystem which contained a roundhouse, other unspecificstructures and pits. One of the latter was substantial enoughto have served as a water pit or well. An enclosure on aslightly different aligmnent was established in the later partof the Roman period. It also contained settlement-typeactivity. Associated with the latter was a shallow pit,containing up to five deliberately placed sheep skulls.Furrows spaced at 5m intervals and presumed to bemedieval in date were located within the excavation areas.These corresponded to earthworks recorded in advance ofmachining. A large water pit, situated in an area wherefurrows were absent, is believed to be of medieval date onthe basis of the pottery in its fills.Yelden, St Mary's Church (FL 0112 6715)Mati EdgeworthExcavations took place inside this 13th century church inadvance of the restoration of pew bases. Five areas wereexcavated down to a maximum depth of 027m.Post-medieval disturbance had removed mucharchaeological stratigraphy, but a pre-church layer (cut bythe foundation trenches for the walls) was revealed inseveral places. Post holes presumably for internal4

scaffolding, with the bases of wooden posts still surviving,were also found. The south wall of the nave (taken downwhen the south aisle was added in the 14th century) waslocated. An earlier but undated wall, rurming along itsoutside edge, was recorded.ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES &CONSULTANCY LTDBedford, Howard Chapel (FL 0514 4981)Nigel WilsonDuring April 2001 a watching brief was undertaken duringthe conversion of the Howard Chapel, Mill Street, into anightclub. Several large rubbish pits were identified towardsthe southern extremity of the site, in an area which hadpreviously been the basement of the chapel school. St NeotsWare pottery dated to the 1 lth or 12th centuries and a fewanimal bones were recovered from the fills of these pits. Asingle burial was also located when a footing trench wasexcavated towards the northern end of the chapel. Noevidence of structures earlier than the 18th century chapelwas discovered, perhaps indicating that the area behind MillStreet was open ground during the medieval period.Kensworth, Bury Farm (FL 0317 1902)David FellTest-pitting was carried out at Bury Farm during February2001, to determine the presence of archaeological depositswithin a range of farm buildings, prior to their conversionfor housing. No archaeological remains were found duringthe investigation, but the work revealed that the west wallof the barns has a complex structural history, probablycommencing in the 17th or 18th century.Leighton Buzzard, 52-54 Lake Street (SP 9237 2476)Nicola King & Nigel WilsonAn evaluation was undertaken on land at 52-54 Lake Street,Leighton Buzzard in May 2001. The site was situated southof the medieval town. Historical research revealed that thearea comprised largely open ground during the 19th century,with a row of terraced houses set back from the streetfrontage. Fourteen trial trenches were excavated. Theserevealed that the site contained very few archaeologicalremains, but an alignment of medieval ditches was present,running parallel to Lake Street. These were interpreted asmedieval boundary or drainage ditches.Meppershall, High Street (FL 3688 1342)Nicola King & Nigel WilsonDuring September 2001 an evaluation at a site atMeppershall was undertaken. Eleven evaluation trenchesBedfordshirewere excavated, and archaeological remains were found infive of them. One trench produced several featurescontaining Roman remains, and a feature in another trenchalso indicated Roman activity. Two trenches each containedone feature that produced no dating evidence. Theremaining trench containing archaeological features waslocated on the edge of a large linear feature of probablemedieval date.Biggleswade Reinforcement Main(FL 0970 4660 to TL 2140 4020)Bob ZeepvatDuring July 2001, excavations were carried out on threesites along the route of a water main being constructed fromnear Cardington to Biggleswade, a distance of some 17km.Desk-based assessment and geophysical survey undertakenin 2000 had identified nine sites of possible archaeologicalinterest along the route. These sites were subject to topsoilstripping under close archaeological supervision. Three, atMoxhill Farm, Old Warden and Langford Road, proved tocontain significant archaeological features, and weresubsequently excavated. The Moxhill Farm site containedfeatures of late Iron Age to early Roman date, and eightcontemporary cremations. At Old Warden, a complex of lateIron Age and early Roman ditches and pits was examined,probably marking the edge of a settlement in the adjoiningfield. At Langford Road, a small group of early Romanditches was excavated. A watching brief was maintained ontopsoil stripping on the rest of the water main route, but littleof archaeological significance was revealed. A report on theproject is to be prepared for Bedfordshire Archaeology.FOUNDATION ARCHAEOLOGYLand at Biddenham (FL 025 508)Roy KingThe work consisted of twenty-nine 50m evaluation trenches.Archaeological activity was revealed in 20 of the trenches,although no dating evidence was present in many of thefeahires. The evaluation showed a wide spread of dispersedarchaeological features across the development area,although many of these were very difficult to interpret dueto the sparse dating evidence. The only concentrations offeatures were present in a possible area of settlementpreviously identified by aerial photography and also to alesser extent in the northern part of the westennnost field.Five circular features were identified by aerial photographyand three of these were located on the ground by geophysicalsurvey. Two of these features were round barrows, whichsurvived only as ring ditches. These were sampled duringthe course of the evaluation. The other feature sampled bythe trial trenching consisted of a foundation cut for ademolished Post-Medieval windmill. The two remainingcircular features were not sampled by either the geophysicalsurvey or the evaluation; as the features could not be5

BedfordshireFig 1. Stotfold.precisely located through aerial photography, due to thesteep gradient on site.Land at Stotfold ( TL 219 365)Roy KingThe work consisted of twenty-seven 30m evaluationtrenches across an area of approximately 32ha. Thisevaluation had shown a wide dispersal of archaeologicalfeatures across the development area, although many ofthese were very difficult to interpret due to the sparse datingevidence. There also appeared to be a large number ofprobable agricultural features, most of these were likely tobe later medieval in date. There appeals to have beenlocalised settlement during the Late Bronze Age/Early IronAge on the south-facing slope of the hill, which may haveinvolved relatively low intensity settlement. Late Iron Ageactivity was present on the southern floodplain withrestricted Late Iron Age/Romano-British activity towardsthe crest of the hill in the northern part of the site. Earlymedieval activity was generally present towards the crest ofthe hill and was also present in the vicinity of Trenches 19and 20, with restricted evidence of medieval activityelsewhere. It is possible that this activity was originallymore extensive and had been destroyed by medieval andlater ploughing. Overall there was a generally low level ofartefactual or ecofactual evidence for human domesticactivity across the site area. The most likely interpretationis that the medieval settlement focus was not within the sitearea and that the majority of the features present in theevaluation trenches were either boundaries or agricultural innature, with occasional occupation-type features. Thelimitations of archaeological evaluation mean that it isimpossible to be certain of the full extent and interpretationof these features.MANSHEAD ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETYCaddington, Manor Farm (FL 066 199)Ren HudspithObservations along the course of a service trench across apaddock to the south of Manor Farm, Caddington (Fig 2)revealed small scatters of Roman potsherds and tile,Medieval sherds, bumt flints and pot-boiler stones and aburnt conglomerate quemstone fragment on the upcast spoilheaps.The Roman sherds were mainly of a hard sandy/gritty fabrictype (similar to finds from the Gatehouse FieldOame60inFig 2. Site plan. Caddington, Manor Farm.6

Romano-British site (Hudspith, 1989) and probably of localorigin; other Roman pottery wares found at Manor Farmincluded a brown colour coated sherd and sherds of finergreywares (Verulamium/Much Hadham wares?). Therepresentative rim forms found included fragments ofmortaria, bowls, dishes and jars.At least 4 ditch sections (on east-west alignments) and otherfeatures were observed along the line of the trench, withsherd scatters on the spoil heaps corresponding to the twosouthernmost ditch sections (close to the Luton Road) andalso associated with a possible pit containing bumt material.Two ditch sections and a buried surface, which includedbricks and pegtile, were also observed to the north of thefield, near the 19th century farm buildings.The topsoil covering the natural day with flints appeared tovary in depth from 30-60cm, depth below surface (DBS),perhaps indicating ridge and furrow cultivation, or tree rootdisturbance. The deeper soil deposits may contain relativelyundisturbed archaeological material.Further service trenches, dug alongside the modernfarmhouse and outbuildings revealed well constructed 19thcentury brick foundations, but no obvious evidence ofearlier building work apart from a truncated chalk surface(c 30cm DI3S) alongside the modern trackway into thefarmyard.Caddington, FoUy Wood/Folly Lane (FL 058 224)Ren HudspithObservations were made along the ploughed out course ofa metalled trackway (adjacent to a public footpath andenclosure hedgeline) in a stubble field north of Folly Wood,Caddington. The Viatores (1964) identified the line of thetrackway as the course of a Roman Road (No 213).The metalling was probed and found to be 30cm DBS andextend up to 4m from the field edge (including a far fromstraight section alongside Folly Wood). Where the metallingwas visible on the surface it was seen to include roundedflints (including prehistoric stnick flakes and fired flints) aswell as tile fragments. Sections were dravni across the fieldend of 'Folly Lane' and across the wood ditch and bank.Many thanks to the landowner, Mr V Samms, of ManorFarm, for allowing access to his land.Chalton, Manor Farm (FL 0226)Ren HudspithThe extensive known Romano-British site (Hudspith, 1991)at Chalton Manor Farm (Fig 3) was revisited in November2000. On this occasion the field under cultivation (A) waswalked and a large quantity of Romano-British sherds andtile as well as medieval sherds and worked flints wereBedfordshirerecovered. Aerial photographs indicate an extensive area ofcn3pmarks c 2ha in extent at the foot of the hill, perhapsenclosures around a villa, or a small hamlet comprisingseveral farmsteads.In Field B (where a limited excavation had been carried outby the Society in 1962 (Simco, 1984) the dense stubble waswalked and Romano-British sherds and tile recovered fromthe few areas of clearance.A grid, with baseline along the straight post enclosure hedgeseparating Fields A and B, was established and a series ofsmall test pits was dug at 10m intervals. Further trialtrenches (a-f) were dug to expose buried stonework locatedby probing (Figs 3 and 4).Within the area of test pits the plough soil was found to beonly 30-35cm deep above the uniform grey chalk marl (duein part to landscaping work carried out by the presentlandowner on the field to facilitate improvements indrainage and cultivation).In trenches (a) and (b) (Fig 4) a feature was identified,comprising a short line of sandstone blocks (a doorway orremnant of foundation?) running northeast-southwest setimmediately on to the chalk marl, within a 10cm deepblack-brown clay soil (occupation layer?) containingorganic material, charcoal, potboilers, potsherds, tilefragments and animal bones.Finds included a fragment of decorated Samian ware (FormDr 36) and sherds from other Romano-British vessels of clst-2nd century date as well as residual late IronAge/prehistoric sherds.The shallow depth of the archaeological deposits in this areaof the field suggests that they will probably be obliteratedby ploughing.Many thanks to the landowner, Mr R Aldred, for allowingthe Society to carry out fieldwork on the site.ReferenceViatores 1964; Roman Roads in the south-east Midlands,466.Eaton Bray, Harting Road Nursery (SP 986 186)Ren HudspithDuring September 2000, succesive fieldwalking surveyswere carried out (with the permission of the landowner, MrB Farr) at the Harling Road nursery, Eaton Bray, a knownlate Iron Age and Romano-British site (Hudspith, 1993,1994,1998).The land had been deeply ploughed prior to a reversion ofuse to grassland. Some 5kg of Romano-British sherds wererecovered, as well as Roman roof tile fragments (tegulae);Iron Age, medieval and post-medieval sherds. The7

BedfordshireRB TILES & LARGE STONES0 50mAREA OF CROPMARKSRB SHERD SCATTEREXCAVATION & TEST PITS-LARGESTONESd000Fig 3. Fieldwork at Manor Farm, Chalton.assemblage appears to comprise typical coarseware sherdsfrom cooking vessels, tableware and storage jars of lst-4thcentury date, with, possibly, the major part of theassemblage dating from the 2nd-3rd century. A few sherdsof imported Hofheim, Rhenish and Samian wares were alsofound, of c 1st century date suggesting continuity ofoccupation from the pre-Roman Iron Age period. The site,in Roman times, may have been part of the estate of theTotternhoe villa c 1.2km to the north.Other prehistoric sherds were also found, including flinttempered sherds of early Iron Age date and part of aburnished jar with a suspension lug, of similar design to asherd fragment found in the Iron Age ditch on BillingtonHill.Totternhoe (SP 9822)Ren Hudspith0 1mFig 4. Manor Farm excavation, Chalton.The lcnown Romano-British site at Totternhoe, SP9822(Hudspith, 199'7) was revisited, following the attention anumber of metal detectorists were giving to the area.

Ploughing had revealed distinctive scatters of stone and tile,perhaps indicating former buildings, with a dispersed scatterof Romano-British potsherds.Aerial photographs (held by Beds County Council) showpossible field boundaries/ditches in this area of Tottemhoe,on both sides of the former railway line.ReferencesHudspith R 1991; Manshead Journal 31,44-51.Hudspith R 1993; Manshead Journal 33,32-40.Hudspith R 1994; Manshead Journal 34,19-22.Hudspith R 1997; Mans head Journal 37, 17-18.Hudspith R & Warren D 1998; MansheadJournal38,13-16.Simco A 1984; Survey of Bedfordshire: The Roman Period,120.BedfordshireNORTHAMPTONSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGYDunstable, Queensway Hall (TL 019 228)Steve HaywardArchaeological excavations were undertaken on the site ofthe former Queensway Hall ahead of a planning applicationby Asda, following trial trench evaluation (SMA 31 (2001)11). Ditches and pits dating to the later part of the 1st centuryAD were uncovered and the quantity of pottery indicatedthat the site was associated with settlement, although noevidence of buildings was present. While the site may havehad an agricultural basis, it is possible that it was associatedwith the early establishment of the Roman town ofDurocobrivis. It is unclear whether abandonment in the late1st or early 2nd century AD represents a purely local changeof land use or has wider significance.NATIONAL TRUSTGary MarshallTotternboe Castle (SP 9789 2210)Located on an outlier of the Chiltems, Tottemhoe is knownfor its medieval stone quarries, which are mentioned as earlyas 1131 when they were acquired by Dunstable Priory. The'castle' is actually a Norman motte and bailey, perchedrather dramatically on the chalk outlier. Despite thequarrying it is remarkably complete, retaining a small mottesurrounded by an irmer bailey, together with a large outerbailey sealed by a broad bank and ditch nmning across thewidth of the outlier.The site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, owned byBedfordshire County Council but managed by the NationalTrust. Very little is known about the site. Therefore, in orderto test its archaeological potential, a resistivity survey wascarried out by National Trust volunteers. Surveys werecarried out over the inner and outer baileys and over theapproach to the outer bailey. The inner bailey has beenaffected by quarrying and therefore produced little ofinterest. The outer bailey, however, revealed a complex ofhigh and low resistance features covering virtually the entirearea. These initially proved difficult to interpret until the plotwas processed with a low sun angle. The results suggest thatthe complex is probably the remnant of an Iron Age orRomano-British field system, created with a series ofirregular enclosures. If this is the case then it adds weight tothe conclusion that the motte and bailey incorporates theremains of a much earlier prehistoric enclosure.The discovery of this field system, and the discovery ofconcealed tracks leading up to the outer bailey, providesfurther evidence of the importance of the site and itsarchaeological potential. The area protected by schedulingis therefore likely to be extended.Great Barford Bypass (TL 102 513 - TL 159 554)Steve MOrriS and Ian FisherGeophysical and fieldwalking surveys were undertakenalong the proposed route of the A421 Great Barford Bypass.The survey identified nine potential sites including a pitaligrunent, enclosure systems and possible kilns, as well asartefact scatters dating from the early prehistoric to themedieval periods.OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGYDunstable, 88 Union Street (TL 0127 2205)Robin BashfordBetween December 2000 and May 2001 OA undertook awatching brief at Union Street. An evaluation carried out byOAU in May 2000 identified two Iron Age or early Romanditches, which ran from east to west across the site and mayhave defined a trackway. Both these ditches were observedduring the watching brief, together with a probable pit anda well, both of which were of unlmown date.Stotfold, Fairfield Hospital(TL 5206 2352) (1'L 5206 2352)Dave ThomasonLimited trial trenching within the grounds of the Hospitalindicated that areas of late Iron Age/Romano-Britishactivity identified in an earlier BCAS investigation do notextend into the study area. Possible evidence for 19thcentury steam ploughing was recorded.9

BuckinghamshireBUCKINGHAMSHIREALBION ARCHAEOLOGYBuckingham, Prebend House Lodge (SP 6932 3359)James Pixley and Matt EdgeworthA watching brief was maintained during limited buildingfoundation repairs. The site was within the supposedboundaries of the Saxon burh, opposite the former site of thechurch. Sections were obtained through deposits to a depthof about 2m, but these consisted mostly of 18th and 19thcentury foundations and unfortunately there were nosurviving Saxon or medieval layers or features. However,the foundations did cut an ancient palaeochannel (formercourse of the Great Ouse) at a depth of about 1.8m. Therewere no finds from this feature.Hartwell, The Church Of The Assumption Of Our Lady(SP 7950 1250)Jeremy OetgenAt the request of the architects, Rodney Melville andPartners, an archaeologist attended the site followingremoval of rubbish and builder's debris from the crypt of the18th century church. The visit was undertaken during theclosing stages of a programme of extensive renovation (seealso watching brief reported for the year 2000).Observations were made of the structure of the crypt, whichwas originally octagonal in plan, but had been subsequentlymodified by the insertion of brick walls containing a seriesof tombs along its eastern side. There is also evidence of ablocked up opening in the original eastern wall, which isvisible behind some of the tombs. Measured survey was notundertaken. It is possible that some of the tombs are thoseof members of the Lee family who were originally interredwithin the medieval church, which has recently been shownto have lain some distance to the north.Milton Keynes, Monkston Park (SP 883 382)Martin Wilson and Drew ShotliffIn February 2001 an archaeological evaluation of 4 hectaresof land on the eastern flank of Milton Keynes, at MonkstonPark, was undertaken. The work was occasioned by thediscovery of archaeological deposits during the preparationof land for self-build housing plots.Trial excavation identified two foci of archaeologicalfeatures on the western side of the development area, on thewestern slope of a low ridge overlooking the River Ouzel.The northernmost focus largely comprised shallow ditchesor gullies (including rtvo parallel ditches) with occasionalshallow pits and post holes. Flint debitage from thesefeatures is indicative of a prehistoric date.The southernmost focus, of greater density and particularlygood state of preservation, comprised pits, ditches and postholes, dating from the middle Iron Age to the Romanperiods. A deposit of stones cut by a later feature is believedto be the foundation of a structure. The fills of the pits andditches generally contained organic material and pottery,indicating domestic waste. A fragment of bronze smeltingwaste suggests that metallurgical production was practisedat this site during the Iron Age.A trench placed between the two foci exposed a further threepits of uncertain date, whilst another trench to the eastlocated a series of undated post holes, one of whichcontained a second fragment of smelting waste.Subsequent gradiometer survey located numerous linearfeatures, effectively clarifying the spatial organisation of theIron Age and Romano-British features encountered duringtrial excavation. These included a large, rectilinearenclosure which was entirely missed by the trenches.Overall, the results indicate the presence of the remains ofIron Age and Roman settlements, on which pre-enclosureagricultural boundaries were later superimposed.ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES ANDCONSULTANCY LTDChiltern Chalk Streams ProjectJonathan HunnThis project, commissioned by the Chilterns ConservationBoard, was a preliminary study of the historic environment(archaeology, buildings and historic landscapes) of theChess and Misbourne rivers, and was undertaken during thespring and early summer of 2001. The aim of the project wasto characterise the historic environment of these two chalkstreams so that the relationship bertveen physical andman-made influences of the river valleys can be betterunderstood and managed appropriately. The studycomprised desk-based research, including examination ofail readily available sources of historical, cartographic andarchaeological information, and a comprehensive walkoversurvey of the two valley bottoms: the river Chess fromRickmansworth to Chesham (8 miles) and the riverMisboume from Uxbridge to Great Missenden (15.8 miles).The most important aspect of this project has been thedevelopment of a methodology for recording the historicenvironment of these streams, and for identifying andclassifying the pattern of exploitation from historical andarchaeological sources. The ultimate aim of the project is toinforrn and guide stream management decisions in thefuture. To this end, the project has produced detailed digitaldata on each segment of the two rivers and a GIS-basedinformation system to enable rapid access to the historicenvironment data.10

Haversham, Hill Farmhouse (SP 8362 4366)David Fell & Nigel WilsonAn evaluation was undertaken on land at Hill Farmhouse,prior to the construction of a large detached garage. The sitewas close to the location of a known Roman building and ashort length of wall of possible Roman date was present.Two further walls, dating to the 18th or 19th centuries werealso found. No finds were recovered.Haversham, Hill Farm Office (SP 8367 4366)Nigel WilsonDuring March 2001 a watching brief was undertaken at HillFarm, during the construction of an extension to the farmoffice. No archaeological features or finds were observed.Milton Keynes, 6 Mullen Avenue, Downs Barn(SP 8599 3998)Martin LightfootIn August 2001 a watching brief was carried out duringtopsoil stripping for housing development on this site. Twoarchaeological features were identified: a shallow ditch orgully, and an amotphous scatter of bumt material. Bothfeatures contained significant amounts of pottery dating tothe Iron Age - Romano-British transitional period (c 50 BC-AD 100).Milton Keynes Heritage MapBob ZeepvatIn 2001 ASC was commissioned by English Partnetships toundertake research for the preparation of an updated versionof the MK Heritage Map. The original version of this wasproduced in 1982 by the former Milton Keynes ArchaeologyUnit. The updated map should be available in 2002.Olney-Lavendon & Cold Brayfield Water Main(SP 8890 5230)Nigel WilsonA watching brief was undertaken during the construction ofa new water main between Olney, Lavendon and ColdBrayfield, in January 2001. The route, which followedexisting roads, passed close to the Roman settlement atAshfurlong. However, no archaeological remains wereobserved.Newport Pagnell, flood defences (SP 8660 4470)Nicola KingBetween July and September 2001 a watching brief wascarried out during the construction of flood defences at threesites in Newport Pagne!!; Kickles Farm, Castle Meadow andBuckinghamshireRiverside Meadow. No significant archaeological featureswere encountered at any of these sites, though post-medievalceramics, clay pipes and building materials were commonunstratified finds. The Kickles Farm site produced evidenceof ridge and furrow cultivation, clearly apparent in thesubsoil and as features in the adjoining fields. CastleMeadow produced abundant unstratified medieval potteryand revealed the footings of a post-medieval building in thechildren's playground. In Riverside Meadow the excavatedfootings revealed the make-up layers of the riverbank andthe adjacent yard.North Crawley, 32 High Street (SP 9280 4470)Nigel WilsonDuring January 2001 a watching brief was undertaken on anextension to 32 High Street, North Crawley. Three footingtrenches and an area stripped for a conservatory wereexamined. No archaeological features or finds wereobserved.Penn, Rose Cottage, Tylers Green (SU 9070 9394)Jonathan Hunn & David FellAn evaluation comprising a desk-based assessment and trialtrenching was undertaken in the garden of Rose Cottage inJune 2001. The site is situated in the centre of Tylers Green,which was a centre for the production of medieval floor tiles.The assessment produced evidence for the development ofthe site since the late 18th century, but did not indicate thatarchaeological remains were present on the site. A singletrial trench and test-pit were excavated. The trial trenchrevealed parts of two structures, a post-medieval kiln and abuilding with tile-built walls. Eleven examples of medievalPenn type decorated floor tiles were found, along with asmall assemblage of pottery and roof tile wasteis.Ftavenstone - water main renewal (SP 8490 5060)Nigel WilsonDuring April and May 2001 a watching brief wasundertaken on behalf of Anglian Water during the laying ofnew water mains through Ravenstone village. Every opencut more than 300mm wide was subject to the watchingbrief. No features or artefacts were identified during theproject.Singleborough to Great Horwood Sewer(SP 76623187 to SP 7699 3109)Neville HallDuring October 2001 a watching brief was maintainedduring the construction of a sewer pipeline betweenSingleborough and Great Horwood. The easement corridortraversed a plough headland of medieval origin and ridgeand furrow of both medieval and post-medieval date.11

BuckinghamshireStoke Goldington, water main renewal(SP 837 487 to SP 834 475)Nigel WilsonIn September 2001 the construction of a water main to thesouth of Stoke Goldington village was monitored. As themain was laid by drilling, monitoring was limited to thedrilling holes, set at approximately 100m intervals along theroute. No archaeological features or finds were observedduring the project.Winslow Zone Main Trunk Renewal (Mursley-Wing)(SP 816 292 - 875 216)David Fell & Nigel WilsonFollowing a break in construction occasioned by the foot &mouth epidemic, archaeological monitoring on the finalsection of this project was completed in July 2001 (see SMA31, 12). The final section, past Wing Airfield to the A418Aylesbury - Wing road, was constructed by drilling. As aresult, observations were limited to the drilling pits, dug atc.100m intervals along the route. Although this section ofthe route passed through a known area of Iron Age/Romanactivity south of the airfield (CAS 6229), the limiteddisturbance caused by the access pits meant that noarchaeological features were recorded along this part of theroute.BARTIE GROUPSummary Archaeological ReportJonathan MullisIntroductionBabtie Group was commissioned by BuckinghamshireCounty Council to carry out archaeological watching-briefsunder the conditions attached to planning applicationsCC/54/99 and CCr70/00 for a series of developments atAylesbury High School, Walton Road, Aylesbury. Thewatching-briefs, which centre on SP 8248 1325, at a heightof 83m AOD, were:Site 1, the new Music Centre development (AHS 2000);Site 2, the replacement tennis courts and long jumps site(ANS 2000-2); andSite 3, the classroom extension development (ANS 2001)A Project Design was submitted to and approved byBuckinghamshire County Archaeological Service on behalfof the Local Planning Authority. The 3 watching-briefs wereundertaken between 14 September 2000 and 26 February2001. Only the Site 1 watching-brief uncovered deposits ofarchaeological interest, which dated from the Prehistoric,Roman and Post-Medieval periods.BackgroundThe Aylesbury High School site lies on a ridge of PortlandLimestone which runs north-east to south-west mainly onthe west side of Walton Road. This limestone ridge providesa free draining focus for settlement within the clays of theVale of Aylesbury and, as such, is known to have attractedoccupation activity since the Neolithic, with furthersettlement in the Bronze Age, Roman and Saxon periodsalso identified.Archaeological ResultsSite 1. Despite the high level of post-depositionaldisturbance evident on the at the new Music Centre site, anumber of archaeological features were discovered. Thepost-deposition disturbance meant that in addition to a largeproportion of post-medieval glazed earthenware andmiscellaneous modern sherds of pottery the overburdencontained residual sherds of medieval, Roman and LateBelgic date pottery.The earliest dateable pottery is from the early-middle IronAge, but the majority of the assemblage is datable to theRoman period; primarily of a probable 2nd century AD date.The vessels recovered are indicative of a domesticassemblage, comprising tablewares, storage jars andcooking pots, presumed to represent an accumulation ofsettlement debris. A total of 132 sherds of pottery (2kg) wererecovered together with 143 fragments of animal bone(1.5kg).Table 1.Date of assemblage by percentage Period % of Assemblagepre-Belgic Iron Age 3%Late Belgic Iron Age 23%Roman 49%Post-Roman 20%Area A, contained a large pit (003) to the south of the site,which yielded securely dated Roman pottery. The pit wasfairly steeply sloping, roughly circular in plan, and wasinterpreted as a clay pit. A residual sherd of pre-Belgicpottery was also recovered from this pit.Also in Area A a layer of rarruned limestone was interpretedas the remains of a floor surface (021) to the south of thesite. The area was bounded by a cut [016] on the east side,interpreted as a north/south orientated foundation trench.Although this trench contained no surviving evidence formasonry, it is possible that the trench was robbed out, or mayhave only contained a timber wall. The floor surface yieldeda Roman hobnail, Romano-British pottery and part of aniron brooch. The robber trench yielded Romano-Britishpottery and a hobnail.Area B, revealed an east/west orientated ditch (45) and a pit(48) both of which contained pre-Belgic early to middle IronAge sherds. These were the earliest features identified onthe site.Area C revealed a large northeast/southwest orientated ditchcut [028] and [023] which was recorded in the sections oftwo construction trenches. The fill yielded sherds of anumber of late Belgic vessels within a securely datablecontext, representing primary deposition. This feature was12

Buckinghamshirer'sglovedoubleditched_. ir 7.;feature .1 . ;posweedesei(ItchPrehistofic featureRomanoarttish featureEvefustian trend,Prehistoric memationisRoman cremationo160mFig 1. The Lea, Denham. Phase 1 excavation, all features.interpreted as a boundary ditch, the line of which could beprojected under the existing school buildings.Site 2, the tennis courts replacement site, and Site 3, theclassroom extension site, yielded no significantarchaeological features. It is clear that the previousdevelopment and landscaping of the playing fields will havehad a detrimental impact on these sites.ConclusionsThe range of pottery types and artefacts from the Site 1 newMusic Centre site revealed evidence of occupation, datingfrom the early/middle Iron Age to the Roman period. In viewof the previot3s scarcity of material from the Iron Age in thevicinity, this is significant in providing missing evidence foractivity from this period in the Walton area. The materialhints at the presence of an Iron Age settlement close to theWalton Road, which has not yet been pinpointed.The presence of Iron Age activity along Walton Roadappears to backup the assertion that subtle differences in theunderlying micro-geologies and topography of the area havegreat importance in determining land use (Farley 1995). Thespecial qualities of the Walton area have continued to attiactsettlement throughout all periods, from the Neolithiconwards.BibliographyBranigan K 1984; PrehistoryFarley M 1986; 'Aylesbury' in Current Archaeology. (Augustissue)Farley M 1995; The Buckinghamshire Chilterns in the LaterPrehistory in ChilternArchaeology (cd R Holgate)Holgate R (cd) 1995; Chiltern ArchaeologyManning W H 1985; Catalogue of the Romano-British Iron Tools,Fittings and Weapons in the British MuseumCOTSWOLD ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUSTHalton, RAF Halton, Princess Mary Hospital(SP 8780 0860)Mark BrettIn October 2001 an archaeological evaluation of land atPrincess Mary Hospital, RAF Halton, revealed a smallnumber of undated or post-medieval features includingpostholes, pits and a possible ditch terminus. The evaluationalso demonstrated that there had been considerable levellingand landscaping across the site, evidently contemporarywith the construction of the hospital itself in the 1920s orthe later residential housing estates.Denham, The Lea (TQ 0490 8600)Laurent Coleman, Tim Havard, Mark Collard, Simon Cox,and Ed McSloyIntroductionFollowing evaluation in 2000 (Coleman 2001, 17), the firstphase of area excavation in advance of gravel extraction wascanried out by CAT on behalf of Harleyford AggregatesLimited. The excavation, covering an area of c 6ha, tookplace between May and September 2001 and included the13

Buckinghamshiresite access road, a drainage ditch around the site and thesouthern part of the extraction area (Fig 1).The gravel is covered across the whole site by alluvium. Allthe features excavated in this phase of work, from theprehistoric through to the post-medieval, were cut into theupper surface of this alluvium, and it appears that by the LateBronze Age the over-bank flooding of the River Cole tothe east had ceased. No features were encountered on thegravel surface after the stripping of the alluvium.Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze AgeA large assemblage of worked flint material dating to theearlier part of the prehistoric period was recovered duringthe excavation. The earliest dated material recoveredcomprised a small number of residual blades and bladeletsof probable Mesolithic date. Earlier Neolithic material wassimilarly restricted to residual flint artefacts, in this instancetwo leaf-shaped arrowheads. A large proportion of theremaining worked flint (over 300 pieces) comprised wasteflakes and would appear to be contemporary with laterprehistoric, probably Bronze Age, activity. A single sherdof cord-impressed pottery represented the earliest pottery tobe recovered and was probably of Early Bronze Age date.Late Bronze AgeThe focus of Late Bronze Age activity appeared to belocated in the north-western part of the excavation area andcomprised a segmented double-ditched feature orientatednortheast-southwest. A series of contemporary field systemditches then extended from this feature towards thesouth-east to form a series of rectangular enclosures. Datingevidence from these features comprised a quantity (130sherds) of thick-walled, coarse flint-tempered pottery, someof which featured applied finger-tip decorated shouldercordons. This pottery was representative of theDeverel-Rimbury tradition.Iron AgeIron Age activity appeared to be focused on the eastern sideof the excavation area and comprised a probable roundhousegully with a centrally located hearth together with a numberof associated pits and postholes. Pottery dating to this periodwas also excavated from the rectilinear field system and thesegmented double-ditched feature suggesting that thesefeatures were still in use at this time. A possible cremationburial was identified within the rectilinear field system atthe western edge of the zone of later prehistoric activity.Pottery dating to the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age wasrecovered from the cremation, which had been deposited atthe centre of a shallow sub-circular pit c 6m in diameter. Thestatus of the cremation is not definitive due to the very smallquantities of bone recovered during the excavation of thecharcoal-rich fill of the feature. However, it should be notedthat virtually no skeletal material, either animal or human,was recovered during the excavation. The loss of thismaterial is probably due to the acidic nature of the soils,though it did survive when thoroughly bumt, for examplewithin the pyre identified during the evaluation (Coleman2001, 17). The pottery of Mid to Late Iron Age date wasrepresented by some 900 sherds in fine flint or quartztempered fabrics. Diagnostic forms consisted mainly ofslack-shouldered jars or bowls, some with strap handles.Romano-British (first and second centuries AD)A rectilinear enclosure on a new orientation was constructedthrough a gap within the double-ditched Late Bronze Agefeature. The only Romano-British feature identified withinthe eastern end of this enclosure was a curvilinear ditch. Alarge circular pit c 8m in diameter was also dug at this time.This pit was located to the south of the enclosure, was dugto the water table, and may therefore have simply been awatering hole for livestock. A Romano-British ditch,orientated southeast-northwest, respected the location ofthis pit by curving around it in a series of segmented lengths.A further curvilinear ditch dating to this period enclosed anarea at the south-eastern corner of the excavation area. TheRomano-British ditches represent a much less intensive andperhaps less formalised pattern of land-use than thepreceding prehistoric field system. A number of pits andditches dating to this period were also identified in the accessroad trench. Early Roman pottery was scarce and compriseda few sherds of local wares, Verulamium region whitewares,and samian. Large numbers of iron nails of probable Romandate were recovered, mostly from possible cremationsdistinguished by charcoal-rich fills again containing smallquantities of bumt bone. These features were located to theeast of the enclosure in the vicinity of the pyre site identifiedduring the evaluation. Two coins were recovered during theexcavation; a badly wom mid to late 1st century ADdupondius and a radiate copy of late 3rd century date.Romano-British (third and fourth centuries AD)Fewer features dating to the later part of the Romano-Britishperiod were identified, but they contained the majority ofthe Romano-British finds recovered from the excavationarea. A single, richly furnished, late Roman burial wasexcavated on the line of the access road to the west of themain excavation area. No trace of human bone survived inthe grave, which was aligned north-northeastsouth-southwest.Iron nails were found close to thegrave-cut corners suggesting the use of a coffin and thenature of the grave finds suggested a female. Most of thegrave goods were clustered close to the southern extremityof the grave and it is clear that, with the possible exceptionof the ring, these were not wom but placed close to the heador feet. Some of the finds were also deposited during theback-filling of the grave. The most spectacular find was ofa necklace consisting of over 300 small glass beads and fourjet spacer beads. The glass beads occur in a variety of formsand colours and include 25 `gold-in-glass' types whichincorporate gold foil within a protective layer of clear glass.Other finds from the grave include seven jet hairpins all withfaceted cuboid heads, a decorated jet finger-ring, a shalespi ndlewhorl, a bracelet of bone or antler with a copper alloyfastening, a copper-alloy bracelet with crenellateddecoration, three blue glass gaming counters and a potterydish. The form of some of the items within the grave(thehairpins, bracelets and beads), indicated a late Roman date,c. AD 280-400. Certain attributes (the use of black glass14

eads, the bone bracelet and the jet finger ring), suggesteda date late within this range.The probable watering hole was also backfilled during thisperiod and most of the later Roman pottery, whichcomprised the majority of the total assemblage of 1200sherds, was recovered during the excavation of the thismaterial. A mid to late third- century date range is suggestedfor this material due to the presence of Oxford mortaria,lower Nene Valley colour coated wares, and late forms inlocal greywares.Medieval and post -medievalA single ditch was identified rwming east-west across theexcavation area. This feature was probably a post-medievalfield boundary ditch.DiscussionThe excavations to date have revealed a shifting pattern ofvarious types of activity across the current excavation area.This can be characterised as follows: the rectilinear fieldsystem focused on the north-western part of the excavationatta was established in the Late Bronze Age and may havecontinued into the Iron Age. At this time a roundhouse andpost-built structures were constructed and storage pits wereexcavated on the eastern side of the extraction area. Thepattern of land-use was then radically changed when theRomano-British rectilinear enclosure was established in the1st century AD with possible occupation activity to the westand only occasional ditches to the east. This enclosure mayhave been used until the later part of the Romano-Britishperiod when a richly appointed inhumation burial wasinterred within it. The dead may also have been disposed ofin possible cremation burials to the east of the enclosureduring the Romano-British period. The distribution offeatures and the finds recovered from the Romano-Britishfeatures suggested the presence of a settlement focus,possibly with substantial buildings, to the north-west of thecurrent excavation area. No activity dating to thepost-Roman or medieval periods was identified althoughthere was some limited evidence for agricultural activitydating to the post-medieval period.ReferenceColeman L 2001; Denham, The Lea, SMA 31COUNTY ARCHAEOLOGICAL (TRAINING)SERVICESHanslope, Gordons Lodge FarmPat Lawrence & Jonathan ThomasPrehistoric (Centred on SP 771 482)Staff and students conducted a comprehensive programmeof non-intrusive archaeological fieldwork, on an area of landlumwn historically as Hanslope Ground. Digital TerrainModelling, Geophysical Survey and the interpretation ofaerial photographs highlighted a number of linear features,Buckinghamshireenclosure ditches and plough damaged earthworks that arethought to be prehistoric in date. Whilst lithics and ceramicsfound fieldwalking provide physical evidence of land useduring the late Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age.Romano-British (SP 772481)During a fieldwalldng exercise over one hundred pieces ofbroken tegula were recovered from a dense but restrictedlimestone surface scatter. A subsequent resistivity surveyhas revealed the footprintof a rectangular structuremeasuring approximately 12m x 14m.Saxon and Medieval (SP 772481)In the light of new evidence gathered from aerialphotographic and geophysical surveys, a trainingexcavation designed to determine the extent of; and possiblyreintwpret the findings of two previous archaeologicalevaluations (Buckinghamshire SMR Card No 1408) wasconducted. New discoveries induded a 20m long ditch witha possible cesspit at one end. A substantial amount of facedand modded stonework, which included pieces of ornatedoor surround, window mullion and a head shaped corbel.The small finds included an almost complete 12th centurycurb bit with associated bridal fittings and sherds from a rareLyveden Stanion 'A' Ware, face jug. Pottery analysisconducted by Paul BlinIchome suggests that the site wasoccupied between 1100-1225.FOUNDATION ARCHAEOLOGYAylesbury, Weedon Hill (SP 812 157)Roy KingThe results of the evaluation indicated that there weredispersed Romano-British features across the study area. Noclear evidence of settlement activity (such as postholeclusters or pit groups) was identified during the evaluation.Features of Romano-British date were concentrated on thecrest of the hill (Trenches 1, 3, 11, 12 and 17) with lessfrequent features on the slope (Trenches 4, 15 and 18). Asingle sherd of late Iron Age/Romano-British pottery wasrecovered from Trench 13 and is likely to be a residual sherdin a medieval plough furrow. The majority of featuresidentified are likely to be representative of Romano-Britishfield systems and other features on the periphery of asettlement. The pottery assemblage included material datingfrom the 1st century through to the 4th century and isindicative of settlement throughout the Roman period. Allthe features identified during the evaluation were truncatedand overlain by medieval agricultural remains. Modernploughing has in places penetrated through to the top of theunderlying natural and has removed all upstanding traces ofthe Medieval ridge and furrow.15

BuckinghamshireTHE HERITAGE NETWORK LTDOlney, land off Timpson's Row (SP 890 513)Chris TurnerSeven trial trenches were located over the proposeddevelopment area, positioned across the footprints of thenew dwellings. Despite the proximity of the site to theplanned medieval town, only two features of potentialarchaeological interest, a large pit and a tree bole, wereencountered. Both features contained sherds of undiagnosticand abraded Romano-British pottery, chieflyshell-tempered wares from the kiln sites at Harrold,approximately 10km to the north-east. Although thepresence of post-medieval material in the same fill of the pitsuggests that the Roman sherds may have been imported onto the site, there still remains a possibility that this materialindicates the presence of Roman activity in the vicinity. Thiswork was undertaken on behalf of Phoenix Consulting.JOHN MOOREHedgerley, Knight's Rest, Moat Farm Barns, 74Hedgerley Lane, Gerrards Cross (SU 9777 8830)John MooreThe archaeological watching brief during excavation fornew footings exposed parts of two medieval walls relatingto the either the original Preceptory of the Knights Templaror its subsequent ownership by the Hospitallers.High Wycombe, The Courtyard, Rear of 25-31AFrogmoor (SU 8637 9326)John MooreAn evaluation of the site found that no deposits of medievaldate survived on the site. The earliest (apparently waterlaid)deposit is dated to perhaps the 16th century, later used forhorticultural activity. A distinct change of landuse appearsto have occurred in the seventeenth century with the areasurfaced with a substantial depth of chalk. This suggests theneed for heavy-duty yard surface for perhaps wagons.Above the chalk surface was an undated deposit prestunablyimported to raise the area at the rear as successive roadsurfaces of Frogmoor were laid.Ludgershall, The Warrens, Piddington Road(SP 65785 17701)John MooreAn archaeological watching brief during excavation forfootings for a new garage exposed a ditch and pit of 17/18thcentury date.Penn, Stumpwell Cottage, Church Street(SU 90955 93360)John MooreThe site lies within the medieval settlement of Penn, whichis first recorded in the 13th century. Documentary andarchaeological evidence demonstrate that Penn had becomethe centre of a major floor tile manufacturing industry by the14th century. It supplied high status sites including WindsorCastle and the Palace of Westminster.An evaluation of an area proposed for an extension to theexisting property was undertaken. The evaluation found onepost-hole of late medieval date and a piece of wom glazedtile, a product of the local industry.Princes Risborough, Town Farm Barns, Church Street(SP 8075 0345)John MooreArchaeological investigation took place prior to theconstruction of seven residential units in the area of theformer farmyard of Town Farm. A sherd of early/middleSaxon pottery indicates activity of this date in the vicinityof the site. Residual early medieval pottery may indicate thatthe Church Street frontage was occupied in this period. Bythe late 15th century the area was a 'backyard' fora propertyon Church Street, and was sub-divided in the 17th centurybefore the farmyard was separated from a smallgarden/orchard in the 18th century.Wing, Land Adjacent to 6 Church Street(SP 8814 2261)Amy Gray JonesA late 19th century - 20th century agricultural soil extendedacross the evaluation area sealing 19th century featureswhich possibly relate to the site's occupation by ParishfOOMS.MICHAEL FARLEY ARCHAEOLOGYMentmore, St Mary's Church (SP 9038 1976)Excavation of drainage trenches was observed at St Mary'schurch, Mentmore. The church was substantially restored in1857, shortly after the construction of the adjacentMentmore House for Baron Rothschild. Ancaster Stone wasused extensively in the restoration.The watching brief noted early footings which indicated thatthe chancel, said to have been rebuilt during the restoration,may also have been extended at that time. Other footingsrecorded at the east end of the north aisle, indicate that themodem vestry may be on the site of an earlier vestry ofwhich there is an account prior to the restoration. The north16

wall of the north aisle had been substantially re-faced. Itswest end, which formerly appears to have partially claspedthe tower, seems to have been demolished at the time of theVictorian restoration and rebuilt further east on an earlierfoundation.A few burials were disturbed by drainage trenches in thechurchyard and a possible wall was noted. One soakawayrevealed what was apparently a buried soil, and another anUpper Greensand fluvial feature. Attention is drawn to thepresence of an undated mound in the churchyard and aperimeter churchyard bank, the latter possibly of MentmoreHouse period.Chalfont St Giles, St Giles Church (SU 991 935)A watching brief carried out whilst a gas pipe trench wasbeing dug on the north side of the parish church of St Giles,Chalfont St Giles, exposed only one feature ofarchaeological interest, a probable short length of mortaredflint wall close to the tower and not apparently related to thepresent church structure.Cuddington, St Nicholas Church (SP 7374 1121)During a watching brief at St Nicholas, Cuddington, whenfrench drains were being laid and soakaways dug, theexternal footings of the tower were unexpectedly found tobe present just below existing ground level. A substantialbuild-up of 'churchyard soil' had been anticipated as thefloor within the tower is about 0.5m lower than the externallevel. The reason for this difference is not clear. The floorlevel inside the tower may have been designed to be lower,in which case its external face would have been built againstthe face of a cut, or it might have been lowered after thetower's construction in the 15th century. If the latter was thecase, this probably took place not long after construction. Alowering would have required the internal face of thefootings to have been restructured. An earlier RoyalCommission observation that the west door jambs had beenlengthened may support the latter interpretation, however asthe internal walls of the tower are plastered and not visible,the matter could not be resolved.Parts of two decorated floor tiles, possibly made in theBrill-Boarstall industry were recovered. Some nine burialswhich were probably articulated, were also recorded, andother disturbed human bone.Wing, All Saints Church ( SP 880225)The unblocking of a former doorway into the first-floorringing floor of the 15th century tower of Wing church wasobserved. The blocldng was shown to have probably takenplace in the 19th or 20th century. The 'original' openingwhen revealed, was faced with plaster but lacked stonedressings, having apparently been cut through the rubbleBuckinghamshirecore of the tower. This suggests that the opening, as exposed,was unlikely to have been an original feature of the tower.NATIONAL TRUSTGary MarshallAshridge, Duncombe Fann (SP 4969 2140)A watching brief was maintained by the National Trustduring repairs and alterations to this farm, which is locatedin the Aldbury Valley on the Trust's Ashridge estate. Anumber of re-used timbers forming the floor joists at firstfloor level were recorded. The farm building was the subjectof an earlier vernacular buildings survey carried out by theTrust in 1994 and the observations made as part of thewatching brief confirmed the conclusions presented in thisearlier survey. The farm has an original timber framed fourbay hall house, the middle two bays of which were probablyopen to the roof. A substantial range, timber framed, wasthen adde,d on the west end of the hall in the early 17thcentury, creating a 'T' plan. Subsequent additions weremade to the west range in the 18th century, when the originaltimber framed parts of the building were cased with brick.Boarstall Tower (SP 6242 1425)A detailed geophysics survey in the garden at Boarstall hassuccessfully rnapped the remains of the 15th century (?)manor house, which was demolished in the 1770s after thetragic accidental death of the son of the Aubrey family. Anearlier geophysics survey conducted in 1999 had confirmedthat the footprint of the house remains well preservedbeneath the present lawn. The purpose of the project 2001was therefore to repeat and extend the area covered by theearlier survey. The full outline of the house was successfullymapped by this survey, as was the outline of servicebuildings and yards shown on the detailed engraving of 1695published in Lipscombe's History of Buckinghamshire. Atopographical survey of the gardens is also underway toaccurately map the subtle earthworIcs, which surround the14th century tower. The results of the geophysics will betranscribed onto this survey to pinpoint the precise locationof the buildings and garden features which appear on the1695 engraving.Cliveden Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital(SU 9128 8450)Cliveden is perhaps best known for the 'Cliveden set' andas the home of Nancy Astor, Britain's first female MP. Notsurprisingly it is less well lcnown for the dilapidated remainsof the former World War II military hospital, which waserected entirely with funds raised by the Canadian RedCross. Hidden away from sight on the south-east corner ofthe estate, this was actually the second purpose built

BuckinghamshireMitinriM50.55C.:(yr5.15.05t.r\*-- I--A5;-a) kz_----BLOCK PLAN - s.'wA1305 10 - RAN TR.C.A.TMENTcor.cen:5 VRD II GasInNsAti y AND ONIA.L.5 UNC[W5 ComaGBLOCA. [uNIC4 1110.1.(R. ICUSLS Z AØUINI5IRAION 1555..OcK.5 t aa0a. AT 01,1-Y 55 STAll CO4t.OPJ R.00m5OPIR.1IIIG 11.4(RL5 14 QuAR.TI RN AST E FCS FOR( 5A.00N, 15 DEC0NO#.4.NAnDN/55.0LOw ftoT04( N Aux O. I6 ORD(14.5( MO 54C 0 3 ()woo fitsI. T L INC) T TRLAI 00511 17 mORTuARY157ING [...LONGS 5.00,N; NATCHEDT.CAI.1.0 0 loMESSRS. ROBERT ATKINSON AND A. F. B. ANDERSON, FF.R.I.B.A., ARCHITECTS.hospital. At the start of World War I the Astors gave the site- formerly a cricket pitch - to be used for the construction ofa temporary hospital, built to a novel butterfly plan using aseries of pre-fabricated buildings. These were demolishedat the end of the war, leaving only a single pre-fab knownas the 'Institute Building', which was incorporated into theWorld War II hospital.The World War II hospital was built to the designs of RobertAtkinson and was erected in six months, comprising a seriesof brick buildings with cast iron windows and asbestos sheetroofs laid over prefabricated trusses. The buildings werearranged on either side of two main axial corridors. Theadministration block, together with the ear, nose and throatdept, X-ray dept. and dispensary were placed on the east sideof the hospital. The laboratories, operating theatre,s, diningroom and kitchen block were placed between the corridors,and the fifteen individual ward blocks were placed on thewest side of the west corridor. Each of the ward blocks hada sun lounge at its west end.Fig 2. Plan of the Red Cross Memorial Hospital, Cliveden.The survival of these buildings to the present day providestestimony to the quality of their design and construction.Indeed, they were still in use until 1985 when the site waslast used as an NHS hospital. Most of the buildingsunderwent only minor modifications and the original designand construction of the hospital can therefore be tracedclosely from the original plan drawings. Sadly, the buildingshave been heavily vandalized and still retain large amountsof asbestos pipe lagging. The site is to be developed forhousing in the near future. A detailed recording exercise hastherefore been carried out by James Moir of FinialAssociates in advance of the demolition of the buildings.Hugbenden Manor (SU 8610 9534)A watching brief was maintained by the National Trust overrepairs to the north and east fronts of Hughenden Manor nearHigh Wycombe. The watching brief paid particularattention to recording evidence of former decorative18

schemes and methods of 'penny' pointing applied to thebuilding in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is known fromengravings of the 19th century that the brick built house hadbeen lime-washed, and titis was confirmed by the discoveryof lime wash on certain areas of bricicwork, including thatadded by Edward Buckton Lamb during his alterations of1862-3. On the east front evidence of yellow ochre wasfound beneath the lime wash, suggesting an earlier colourscheme dating from the late 18th or early 19th century.Evidence of a red ochre was also found on the north, southand east fronts, and this had probably been used as a meansof unifying areas of brick repair and alteration carried out inthe 1860s.Stowe Gardens (SP 675 373)Archaeological surveyors from the Exeter branch of EnglishHeritage have just completed a topographical survey of thepark at Stowe, in advance of a major restoration project,which will involve replanting nearly 4000 trees, repairs tothe park buildings, and the removal of late 19th centuryhedges. The restoration process has been guided bycombining archive evidence and archaeological evidencefrom the survey. The park at Stowe was first laid out in the1640s. Subsequent 19th century additions to the park on thesouth and west sides of the gardens incorporate and preservemajor blocks of ridge and furrow ploughing, whichelsewhere in the locality have all too rapidly disappeared asa consequence of post war ploughing.Recent excavations have successfully revealed traces of theoriginal gravel paths around two of the garden buildings -the Queen's Temple and Cobham's Monument. These pathshave therefore been restored on their original alignment. Thearrangement of paths at Stowe is superbly recorded by anestate map of 1843 in the Huntingdon Library in California,but nevertheless the subtle detail of how the paths graduallymerged and approached the various buildings is only madeevident from archaeological excavation. This is usuallydone with a JCB, which is used to cut a series of trial trenchesacross the assumed alignment of each path. Careful removalof topsoil and overlying stratigraphy by this method canquicldy reveal the bright yellow colour of the gravel againstthe brown clay/gravel subsoil, a contrast not always evidentas a consequence of troweling since the ground dries out tooquickly.A major excavation for a water pipe across the south frontencountered a stone footing for what is likely to have beenone of the outbuildings - perhaps a stable - associated withthe Tudor house at Stowe.NORTHAMPTONSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGYBroughton Barns Quarry (SP 9076 4056)Andy ChapmanArchaeological trial excavation in 1996 revealed theremains of Iron Age and Roman field systems and settlementBuckinghamshireenclosures, and a watching brief has been maintainedthrough four years of quarrying (SMA 30 (2000), 21 andSMA 31 (2001), 22). In 2001 two previously unlutownC-shaped enclosures were located. In one a single un-umedand two umed cremations were recovered from the ditch,but there were no internal features. Charcoal from one of theurns has been radiocarbon dated to the early Bronze Age,and this um also showed a complex sequence of depositionindicating how material had been carefully collected fromthe pyre site and equally carefully deposited in the um. Itcomprised the following sequence (Fig 3):skull followed by long bone fragments in clean sand: aselected and clean bone depositcharcoal rich, grey-black soils, with some burnt soil andsparse small bone fragments: pyre debrisclean yellow sand, a thin scatter of small bone fragmentsand burnt (reddened) sand: soils from beneath the pyremixed deposit of grey-black soil with some charcoal andsmall bone fragments: the leftover mixed debrisTowards the north-eastern end of the quarry, much of theplan of a rectangular enclosure has been recovered. It hadinternal pit groups, one including a clay-lined oven, and thepottery is all dated to the early to mid 1st century AD. Alinear ditch towards the northern side of the quarry was oflater Roman date.High Wycombe, The Rye (SU 874 924)Peter MastenA geophysical survey was undertaken on behalf of TheChilterns Conference, Area of Outstanding Natural Beautyas part of the Chalk Streams Project. Few archaeologicalanomalies were detected in relation to the Roman villaremains. A short length of ditch and the possible remains ofbuilding rubble were identified. Other anomalies detectedinclude a series of pipes, a former stream channel andassociated spring, a field boundary and the possible outlineof a building to the north of the present swimming baths.Pitstone, Pitstone Quarry 2 (SP 950 650)Tim Upson-SmithPrior to the resumption of quarrying, a desk-basedassessment and trial excavation was carried out on behalf ofCastle Cement. Given the close proximity of a number ofpreviously investigated sites, 150m of trial trenches wereexcavated, but the only features recovered were one moderndisturbance and an undated shallow gully.Upper Wittington, RAF Medmenham (SU 817 846)Mark HolmesFollowing an archaeological evaluation in 1998, a watching19

BuckinghamshireURN 201Brill, 18 The Lawns (SP 1420 6545)Robin BashfordIn July 2001 OA undertook a watchingbrief at 18 The Lawns. Noarchaeological deposits or featureswere observed during the groundwork.High Wycombe, RAF HighWycombe (SU 829 987)Dave Thomason200mm200mmOA carried out a field evaluation atRAF High Wycombe on behalf of MottMacdonald Consultants for the RoyalAir Force. The evaluation revealed onlya single possible gully that wasundated. OA also mapped the line of theancient Grim's Ditch that crosses thebase here.Iver, Delaford Close (TQ 0405 8115)Andy NortonFig 3. Broughton Barns Quarry. Cremation urn with stratified burial deposit.,COburnt (reddened) soilgrey-black with charcoalbrown sandflint pebblebone and,) spongy boneIn October OA carried out a fieldevaluation at Delaford Close, on behalfof the Diocese of Oxford. The work wascarried out in respect of a planningapplication for a new vicarage(Planning Application No.01/00690/FUL). The evaluationrevealed a modern garden soil over apossible ancient soil, which contained afragment of Roman roof tile. Nofeatures of archaeological interest wereencountered.brief has been maintained during the construction of newoffices and associated landscaping at the site of the formerRAF Medmenham To date, the watching brief has revealedonly a group of three undated pits and a fourth separate pitwhich contained a small quantity of Iron Age pottery.OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGYBrill, 6 Highland Close (SP 65305 14086)James MumfordIn October 2001 OA carried out an archaeological watchingbrief at 6 Highland Close. The work was conunissioned byICavan Davies Architecture Ltd and carried out in advanceof construction of an extension at the rear of the premises.The watching brief revealed a large pit/quarry feature and athick soil layer.Iver, St Peter's Church (TQ 0500 8130)James MumfordIn October 2001 OA carried out an archaeological watchingbrief at St Peter's Church. The work was commissioned bythe Diocese of Oxford, prior to a planning application for anextension to the north side of the church. The watching briefwas requested by the church, in order to establish thepresence, or absence, of surviving archaeological featuresrelating to the Saxon church or pre-dating the churchconstruction. It was necessary to establish the extent of boththe disturbance of the proposed area by burials and thesurvival of earlier burials and features despite the laterintrusions. The watching brief revealed that the area hadbeen heavily disturbed by graves and burial chambers, andalso construction debris from later alterations to the churchand services.20

Marlow, Widmere Chapel (SU 832 892)Julian Munby and JohnGillThe Grade II* listed Chapel at Widmere Farm was strippedof external render and it's fabric recorded, in August 1999,by the Oxford Archaeological Unit. The 13th century chapelis of special interest, both in being on an estate belonging tothe ICnights Hospitallers and especially for the high qualityof its original masonry. The roof is in a remarkable state ofpreservation, being very much unspoiled. Evidence wasfound for the changes in the walls when new windows wereadded in the 14th century and the survival of the originalroof (with notch-lapped joints) was noted as a significantfeature. A watching brief on the digging of drains revealedno significant buried features.Meadle, Ivy Cottage (SP 795 065)Robin BashfordIn June 2001, Oxford Archaeological Unit undertook awatching brief at Ivy Cottage, Meadle during groundworkassociated with the construction of a new menage. Twoundated south-east - north-west aligned ditches wererevealed, that may represent the line of a former trackway.Two possible post holes were also undated. A post-medievalland drain was also discovered in the course of the work.Milton Keynes, Belvedere Nurseries, Fenny Stratford(SP 8874 3395)David Thomason and Greg PughIn December 2001 OA carried out a field evaluation atBelvedere Nurseries at Fenny Stratford. The work wascarried out on behalf of Conserve-A-Tree Ltd and revealedfeatures associated with a Roman field System. Featuresincluded probable boundary ditches and associated pits. Thesite is near both Watling Street and Magiovinium andappears to represent a field system orientated aroundroadways.North Crawley, The Church (SP 9270 4475)James MumfordIn October 2001 OA carried out an archaeological watchingbrief at St Firmin's Church. The work was commissionedby Peter Gilbert Scott, architect on behalf of theArchdeaconry of Buckinghamshire, in advance of laying anew tile floor. The watching brief revealed 19th centuryfloor make up and service ducting.Buckinghamshireevidence for a possible 17th century garden feature wererecorded during the watching brief.Westcott, 7 Lower Green (SP 720 170)James MumfordIn November 2001 OA carried out an archaeologicalwatching brief at 7 Lower Green. The work wascommissioned by Garfield Homes and carried out inadvance of new development of dwellings. The watchingbrief revealed no archaeological deposit or features.THAMES VALLEY ARCHAEOWGICALSERVICES LTDCompiled by Steve PrestonAmersham, Amersham Museum, 49 High Street(SU 9565 9736)Sarah ColesA watching brief during construction of an extension to themuseum located a flint-nodule wall below 19th centurymade ground, and chalk-flecked floor layers possiblyassociated with the wall. No closer dating was possible,although unstratified 18th/19th century pottery, a clay pipestem and fragments of peg tile were recovered. A single flintspall could possibly have been prehistoric, or might havebeen a product of the use of flint in the walling.Dadford, land adjacent to Grooms Cottage, Main Street(SP 6680 3830)Sin Anthony and Sarah ColesThree evaluation trenches revealed 20th century pits, and agully terminus. Residual and spoil-heap finds includedpottery from the 17th and 18th centuries and a single sherdof Potterspury ware which could date from the later 13thcentury through to around 1600. These finds may beindicative of nothing more intensive than manuring.Edgcott, Parish Church of St Michael and AU Angels(SP 6800 2280)Sarah ColesA watching brief during digging of a new drain andsoakaway revealed nothing of archaeological interest.Olney, East Wing, Lavendon Grange (SP 9025 5365)Robin Bashford and Alan HardyIn January 2001 OA undertook a watching brief at LavendonGrange. A north-south aligned rubble filled ditch andGreat Missenden, Church of SS Peter and Paul(SP 9000 0101)Andrew TaylorA watching brief during the cutting of a new drain (entirelythrough made ground) observed a number of human burials21

Buckinghamshireto the north of the church, some in brick-built vaults, andsome disarticulated human bone. The association ofonly-partially decayed wood and copper-headed nails withsome of the burials suggests a relatively recent date. Naturalgeology was not re.sched in any part of the trench. A singleundiagnostic struck flint was the only artefact of note.Milton Keynes, Tattenhoe Phase 2B, Site 33(SP 82950 33750)ICate TaylorSix evaluation trenches uncovered a ditch across twotrenches, and a probable pond or quarry. Finds from the pondranged from a 14th century floor tile through 16th and 17thcentury brick to 18th century pottery and modern brick, tileand glass. Finds from the ditch included late medievalpottery and a single sherd of late Roman pottery; one 18thcentury sherd was probably intrusive and a late medievaldate is preferred for this ditch. It was perhaps a fieldboundary rather than an extension of the lmown village tothe west.Old Amersham, Chimney Cottage, The Platt(SU 9564 9719)Andrew TaylorA watching brief during groundworlcs for a new extensionobserved no archaeological deposits.Dr TOM WELSHMilton Keynes, Old Wolverton (SP 802 412)Traces of an oval earthwork were observed in July 2001,apparently predating the motte and bailey and gardenearthworks there. It encloses an area 260m south-west tonorth-east, where cut by the Grand Union Canal, by up to110m. It znainly comprises a bank or escarpment above aterrace or ditch, sometimes with counterscarp bank, but onthe south-east is complicated by more recent features. Themain fragments are (1) south-west of the church SP80264123 to 80264130; (2) and (3) near the canal at SP80384141 to 80434143, and SP 80464138 to 80454135; and(4) at SP 80404130 extending the line of the pond and pittowards a dry valley south of the Old Vicarage (flowLongville Court). Between (1) and (2) the present scarp,ditch and counterscarp on the north-west side of the bailey,is only slightly offset from the expected line, suggestingreworking. North of this the oval appeais to lie beneath thepart of the garden built out from the slope. A plan and reportsuggesting an interpretation of this and later features hasbeen deposited with Milton Keynes Archaeological Unit.One of the later features, which may assist interpretation ofthe Longville house and garden sites, is a former approachroad, which crosses the park boundary at SP 80504126,towards an apparent bridge site at SP 80434131, betweenthe pond and modem pit. I am grateful to David Went ofEnglish Heritage for going over these features with me inMarch 2002.Old Amersham, Four Winds, The Platt(SU 9567 9716)ICate TaylorA single trench revealed a quarry pit which had beenbackfilled in the 17th century. All the finds were of this date,and included 24 sherds of pottery, six fragments of clay pipe,four pieces of tile and a couple of animal bone fragments.Old Amersham, The King's Arms, High Street(SU 9566 9730)Sarah ColesEvaluation trenching located one pit containing pottery ofthe llth to 14th centuries, and four 19th century pits.Wing, Ail Saints Church (SP 88005 22560)Usa-Maree HardyA watching brief during installation of new central heatingpipes inside the church revealed only that these were laidtluough layera of modern rubble and make-up.UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER (FOFtMERLYUNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM)Richard JonesMedieval Settlement and Landscapes in theVVhittiewood Area: a pilotWork continued throughout 2001 on this majormultidisciplinary research project which seeks tounderstand the origins and development of divergent formsof medieval settlement (nucleated villages, dispersedsettlements, hamlets, farmsteads etc.), set within theirlandscape, political, economic, social, demographic andadministrative contexts. The project covers a block oftwelve modem civil parishes straddling the county boundaryof Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire betweenBuckingham and Towcester. Several concentratedcampaigns of fleldworlc, deploying a variety of techniques,were undertaken. These can be sununarised as follows:Wakefield Lodge Estate (Potterspury, Northants) Centredon SP 738 425Provisional survey of earthworks within ancient woodlandon the Wakefield Lodge Estate22

Nineteen blocks of woodland were walked on 50m transectsto locate earthworks of all dates. The survey revealed thebasic layout of the medieval copse system within this centralpart of Whittlewood Forest visible as low, bmad banks andassociated ditches. This had been severely truncated by thelaying out of vistas and other parldand improvements madeduring the 18th century. Post-medieval woodland originscan be suggested for Oaldey Spinney (SP 743 442) whereremnant ridge and fun-ow was found within the copse. Thelocation and identification of features depicted on a map ofWhittlewood Forest drawn in c 1608 (NRO Map 4120) is ofparticular importance, since this source can now confidentlybe used as an accurate survey of other medieval featureslying outside the bounds of this survey.Akeley (Bucks) Centred on SP 708 378A programme of excavated Shovel Test Pits within thevillage of AkeleyTwenty four Shovel Test Pits (STPs) were excavated acrossthe village. The STPs (1 x 1m) were excavated in spits tonatural, unless archaeological features were encounteredwhen they were excavated stratigraphically. All spoil wassieved for artefacts. All vertical sections and horizontalplans were drawn. Despite the haphazard location of theS'TPs (dictated by access to private property), the resultswere encouraging. Quantities of Romano-British wares andMedieval wares were recovered, and from two STPs earlymedieval pottery. The results suggest a complex earlyvillage morphology, far more dispersed than the villageappears today. Of particular interest was the lack of findsfrom the centre of the village, whilst early settlement focicould be suggested close to the church (SP 708 378) andtowards Manor Farm (SP 711 376).Whittlebury (Northants) Cented on SP 692 440A programme of excavated STPs within the village ofWhittleburyFollowing the same methodology as that used in Akeley,eighteen STPs were excavated in and around Whittlebury.Once again, the results suggest a complexity of developmentwhich is invisible today. It would appear that the main focusof the early settlement - again pre-conquest - lay near thechurch. This itself, appears to lie within a large ovalenclosure which may be Whittlebury's burh. The southernextension to the village along the A413, however, appearsto have been planned no earlier than c 1250.Buckinghamshireof the school and rough pasture north of the parish churchwas undertaken in order to identify features associated withthe dliserted medieval village. The results were negative,with the exception of the identification of a curvilinearfeature running north from the churchyard boundary. It ispossible that this demarked the western extent of the village,which would not therefore have run onto the South Lawn.If, however, the village had once stood here, any evidenceappears to have been removed with landscaping associatedwith the re-siting of the house.Varions parishes - Akeley, Leckhampstead, LillingstoneDayrell, Stowe (Bucks), Wicken (Northants)Fieldwalking within the Whittlewood Project AreaA total of 41 fields (4172.9ha) have now been walked withinvarious parishes in the Whittlewood area. The fields are linewalked (15m intervals) and artefacts collected by stint (20mlength). This coverage has begun to reveal important trendsin the reconstruction of both the Roman and medievallandscape. Several minor Romano-British farmstead siteshave been identified, together with more major Romanoccupation sites. The ubiquity of Roman pottery still leadsto the suggestion that the area was less wooded than in laterperiods. However, areas where Roman pottery is absentmight suggest important blocks of woodland at this period.These may well form the core from whence laterWhittlewood Forest was to regenerate. In the medievalperiod, quantitative analysis allows the reconstruction of themosaic of woodland and arable fields. However, it is nowclear that a further factor needs to be taken into account, thatof population level. There is a clear correspondence betweenhigher densities of pottery scatter and higher levels ofpopulation. Fieldwalldng has also revealed important areasof medieval occupation on the peripheries of the modemvillages, notably at Leckhampstead. The reconstruction ofthe morphology of these villages will help to understandtheir post-conquest development and shrinkage.Importantly, fieldwalking is also producing early medievalpottery indicating activity, possibly occupation. More workneeds to be undertaken to assess the implication of thesefindings in the light of the `Northamptonshire model' whichsuggests retreat from the claylands in the post-Romanperiod. In addition to pottery, a number of flint scatters havealso been identified.More detail about the activities outlined above may be foundon the project's website at:www.le.ac.uk/e1h/whittlewood/index.htmStowe School (Bucks) SP 674 375A geophysical survey of the South Lawn and area north ofStowe ChurchA resistivity and magnetometer survey of the South Lawn23

NorthamptonshireNORTHAMPTONSHIREALBION ARCHAEOLOGYCorby, Oaldey Vale (SP 878 865)Jeremy Oetgen and James Pixley70ha of a major development on the southern outskirts ofCorby was subject to archaeological evaluation. The workcomprised a study of the historic landscape, fieldwalking,geophysical survey and trial excavation. Fieldwalkingidentified two concentrations of material: a scatter of struckand bumt flint on a plateau towards the middle of the surveyarea and a dispersed spread of medieval pottery on thewestern perimeter of the site. Geophysical survey and trialexcavation did not identify any significant archaeologicalremains. The trial excavation identified a significant levelof modem disturbance in the area, the result of ironstoneextraction, agricultural disturbance and railway worldngs.AOC ARCHAEOLOGY GROUPNorthampton, The Riding (SP 7571 6058)Les CaponThe following summary comprises the results of anarchaeological excavation undertaken by AOCArchaeology during November and December 1999, on thesite of proposed development off The Riding, Northampton.This was the second excavation on the site, followingNorthampton Development Corporation's ArchaeologicalUnit's programme of excavation between September 1981and December 1982. The primary objective of that work wasto locate the medieval Gobion Manor, and to ascertain theexistence, or otherwise, of pre-Conquest settlement.The recent work identified phases of activity, and securelydated deposits were recorded which can be equated withactivities recorded during the previous work. The e,arliestactivity took the form of a large quarry, in which a largestone foundation of the 13th century was found. This wassealed by layers of medieval made ground into which pittinghad occurred. There was a large quantity of dumpedironstone rubble on site, some of which were demolitiondeposits, some just course components among layers ofmade ground. Two other structures were recorded dadng tothe 13th century, one of which seems to have survived untilthe 16th century. The wall was superseded by a short-livedditch which was filled by no later than AD 1400, the sametime as a decline in the fortunes of Northampton.The site lies within the estate of the Gobion manor, animportant property within the city walls, and the potentialfor locating the site of the manor itself was one of the aimsof the investigation.A horizon of bumt material was recorded dating to the 16thcentury which had bumt one of the 13th century structures.Little activity except the establishment of another boundaryditch occurred on site until the 18th Century, but layers ofmade ground indicate episodes such as the 1675 fire, and thecreation of the Riding Ground. A large pit was cut throughthe ditch in the late 18th century, and two stone drains wererecorded of a similar date. Victorian activity on site wastypified by the construction of a row of terraced houses.Following their demolition, basements were dug to the rearof the site, which were filled prior to any archaeologicalwork on site. Alter this, the site had been abandoned as wastegrotmd until the new development.ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES ANDCONSULTANCY LTDAston-le-Walls, Appletree Farm (SP 4837 4958)Bob Zeepvat and Nicola KingIn August 2001 a survey was undertaken of farm buildingsat this location, prior to their conversion for office use. Thepresent buildings, grouped around a square yard, representa typical planned farm of the Victorian High Farmingperiod, and were constructed by the Overstone Estate in the1870s. The buildings are of ironstone and brick constructionunder slate roofs. Despite modernisation, mainly connectedwith the mechanisation of farming techniques, someoriginal features remain, notably those relating to theprovision of power for processing and other machinery, andthe supply of water. Associated historical research showsthat the present buildings replaced a complex of farmbuildings, probably of 17th century date, which layinunediately to the south, fronting the fannhouse.Cogenhoe, St Peters Church (SP 8302 6104)Bob Zeepvat & Nigel WilsonDuring February 2001 a programme of test pitting and awatching brief were undertaken at St Peter's Church, priorto drainage installation. The test pits were located on thesouth side of the church around the tower, and thesouth-west end of the south aisle. The cutting of a drainagetrench running along the south side of the path from theporch was also observed. The stepped footings of the towerwere found to extend at least 1m below the present groundlevel. From the south-west wall of the aisle a pipe trench wasexcavated to a silt pit about 1m south of the aisle wall. Inthis trench three articulated burials were recorded and leftin situ.Hartwell, 6 Forest Road (SP 7855 5039)Bob ZeepvatIn March 2001 an historic building survey was carried outon this property in advance of refurbishment. Thissemi-detached cottage is listed Grade II, and wasconstructed by the Grafton Estate in c 1840. The survey24

evealed that the cottage had been subject to many internalalterations and additions, mostly during the last fifty years.Apart from the basic structure of the house, few internalfeatures of the original cottage remained.Rothersthorpe, Danesfleld Farm (SP 7165 5667)Martin LightfootAn evaluation of this site in 2000 has previously beenreported on (SMA 31, 32). Between November 2001 andJanuary 2002 a watching brief was carried out onexcavations for the foundation trenches of housing beingdeveloped on the site. No finds were recovered and the onlyfeature encountered was a medieval gully recorded in theevaluation stage.Stoke Bruerne Plateway (SP 7413 5006)Bob Ze,epvat & Nigel WilsonIn October 2001 a programme of survey and evalualion wascarried out on the southern part of this monument, prior tothe construction of a footpath and viewing platform. Aninitial desk-based assessment confirmed that the platewaywas in use from 1800 until 1805, when Blisworth Tunnelwas completed. Alter the tunnel was opened the iron railswere lifted and used to construct a tramway from Gayton toNorthampton. Three evaluation trenches were excavated byhand to examine the makeup of the trackbed, and to identifysurviving structural evidence for the plateway. Originallythere was a bank and ditch on the south western side of thetrackbed, and a possible shallow ditch on the north easternside. No surviving rail or stone sleeper blocks werediscovered in the trenches. The stone makeup for thetrackbed was identified in each trench, with a better state ofpreservation in each successive trench going northwardsaway from Stoke Bruerne village. Partially obscured by thenorth eastern side of the trackbed, part of a possible stoneculvert for a stream was exposed in the southernmost trench.An earthworks survey and a metal detector survey were alsoundertaken as part of the project. No significant metal findswere made.HERITAGE NETWORKChurch Brampton, Fox Covert (SP 7215 6490)David HillelsonArchaeological evaluation was undertaken prior to thedevelopment of the site as an extension to theNorthamptonshire County Golf Club. The work compriseda woodland survey, by David Hall, and the excavation of sixtrial trenches.Evidence from the woodland survey indicated that the sitemay have formerly been part of the medieval open fieldsystem, which was left to go wild. Post-medieval sandNortham ptonshirequmries and earthworic banlcs were also identified. Althoughthe site is located within a lcnown area of archaeologicalintereat, which suggested a high potential for the discoveryof features and artefacts from a range of historic andprehistoric periods, no features or finds were revealed by thearchaeological evaluation.Wollaston (SP 9062)Helen AshworthOpen area excavation was tmdertaken on land to the southof the town during the summer and autumn of 2000. Thisfollowed evaluation stages in the previous year (see SMA 30and 31).Post-excavation work has been on-going during 2001, bothon the site records and on the artefacts and ecofactsrecovered during the excavation. Spot-dates from thepottery indicate that the site was occupied from the mid 5thcentury to the 12th century. Evidence of cloth working,including three ceramic spindle whorls and a number ofworked bone needles and pin-beaters, were also recovered,primarily from the sunken feature buildings. Personal items,such as iron knives, double-sided bone combs and dress pinswere also found. None of the artefacts found on the site areuncommon on Saxon sites in the region. So far there is noevidence that this was a particularly high status settlement,but it is unusual in that it appears to have been continuously.occupied for so long.A further phase of excavation is scheduled for Spring 2002,and the evidence from this site will be reported on in duecourse, along with the material from the earlier phases offieldwork.NORTHAMPTONSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGYA43, Towcester to M40 Dualling ProjectAndy MuddExcavations took place on the following sites inNorthamptonshire (see also Oxfordshire).Silverstone, Fields Farm (SP 683 461)This Iron Age and early Roman site was discovered in thewatching brief during earthmoving (Fig 1). The siteconsisted of three roundhouse gullies within a trapezoidalenclosure and pit groups that contained a total of about 80pits. In the north-west corner there was a smaller enclosure,defined by a deeper ditch of two phases with an entrancefacing east. The middle fills of the later ditch contained fiveinfant burials, while the upper fills contained a large quantityof domestic refuse.Silverstone, Shacks Barn Farm (SP 681 455)Geophysical survey and trial trenching were undertaken on25 -

Northamptonshire683Whitfield, VVhitfield Turn (SP 607 399)Part of a Roman settlement, dating from the early 2nd to 3rdcenturies AD, was excavated within the road corridor.Features comprised mainly ditches with few other features,but included two pottery kilns dating to the 2nd century AD.These appear to have been used to make bowls and jars in asandy grog-tempered fabric.A6 Rothwell and Desborough Bypass (SP 799 816)Tam Webster, Charlotte Stephens, Chris Jones, Rob AtkinsAs a further stage of archaeological mitigation within thecorridor of the proposed bypass, a programme of trialtrenching was undertaken on behalf of URS ThorbumColquhoun. The trenches were targeted at suspectedarchaeological sites highlighted from the previous surfacecollection and geophysical surveys. The results confirmedthe presence of thre,e sites of archaeological interest; an IronAge settlement, a pit alignment, Roman enclosures and anundated trackway. There were few associated finds.A6 Rushden and Higham Ferrers Bypass (SP 967 682)Steve HaywardBaud upol to Ordnance Stay mpg! ma. gemnska et. 011011.111al Mapey's Mammy Olo 0 Cam capp101 Uraksial moceluakenIrms Crown ceprqh, era smy MI gemoam or ea pecomlopNorftwolemhs. Gully CL No LA 071787. Wished 70:11.Fig 1. Silverstone, Fields Farm. Late Iron Age enclosurewith infant burials.c 9 ha of land designated for soil disposal in connection withthe A43 road project. The fieldwork resulted in thediscovery of a small Iron Age enclosure and three areas ofRoman occupation. The land is to be re-instated withoutfurther archaeological work.Syresham (SP 615 402, SP 620 405 & SP 624 405)A small Iron Age enclosure, and areas of Roman occupationcovering about 6ha were discovered on land designated forsoil disposal south of Syresham. The Roman remainsincluded a pottery kiln and an iron smelting furnace, bothprobably dating to the 1st century AD. The land here is tobe re-instated without further archaeological work.Syresham, Great Ouse Culvert (SP 637 412)The site of a later Roman midden was revealed andexamined in the course of soil stripping west of the newculvert for the Great Ouse. It yielded a large quantity ofpottery and some animal bone and metal finds. There wereno other features and the midden is assumed to relate tosettlement lying outside the road corridor.Syresham, Biddlesden Road (SP 633 412)Following the geophysical survey and trial trenching (SMA31 (2001), 34), area excavation revealed an unenclosedmiddle-late Iron Age settlement and three iron smeltingfurnaces with associated debris (Fig 2). Iron productionappears to have been on a small scale with evidence of bothslag-tapping and non-slag-tapping techniques. Finds andenvironmental evidence were sparse.Six trial trenches were excavated on land off Newton Lane,Higham Ferrera, as archaeological mitigation worlcs inconnection with the proposed bypass. The site had beenidentified as part of a probable Roman settlement throughprevious surface collection and geophysical survey. Theexcavation confirmed the presence of Roman remains in theform of substantial ditches. No structural features werediscovered although quantities of finds suggest that therewas occupation nearby, probably with a focus west of theproposed road corridor.Blatherwycke Boundary Cross (SP 9883 9693)Steve HaywardAn archaeological recording action was carried out at therequest of English Heritage, East Midlands Region, at theformer site of the Blatherwycke Boundary Cross (NationalMonument 29713). The medieval stone boundary crossoriginally stood on the parish boundary betweenBlatherwycke and King's Cliffe, but was displaced inFebruary 1998 by a combination of tree root distutbance,nearby drainage works and vegetation clearance. A smallexcavation located the in situ broken base of the cross shaftpartly under a willow tree. The cross itself had been kept ina grain store nearby; an inscription from 1835 was noted onone side.Bozeat Quarry (SP 897 600)Chris JonesPrevious evaluation had identified archaeological remainscovering about 9ha, and excavation was undertaken prior tothe commencement of quarrying by Hanson Ltd. Two areasof Romano-British occupation comprising linear ditch26

NorthamptonshireIRON SMELTING FURNACESFig 2. Syresham, Biddlesden Road. Iron Age settlement with iron smelting furnaces.systems and smaller rectangular enclosures were excavated.Thirteen pottery kilns and four inhumations and onecremation burial were recovered within the northern areaand a single inhumation burial in the southem area. In bothinstances features extend onto adjacent areas and will besubject to an ongoing watching brief as the quarryingprogresses across the intervening area.Brigstock, Hall Hill (SP 947 853)Alex ThorneA watching brief took place at the request of the owner ontwo test pits at Hall Hill, Brigstock. These showed that anintroduced topsoil and subsoil overlay natural limestone.The ground had previously been graded in 1976, prior to theconstruction of the current house, removing all the originalsoil profile up to a depth of 1.5m over the garden area, soonly very deep features will have survived. The singlefeature observed was not fully excavated but is thought tobe an infilled well.Clopton, Home Farm (FL 0630 8035)Tam WebsterAn archaeological watching brief was carried out during theexcavation of footings for new dwellings on land adjacentto Home Farm. The features found included pits, twopossible gullies and a brick floor, but none pre-dated the19th century.Crick, A428 Bypass (SP 720 580 & 720 590)Dennis Jackson and Jim BrownA watching brief undertaken during the construction of theCrick bypass revealed no archaeological features relating tothe Iron Age, Roman and early-middle Saxon settlementremains at the nearby Daventry International Rail FreightTerminal site. Evidence for past use of the landscape waslimited to traces of the medieval open field system, andpossible quarry pits containing sherds of Roman pottery.Earls Barton, Mallard Close (SP 8536 6458)Rob AtkinsPart of an Iron Age and Roman enclosure system, previouslyidentified by geophysical survey and confirmed by trialtrenching, was investigated on behalf of Samuel Rose Ltd,Archaeological Consultant to Spacewall Ltd. A small squareenclosure of late Iron Age date had a 3m wide entrance onthe western side and contained postholes and possible27

NorthamptonshireFig 3. Earls Barton. Iron Age and Roman enclosures.Fig 4. Earls Barton. Female facemask with an elaborate coiffeur, from a late Roman flagon.storage pits, but no definite structures (Fig 3). Pottery fromthe ditch suggests around two centuries of use, from the 2ndor 1st century BC to the second quarter of the 1st centuryAD. There is evidence for crop processing and the largequantities of animal bone imply a mixed farming regime.There is also secondary evidence for small-scale ironworking and antler working.By the mid 1st century AD, the enclosure was replaced bya succession of boundary ditches. Two posthole structuresand a stone-lined well were also uncovered and kiln waste0 50mmsuggests nearby local pottery production. A T-shaped corndrier or malting oven was constructed in the eastern part ofthe site during the 2nd century. Three lengths of substantialstone wall running northwest-southeast were uncovered inthe south-western part of the site; they had been partiallyrobbed in the 4th century. They imply the former presenceof a high status structure further to the southwest, in an areadestroyed by a modern quarry. The fill of one of these robbertrenches produced a fine facemask from an Oxford flagondated c 350-400, with an elaborate coiffure (Fig 4).28

NorthamptonshireFinedon, Quaker Meeting House Higham Ferrers, Motte and Bailey (SP 9615 6858)Steve HaywardDennis Jackson, Steve Morris and Tim Upson-SmithAn archaeological watching brief was carried out during theconstruction of disabled access to the Old Quaker MeetingHouse. Disarticulated human remains were recovered fromthe topsoil and one grave cut was located and excavated tothe maximum depth of the construction. No articulatedbodies were recovered and all disarticulated remains werereburied.Finedon, St Mary the Virgin (SP 9124 7196)Tim HallamA trial excavation and watching brief were carried out aheadof and in conjunction with the development of a toilet andassociated drainage works at the Church of St Mary theVirgin. The exterior trial excavation and pipe trench did notextend below the grave earth of the churchyard and revealedno pre-modern deposits. A pit within the west towerrevealed a sequence of construction phases with evidence ofan earlier floor.Greens Norton, St Bartholomew's Church (SP 669 499)Steve HaywardTwo trenches were hand excavated adjacent to the churchprior to a proposed extension of the building. The excavationconfirmed the presence of several phases of burial, but noearlier building remains were present.Guilsborough, Cob Coal Barn (SP 7342 3135)Joe Prentice and Tam WebsterAn archaeological building recording comprising ameasured survey was carried out on the cob coal barn inorder to assist in the future conservation of the structure.This identified two key stages of works needed to arrest thedecline of the cob fabric. The first was the removal of soilswhich had built up against the base of walls, followed by theinstalment of improved drainage around the base of thebuilding.An archaeological watching brief was undertaken duringexcavation of geotechnical test pits before proposed housingdevelopment by Hampton Brook Ltd in an area withinScheduled Ancient Monument 13607, which incorporates amotte and bailey castle with ponds, warren and dovec.ote. Itappeared that quarrying, probably for limestone, had takenplace in this area and natural bedrock was only uncoveredbetween 13 and 2.85m below ground level. A furtherwatching brief below a modern car park revealed mixeddeposits of fragmented limestone and clay, but nosignificant archaeological activity was observed.Irthlingborough, Lime Street (SP 949 708)Rob Atkins and Rowena LloydPart of an Iron Age/Roman settlement and Saxon andmedieval occupation, previously identified by trialtrenching, was investigated in an open area 0.2ha in extent.The work was carried out on behalf of Acorn Homes inadvance of residential development. The Iron Agesettlement comprised a roundhouse ring ditch within a smallenclosure, with adjacent pits, and early Roman occupationwas represented by a rectangular enclosure and a linearditch.A few late Saxon features and associated finds were found,and in the early medieval period there were several pits andprobable plot boundary ditches. By the 14th century therewas a stone-built dovecote, a malt house with an unusuallylarge oven chamber at the western end, and a barn withbuttressed door surrounds in the east wall. These buildingsstood on the southern and western sides of a courtyard, withac,cess onto Lime Street which flanked the eastern side ofthe courtyard (Fig 5). The buildings were abandoned by theend of the 14th century and the site remained undevelopeduntil the present day. The 1405 survey of Irthlingboroughby the Abbot of Peterborough shows that the site lay withinland owned by the Bataille Manor, and the scale andfunctions of the buildings would be appropriate withthismanorial status; they are likely to have formed part of themanorial farm.Hemington, Main Street (TL 093 853)Rowena LloydThe area to the east of the parish hall in Hemington wasinvestigated by trial trenching prior to residentialdevelopment by East Midlands Housing Association. Asingle pit and part of a ditch containing 12th - 13th centurypottery indicated an earlier presence on the site. There wasextensive post-medieval activity including demolitionevidence from earlier cottages. The location of the 'lost'road was also confirmed, running on an east - westalignment only slightly different from the current road.Nene Guillotine Lock Gates, Wellingborough andHigham Ferrers(SP 899662; 908 672 and 955 701)Alex Thome and Tam WebsterThree Guillotine Lock Gates on the River Nene wererecorded in detail prior to demolition. The Guillotine Lockshad been constructed during the 1930s by the NeneCatchment and Drainage Board, as part of a wider schemeto improve the navigability of the river. The EnvironmentAgency is replacing the gates with the more traditional mitrepointing doors on health and safety grounds.29

Northamptonshirecemetery, although the northern extent was not determined.There was intensive use and reuse of most of this area withmany intercutting graves and much disturbance of the earlierinterments. The earlier use was in well ordered rows, andthe presence of many wooden coffins, ceramic roof-tile andstone-lined graves and a single stone coffin suggests theoccupants were of relatively high status. In the later use thearrangement was less well ordered, and the majority of theburials were in simple earth-cut graves. To the south lay arange containing two mortuary chapels. Within one therewas a stone-lined tomb, and a fragment of life-sizedsculptured leg, with chain mail and a stirrup strap, camefrom a broken-up effigy. A highly decorated grave slab andthe remains of two skeletons had been unearthed from theother chapel during building worlcs in 1970. Preliminaryassessment of the burials indicates the presence of a highpercentage of elderly individuals including examples withextreme trauma and pathological conditions, such as healedfractures, fused and/or defmmed leg joints and advanceddegeneration of the spine. These may well be individualswho had died in the abbey infirmary. There are very fewinfants or juveniles, but the presence of some womensuggests that the cemetery was not exclusively monastic.Northampton, St Peters Way (SP 753 602)Mark Holmes and Vanessa ClarkeFig 5. Irthingborough. Medieval malthouse, dovecote andbarn.Northampton, Express Lifts (SP 737 608)Andy Chapman and Steve MorrisThe former Express Lifts factory, which includes thewell-known lift tower, is being redeveloped for housing byThe Lifebuilding Company. Evaluation had established thepresence of significant remains of the Augustinian abbey ofSt James's (SMA 31 (2001) 36), and these were furtherinvestigated by a combination of watching brief and openarea excavation.The site of the abbey church and the ranges set around thecloister to its south, have been largely preserved by raisingthe ground level by a further metre, although the west rangehad been lost to earlier building works. However, removalof the foundations of the factory buildings and major servicetrenches for the new development enabled the buildingarrangement to be further defined. The abbey church was76m (250 feet) long by 19m (62 feet) wide, but apparentlywas of a basilica form without transepts. The cloister waslocated, and part of the chapter house was exposed, with amortar floor that may well have been formerly tiled, and twostone-lined tombs with plain slab covets.The known cemetery, which formed a second cloister to thesouth-east of the chapter house, was excavated within anopen area measuring 30m by 27m. A total of 294 burialswere recovered, which represents the greater part of theAn evaluation comprising desk-based assessment and trialtrenching had indicated that building remains associatedwith the former Augustinian Friary survived within theformer Burgess site at St. Peter's Way (SMA 31 (2001) 37).Consequently, archaeological recording was undertaken inadvance of construction of a sunken loading ramp associatedwith a proposed development. The robbed out remains of atleast two phases of stone buildings, including a vaulted stonedrain, were uncovered. The medieval pottery, ofpredominantly mid 13th to early 15th century date,recovered from the rubble layers associated with thestructural remains is consistent with the postulated dates forthe Friary. In addition, the 'Sauce' bottle and the aquamanilefragment found in the rubble confirm the above averagestatus of the site. Ceramic floor tiles and roof tiles had beenreused in a later system of drains, and medieval windowglass and architectural fragment were recovered from therubble layers. However, it has not been possible to identifyany form or function for the fragmentary structural remains.Northampton, Upton south-west (SP 723 600)Steve HaywardFollowing the extensive excavation of lion Age and Romansettlement remains in 2000 (SMA 31 (2001), 37), and priorto the residential development of the site by EnglishPartnerships, further trial trenching was undertaken overfive fields further to the south, towards the River Nene. Theabsence of earlier features demonstrated that Iron Age andRoman settlement did not extend onto the margins of thefloodplain.30

PiIton, The Stone Bani New Library (IL 0237 8485)Tim Hallam and Jim BrownA desk-based assessment followed by trial trenching andwatching brief was undertaken on behalf of Lady Margaretand Stephen Graubard to investigate the potential for thepresence of significant archaeological remains on landadjacent to The Stone Barn at Pi1ton, Northamptonshire. Thetrial trenches located medieval ditches, possibly fieldboundaries or enclosures, probably relating to the medievalvillage.Pitsford Quarry (IL 4765 2666)Tim HallamAn archaeological recording action was carried out ahead ofproposed quarrying within the northern portion of BottomSheep Dale Field, on behalf of Samuel Rose Ltd acting forPeter Bennie Ltd. The excavation revealed an undated pitaligrunent and a system of enclosures dating from the middleto late Iron Age.The pit aligrunent ran north-south, predating the laterenclosures and on a different afigrunent. The Iron Agesettlement comprised a rectangular enclosure containing aroundhouse ring ditch with multiple recuts set within asmaller enclosure. There were further subsidiary enclosuresand linear ditch systems on the same alignment, a furthertwo roundhouses and scattered deep storage pits cut into theironstone bedrock. Finds from the storage pits included anarticulated sheep burial and an intact lower stone from arotary quern.Thrapston, 68/72 High Street (SP 9969 7862)Rowena Lloyd68172 High Street Thrapston was investigated by desk-basedsurvey and trial trenching for potential archaeologicalremains. This revealed evidence of post-medieval activityprobably related to buildings seen on the c 1781 enclosuremap, including a wall, probably of a cellar, and a pit. Therewere other features of modern and uncertain date, and allfeatures were sealed by a thick layer of modern demolitionrubble. There was no evidence of any medieval or earlieractivity.Towcester, Islington Road (SP 6949 4836)Simon CarlyleAn archaeological evaluation was undertaken on behalf ofAugusta Developments Ltd in advance of residentialdevelopment on a plot of land off Islington Road, Towcester.The evaluation revealed evidence for marginal domestic'backyard' activity, broadly dating to the Roman period,probably associated with dwellings fronting onto WatlingStreet. There was no evidence for industrial activity. Theseremains were sealed by a 'dark earth' deposit, up to 0.6mNortham ptonshirethick, which extended over the entire site and appears to dateto the late Roman to sub-Roman period. Its formation isprobably associated with a change from suburban settlementto agricultural land use. Evidence for later activity isrestricted to a large pit dating to the 17th century or later,and the construction of a boundary wall of similar date.Towcester, Richmond Road (SP 6922 4853)Steve HaywardFollowing the discovery of a substantial ditch during anearlier evaluation, further investigation confirmed that theditch was 2m deep and contained abraded Roman potteryand post-medieval tile fragments. Its location and relationto other archaeological sites in the area suggests that thisditch could relate to the 17th century fortification of thetown.Towcester, 163-165 Watling Street (SP 694 486)Joe PrenticeAn evaluation on behalf of Hazelwood PLC identified partof the Roman town wall and its associated ditch, confirmingthe previously anticipated route of the defences in this partof the town. Occupation levels relating to the period beforethe wall was built in the late 1st and 2nd centuries were alsolocated. Near to the Watling Street frontage there was asingle medieval pit; the scarcity of medieval features wasalso noted in previous excavations on adjacent areas. Thewhole site has been truncated by the hardcore base for thepresent tarmac and concrete yard surface, which means thatno later Roman levels have survived.Towcester, Watling Street (SP 6895 4911)Rob AtkinsAn archaeological evaluation involving a desk-basedassessment and trial excavation was undertaken on behalfof the Environment Agency. A possible boundary ditch of2nd century date was uncovered, but the lack of otheractivity confirmed that the northern suburbs of RomanTowcester were not located in this area. Similarly, there wasno evidence for Roman, Saxon, medieval or Civil War towndefences in the southern part of the development area, andthe remains of Roman and later Watling Street were notencountered. A single medieval stone wall, probably part ofthe medieval leper hospital of St. Leonards, was found andthe wall was dated by 13th to 14th century pottery. Awell-made cobbled track running north to south parallel toWatling Street directly to the west of the wall may be relatedto the hospital.Weldon, Deene End (SP 930 897)Alex ThorneArea excavation in advance of housing developmentidentified the remains of three phases of medieval stone31

Northamptonshirebuilding, an earlier post-built structure and extensivemedieval quarrying and associated features. Ceramicevidence suggests that occupation at the site centred uponthe 13th - 15th centuries, although later post-medieval andrecent features were also encountered. The later buildingphases were associated with quantities of iron working tapslag, indicating that iron smelting was carried out nearby,and an excavated kiln may have been used for primaryroasting of iron ore. Tenement plot boundaries appeared tomatch those of the 1587 Hatton Estate Map, although theseoriginate e,arlier in the medieval period.Welford, Shoulder of Mutton (SP 643 804)Rob AtkinsAn archaeological evaluation comprising a desk-basedassessment and trial excavation was undertaken at theShoulder of Mutton, High Street, Welford, on behalf of theowners Mr and Mrs Corlett. The desk-based assessmentshowed the site was within the core of the medieval villagefronting onto Portway Street, the main road fromNorthampton to Leicester. The evaluation found thatarchaeology only survived in the northern third of the site,the post-medieval buildings had destroyed any earlierarchaeology to the south. On the northern part of the sitethere were four small ditches and one pit, dated by singlemedieval pottery sherds to 12th to 15th centuries. Twoeast-west ditches may have been backplot boundaries, andone of these aligns with the present northern wall of theShoulder of Mutton.Wellingborough, 29/30 Sheep Street (SP 8927 6770)Tim Upson-SmithBuilding recording of the Tudor restaurant, 29130 SheepStreet Wellingborough was c,arried out in response to aplanning and listed building consent application for thisgrade II listed building. A new doorway was opened in whathad previously been an internal wall. A newspaperrecovered from the core of the wall demonstrated that thewall had been previously altered in the mid-1960s.OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGYCanons Ashby House (SP 571 506)The installation of an environmental control system atCanons Ashby necessitated both the digging of trenchesoutside and the lifting up of floorboards inside the house.Observation of the trenches revealed no evidence for theformer entrance drive, but a number of minor featuresincluding drains outside the kitchen. Internally the lifting offloorboards revealed a possible earlier fireplace in theTapestry Room and a lower floor in the Drawing Room.Some redundant features were noted behind the panelling inthe Dining Room and the Tapestry Room. The stoneworkcollection was examined and found to contain somesignificant items of medieval decorative masonry.Higham Ferrers, Kings Meadow LaneBeth Charles and Alan HardyExcavations were carried out by OA on behalf of the Duchyof Lancaster for a second phase of development to the eastof Kings Meadow Lane in Higham Ferrets during the periodof April to October 2000. The main purpose of theexcavation was to investigate the Saxon activity in relationto the earlier excavations immediately to the north of the sitewhich exposed an oval enclosure and associated structures.The earliest features identified at the site were Romanditches from which a small amount of Roman pottery wasrecovered. These were probably trackway or boundaryditches. No other features were identified from this period,although residual Roman pottery and a number of coinswere recovered from later features or the topsoil. Threesunken feature buildings provisionally dated to theearly/middle Saxon period were excavated and may relateto four similar buildings discovered in previous excavationsto the north west of the site. The majority of the features atthe site were dated to the mid Saxon period (8th century)including a large mid Saxon enclosure ditch associated withthe oval enclosure. At least four rectangular post-builtstructures were also identified. One of the more unusualfinds recovered from the backfill of the large enclosure ditchwere the remains of a mutilated body. The head, some of thecervical vertebrae, shoulder blades and arms were notpresent and the body lay in a crouched position with the legsbrought up under the body, possibly as a result of the bodyhaving been tied. Pottery found within the context was datedto around the 9th century. In addition to the evidence fromthe main excavation, middle Saxon corn dryer/malting ovenwas identified during an earlier evaluation of part of thedevelopment area to the south-west. Post excavationanalysis on these excavations is currently underway.ReferencesOAU 1996 Land off Station Road/North End, Higham Ferrets,Northants: Archaeological Evaluation Report (unpublished dientreport, Oxford Archaeological Unit), January 1996OAU 2000 Kings Meadow Lane, Higham Ferrera, Northants.Archaeological Evaluation Report (unpublished client report,Oxford Archaeological Unit), October 2000Higham Ferrers, Kings Meadow Lane, Higham FerrersArea G(SP 9557 6940)David ScoreOA carried out an excavation at Kings Meadow Lane,Higham Ferrera on behalf of The Duchy of Lancaster, duringAugust and September 2001. The excavation revealed twophases of Roman activity. Features identified included thestone foundations of a small building with an associatedstone and clay lined pit, two wells, five inhumation burials,a cremation and numerous boundary or enclosure ditches. A32

Fig 6. Higham Ferrers. Phase plan showing features from 2001 excavation.33Northamptonshire

Northamptonshiresmall number of possibly pre-Roman ditches and a Saxonsunken feature building were also recorded.Dr TOM WELSHDaventry, Borough Hill (SP 5862)A re-appraisal of the south fort was carried out in September2001 to see if remains of defences could be discovered in ornear previously reported gaps. Over a thousand metres ofdefences were found outside the locus described in theROW Inventory for Northamptonshire Volume III, Figure54. Most significantly defences were found on thenorth-west, across the gap between the south and north forts,showing the south fort to be as separately contained as thenorth. The new evidence amounts to more than a third of acircuit of 3000 m, excluding the north fort, and more thandoubles the length of defences said to survive in the RCHMInventory. Plans and detailed descriptions have beendeposited with Northamptonshire SMR.The new evidence is as follows:On the north-west SP 58626277 to 58906306, the rampart,ditch and counterscarp bank are traceable along a north-westfacing escarpment which turns inwards from the edge of thesummit at SP 586627. It probably continued, in muchdisturbed ground and beneath standing buildings, to meetthe east side of the fort at SP 590630. The rampart is overlainby the angular feature on RCHM Figure 54 at SP 588629,part of an enclosure described by Bridges in 1823.North-east of this it corresponds to the linear feature shownon their plan, except that the turn shown by RCHM appearsto be an overlying field bank, and the rampart continuesbeyond it, though barely discernable. The counterscarp bankis overlain by the southern arc of a circular enclosure at SP589630, 30m diameter within a 6m bank. There are severalpossible subsidiary banks or outworks beyond thecounterscarp.Towards the south end on the west side, between SP58626232 and 58666197 the bank, ditch and counterscarpbank are still extant, starting from a point west of thatsuggested by RU-1M, and maintaining a southward heading,whereas the RCHM plan shows a south-easterly curve. Theangle of the south-east corner is nearly a right-angle, and upto 50m west of that on RCHM Figure 54, but there is a gapof 60m of disturbed ground between this and thecontinuation of the south-side defences. The south terminalof the extant rampart, ditch and counterscarp shown byRCHM, at 'a' on Figure 54, is 10m too far east. As a resultthe southward continuation of the rampart scarp is expectedto lie beneath the modern trackway, whereas the remainsconverge with the west side of the track over a 75m distance.On the east side, from the south-east corner, SP 58986189to within Borough Hill Plantation at SP 59056246, theRCHM plan shows only a scarp here. However the ditch andcounterscarp, albeit in low profile, are clearly preservedbeyond it, particularly just south of and within theplantation. From SP 59036232 to 59116250, there is acomplex of scarps and linear features converging anddiverging, suggesting that the defences have been reworkedseveral times around the head of a gully and adjacent steepslopes.Daventry, Burnt Walls (SP 585612)An appraisal of the site was carried out in September 2001by permission of the owner's agents, Lambert SmithHampton, as the site and surrounding grotmd were for sale,with a view to industrial use. The southern part of the site isdepicted as an Old Quarry on RCHM Inventory forNorthamptonshire Volume III, Figure 58, and hatchingimplies rock faces, none of which are to be seen. Though thehollow contains many diggings and deposits of material,there are also many structural details, induding on the floorof the hollow, about mid-way, what appears to be ridge andfurrow. A cambered roadway with side ditches, rising fromthe south side of the present entrance gap, which is 40 mfrom the south-west corner, ascends the northern side of thehollow. After 35m it turns north-east to climb more steeplyas a wom terrace, then resumes its old aligrunent close to thecrest. At the west end of the hollow it overlies a substantialrectangular foundation, 32m long, projecting between 5 and7 m south of the road. Within the south-west corner of thehollow is an embanked platform, clearly there by design.The south-west corner of the site seems to have beenredesigned several times; the straight ditch on the west sidehas been cut through a realignment of this corner, which atthe base appears almost a right-angle, but at the crest is agradual curve. Several rectangular features occur at theeastern end of the hollow, one of them an embankedplatform similar to that on south-west, but 20 m short of thesouth-east corner. Pits between the banlc forming the southside and the interior either expose the face of this bank orcut into it. A large gap centrally on the south side exposesthe construction of the bank. From a point 10 m east of thisgap a sinuous bank crosses the hollow north-east wards. Anattempt made to deterrnine the evolution of these featureshas been deposited with the Northamptonshire SlViR, but itis unlikely that the sequence and relationships can beelucidated without excavation. It is suggested that the'quarry' is an early feature of the site.Earls Barton, Bury Close (centred SP 8513 6389)An appraisal of much-mutilated features in the Bury Close,north of the ditch of the Berry Mount, SP 851638, suggeststhere was a bailey or defended courtyard here. The enclosuresprings from terminals 60m apart on the outer edge of theditch, at SP 85126384 and SP 85176386. The bank on thewest is faint, but that on the east is substantial. These curveout to meet a bank, up to 12m broad and ditch possibly 8mwide across the promontory between SP 85076391 and SP85166393. This encloses an area up to 80m wide extending60m from the Berry Mount ditch. In the north-west corner34

this arrangement has been reworked, by cutting a secondditch 10 m wide into the bank, round three sides of a complexrectangular foundation 30m east to west by 15m extant,contained by an outer bank between this and the originalditch. This inserted feature suggests a gatehouse, althoughit is difficult to extricate the remains from more recentfeatures. The ditches are encroached on by ridge and furrow.Clearly if this does indicate a bailey, the suggestion that theBerry Mount is Saxon or Iron Age rather than a motte (RoyalCommission Inventory for Northamptonshire Volume II pp40-42) needs re-evaluation. Plans and descriptions havebeen deposited in the Northamptonshire SMR.Northampton, The Carmelite Friary(SP 756607 / 756608)As part of an urban historical morphology project theprecinct of the Carmelite Friary has been more preciselydefined. The buildings probably lay east of the former WoodStreet, north and south of Lady's Lane, and not west of KerrStreet as suggested in the Royal Commission Inventory ofArchaeological Sites and Churches in Northampton (1985)at SP 755608. The project uses post medieval plot historydocumentation as a framework for keying in earlierdocumentation, and relies on direct evidence, and exclusionon account of other property histories. Part of the suggestedsite of the Friary is waste ground, formerly occupied by afactory building, which has recently been advertised forredevelopment. The Franciscan and Carmelite Friaries areresearched jointly in a report dated 16th November 2000;the Dominican and Augustinian Friaries were defined in1998 and 1999. The documentary research has beendeposited in the Northamptonshire SMR, but is held for thecurrent SMR locations of the friaries, not for the locationsidentified, and is not cross-referenced.When Francis Samwell acquired the Franciscan precinct in1545, he was able to incorporate house plots on the west sideof the former Wood Street into what was subsequentlyknown as Greyfriars Close. He was not able to absorb all theland units on the east side of Wood Street into a close to theeast. Although the Greyfriars and that part of the Whitefriarslands north of Lady's Lane were sold around 1600, theSamwell family retained their interests east of Wood Street,part of which was sold to Richard Raynsford before 1658.Two house plots, formerly belonging to the friary andpurchased in 1577, were sold in 1644, while five cottagesthere were still part of the Samwell estate in1690. In 1523/4,in an entry in the Liber Customarum of Northampton, theCarmelite Friary is described as being in the Parish of StMichael, which places it south of Lady's Lane. Part of StMichael's Parish, west of Wood Street, was incorporated inSt Sepulchre's Parish, while that east of the Wood Streethouses was incorporated in St Giles Parish with a boundaryon the north side of Lady's Lane. Various deeds refer to thefriary, and later the Samwell property, as east or north ofproperties on the east side of Wood Street, Irnown asNewland in the 13th century and Whitefriars Lane in the14th and 15th centuries.NorthamptonshireThe Shylde Close, described in 1544 as being on the eastside of the dormitory, was later known as the 'three-corneredclose' hi the 18th century, now under the law courts. Thearea west of Kerr Street, where the Fleetwood mansionstood, is more likely to have been the plot acquired in 1380,adjoining their dwelling house, which measured 29 by 16perches. Much attention has been given to the inquisition of1278 that prevented the Carmelite Friars from enclosing aportion of the town wall. However the inquisition shows thatit was not proposed to obstruct a lane between the wall andthe place of the friary. In the Eyre of Northampton1329-1330 a murder took place outside the cemetery of StMichael's Church, by the house of the Carmelites. The willof John Clerke in 1500 refers to the St Giles Charity holdingat SP 75626067 as being 'agenst the parish church of SayntMichell.' That places the church west of the charity, whereJohn Williams excavated a church in 1972(Northamptonshire Archaeology, Volume 13); &unwellacquired the churchyard in 1548 and incorporated it inGreyfriars Close. It is therefore certain that the CarmeliteFriary lay east of Wood Street and Kerr Street.The other friaries.The Franciscan Friary lay towards the west side ofGreyfriars Close, and probably extended as far north asLady's Lane (SP 755607). In the Town Rental of 1503-4,describing the market square, the first house in the rowwhere the grain is sold (now The Parade) is 'towards theFriars Minor', and the sequence of rents on the east side ofthe market square begins 'Next the Friars Minor'. Claustralbuildings were excavated by John Williams in the southernpart in 1972 (Northamptonshire Archaeology, Volume 13,pp 96-160). The Dominican Friary was situated north andsouth of King Street, now the Moat House Hotel (SP 752605and 752606), between College Street and Horsemarket..Documents dated 1691 to 1698 describe the buildings and,precinct in detail, relating how it was acquired by HattonFarmer and Robert South. Henry Lee, writing c 1716 (mshistory in the Bodleian Library) refers to a friary "inpossession now of Mr Robert South, between the CollegeLane and Horsemarket". The current location in theNorthamptonshire SMR, around SP 75066066 has secularownership from 1508, part of which had been a property ofSt James's Abbey acquired in 1536 (the Dominican Friarywas sold in 1544). The Augustinian Friary was located fromdocuments relating to the Church of Lady Grace, to SP752601, but the precinct extended almost to the formerWoolmonger Street, and as far west as Horseshoe Street.Wellingborough, Croyland Park(SP 88456702)A mound, one of three together, on the west bank ofSwanspool Brook, appears to be the alleged tumulusdescribed by John Cole in his 'History of the Antiquities ofWellingborough' 1837, p18. His mounctwas on the verge ofthe Swans'-pool rivulet, about half a mile from CroylandHall, three or four feet high, enclosed by a ditch, one hundredyards in circumference. He recorded that the brook had35

Oxfordshireundermined part of the mound. The mound lately discoveredis 900m upstream from Croyland Hall. It is over a metrehigh, has a base diameter of 27m, top 20m, and is surroundedby a ditch 5m wide. The ditch and 3m of the mound on theeast have been eroded away by the stream. There is a centraldepression 7m across. The three mounds are contained in anare,a 95m long north-south, by up to 45m. The mound tosouth has been reduced by a third of its diameter by thestream, 25m base diameter surrounded by a ditch 3 to 4mwide. The mound to north is also incomplete, having beenat least 25m across with a raised rim or bank enclosing thetop. Both are lower than the central mound. It is not certain,given their situation, that these are barrows. A plan andreport has been deposited with Northamptonshire SMR.Northampton, The Medieval Town WallAs part of an urban historical morphology project the courseof the town wall has been determined from internal andexternal property boundaries and references to town waste.The circuit includes St Andrew's Priory but is otherwisecontained within the circuit of the inner ring road (TheMounts, York Road, Cheyne Walk, Victoria Promenadeetc). The circuit described in the Royal CommissionInventory of Archaeological Sites and Churches inNorthampton (1985) shows the defences mainly outside theinner ring road, and inconclusive excavations for the towndefences have been confined to this circuit. The research hasbeen deposited in the Northamptonshire SMR in sections,and a paper has been submitted for inclusion inNorthamptonshireArchaeology Volume 29.On the west there are no direct references other than theHundred Roll reference to meadows beneath the wall as faras St Andrew's Mill. The location "the curtain nextmatlocks" in Hooper's account of 1645 (Notts ArchivesM381a) can been identified with Millers Meadow from a1780 description of Matlock's Holm. It turned east at SP74946130 between Mill Lane and Hampton Street, alongwhat is probably Hooper's Emy Lane. RCHM (1985) placethe wall on the north side of Mill Lane, which is a 19thcentury creation. It turned south-east at SP 75046130 wherePretty, in Wetton's Guide 1849, describes a bastion on thecorner of Harding Street, to follow the south side of StGeorge's Street (Bridges 1722 and Pretty 1849). Bridges1722 manuscript in the Bodleian Library describes StAndrew's Priory as within and adjacent to the town wall,and St Andrew's Lane (now St George's Street) without.From there, crossing Regent Square, it continued along thesouth side of The Mounts and beneath Lower Mounts(Inclosure Award 1779). South of Abington Street, it ranfrom SP 75926073 to SP 76006053, along the inside of theTown Wall Closes and the east side of St Giles Churchyard.From there it tumed south-west, passing behind the houseson Melbourne Crescent (off Cheyne Walk) to meet Demgateat the junction of Spring Lane SP 75936029. A 1601 entryin the First Assembly Book, and a 1630 deed in the TownRecords describe the intra-mural road between that part ofthe New Pastures acquired in 1630 within the walls, and thatpart acquired in 1634 beneath (outside) the walls. Thiscorresponds to evidence in the Hundred Rolls, the TownRentals and the Town Terrier of 1586.From Demgate the wall lies beneath the 18th centurywalkway called Victoria Promenade, while the ditch liesbeneath the modern road. The section of VictoriaPromenade between Bridge Street and Cattle Market Roadwas created in 1874-6 by demolishing St Thomas Hospital,which was built over the town ditch in 1460, outside thetown wall (Sir Henry Dryden in Associated ArchitecturalSocieties' Reports and Papers Vol XM, p 231). The roadwas subsequently widened southwards. The south front ofthe Plough Hotel is therefore built on the wall. Westwardsof the South Gate, the town charities include a propertylatterly known as The Pheasant, SP 75386009, demolishedin the 1970s, which was a property within the wall and nextto the gate, acquired in 1439, called "le Yatehouse". Deedsin 1439 and 1460 refer to ground here either side of the townditch. The ditch continues alongside the lane called BackSide Westons on Noble & Butlin's plan (1746) to SP75016017, where the ditch served the meal inill, north of thesite later developed as the Cotton Mill. This was culvertedin the late 19th century and ran nearly parallel but 20m backfrom the Cotton Mill channel, coining onto the line of themedieval defences found at Green Street 1995-6. This fitsthe descriptions of the ditch in the Hundred Rolls and theTown Terrier of 1586.UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER (FORMERLYUNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM)Medieval Settlement and Landscapes in theWhittlewood Area: a pilot - see BuckinghamshireOXFORDSHIREABINGDON AREA ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANDHISTORICAL SOCIETYAbingdon, Barton lane (SU 5117 9716)Roger AinslieA stone trackway (trackway 2) was located by Bob Eelesand recorded by the Society in advance of gravel extractionin 2001. This ran in an approximately north-south direction.Its purpose may have been to allow access to open waterover alluvial clay reed beds on the edge of a water channel.This however does not explain its apparendy curved shape.It was under c 1.3m of alluvial silt and peat at c 49.9m ODand was over c 30cm of alluvial clay which in turn rested onthe natural gravel. The construction was of large limestonepieces being embedded into the alluvial clay with smallerlimestone pieces and burnt cobbles as a surface over this. Inplaces a sandy gravel surface survived on top of this cobble36

11,;..,Ace. ;LI./%...L...e.;.::..--- ,.. v ..,. ,...: . CI3vim....e ,......s..,-; 0.t.,.:,..,:.; :."..t, ...... tr ep,fic,:0 ocni..i:.:.° .'' ,.!.r.f i c....8./ ._ ...0 . t.. op.°. o. 0 g00-0 j)jC'"01'.1fr4f...6c;.%."...:-.;°: ;:': jsP°1171"6 1-- ;71 .;;;;:::::::1.4..°n0.:.:!..:::"1:4r :7! P le I--- ;::.:' i;:'s;.°--, --- ° I ti4. 0.. .16 °Pt e.."' . V t t "A: 4.. 6 ttl . 1:F161 ',.....tit,..:,..). ,...-.....o ro V0D cz. Tee ...'00.6:, 0"o8C o o 43 si'.0.6."..7,w.s.cn.1-.-61° op°,101,79 '40 °e 0°11):.001: ,oot4greet.:"4,-..%F.V.;:tp he°4°Ph Ders,15.4.4,1,4t,:,55y. 000ffti16700 ° _ s° 2°444-tg.-tZA ...24,41)0 '1 % :Ib4 0%- c. 4, °A.45*.tr`.// ilbrtcr,:;.....,,i21114.°.evir.o.'P. .0,. rdlo.- °est .° '690.00%S,7i3 et... 44o° .o.Fig 1. Abingdon, Barton Lane.4,p7.-4. go? C7./viceP .0: 4.... .° . **90,0 .9. 41:0 ...! gb c.;11V-.;e:::.ii;ISOD°ç,A'1, 4f7°.0!:. .t" %vdI'Vet 1'40 °!..1r,:;;4c:415.?;°too ; a..0q.,**W8.18.z....4.0...t."."4,po . .,odz.gp,oco 8: t. s0,* c f. 001-Co.0 5m37

Oxfordshirelayer. If it was not for the finds from the trackway materialit would be considered to be a fairly standard Roman road.The finds largely came from the construction of the cobblesurface layer and c,ontained pieces of triangular loomweight, globular bowl and pieces of smithing slag. Amongstthe bones were some human ones although these were notarticulated. Apart from a Roman coin found in the gravelcompany's spoil heap none of the finds were later than themiddle Iron Age. In 2002 Paul Russell of Radley Collegehas been directing the Society's excavation of a smallertimber trackway (trackway 3) in this area. This trackway,being at a higher level than the others, has largely rottedaway although it appears to have some relationship to aspread of small cobbles in the area. The finds from thistrackway included a barbed and tanged arrowhead and achisel-like instrument made from a polished axe fragment.This indicates a Neolithic/early Bronze Age date for thistrackway. This aresa is still being excavated and has recentlyproduced several small ditches, probably of Bronze Agedate. We could therefore have a settlement with its ownlanding stage here. A previous Iron Age trackway (trachway1) was reported in SMA in 1999.Thrupp House Cottages (SU 51843 97230)Roger AinslieSmall trenches have been excavated under the direction ofJohn Cooper and Jeff Wallis. This is in advance of a smallbridge being erected in the garden of this property. Thesehave revealed small medieval gulleys of c 13th century dateof overlain by about a metre of overburden which wasprobably caused by ditch digging in the area. The findsinclude about 500 sherds of medieval pottery. It wouldappear that the cottages may be the shrunken remains of asmall deserted medieval village and documentary researchis also taking place with a view to obtaining a fuller picture.Radley, Pumney Farm (SU 532 975)Roger AinslieOver 1700 Neolithic and Mesolithic flints and some bonewas found by Bob Eeles whilst a nature pond was being dugin this area. The density of flints and the small spall size ofsome of them indicates flint working and settlement on thesite in Mesolithic and Neolithic times as evidenced bymicroliths and pieces of polished axe. It was possible to walksome 19 10 x 10m squares and 3 hearth areas and theseproduced over 600 flints of which the hearths producedabout 300. The amount found, however, depended on theextent to which the top crumbly alluvial day had beenremoved as the finds were in an old soil under this and ontop of the gravel. Bearing in mind the riverside gravel islandlocation of this site it is of concern that no evaluation wasrequired prior to planning permission being given for theworks as this type of location almost always producesprehistoric settlement.ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES ANDCONSULTANCY LTDOxford, Grove Cottages, St Cross Road (SP 5194 0853)Jonathan Hunn & David FellAn evaluation, comprising a desk-based assessment and trialtrench, followed by a watching brief, was undertaken onland at Grove Cottages during February and March 2001.The work revealed that the area had remained undevelopeduntil the 18th century, when a number of small buildingswere constructed on the site. It also confumed that GroveCottages date from the 19th century. A single trial trenchwas excavated, revealing that a number of modern layerswere present and that the area had been badly truncated bypost-medieval and modern pits. This was confirmed byobservations during the watching brief. A single latemedieval pit was present in the trial trench. A smallassemblage of medieval pottery and a copper-alloy pin wererecovered.BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY FIELDARCHAEOLOGY UNITS LitherlandCherwell District Council commissioned the Unit to carryout an assessment of the Industrial Archaeology of theOxford Canal Corridor in Banbury (centre SP 4600 4040)in November 2001. The assessment was designed to providean overview of the character of the area, evaluate thesignificance of any remains, and offer proposals for theprotection or enhancement of that material heritage.The Oxford Canal Corridor comprises a roughly 10ha areaof land situated to the east of the historic town centre. Itcontains a broad range of locally, regionally and nationallyimportant buildings that relate to the economic, social andtransport history of the town. The survey includeddocumentary research and internal and external buildinginspection. This resulted in the identification of a widerrange of surviving buildings than was previouslyrecognised, and the compilation of fuller descriptive recordshas allowed several buildings to be more tightly dated andtheir function more accurately assessed.Important local and regional examples of traditionalindustrial buildings related to rope malting, malting andmilling were identified, as well as important structuresassociated with mechanical and electrical engineering.Therefore, it was recommended that consideration be givento a revision of the existing conservation area in Banbury toinclude the canal and significant associated infrastructure.There are several structures that should also be added to alist of buildings of special local historical value.38

BOARS HILL RESEARCH PROJECTRoman pottery kiln (SP 4948 0142)Rod ScottThe Excavation of a Roman pottery kiln took place underthe direction of the writer in 2001This ldln had been revealed by waste pit digging for achicken farm. The kiln appears to largely have producedgrey ware, which has been dated to the late 3rd or early 4thcentury by Paul Booth on the basis of a slashed band aroundthe neck of some vessels and the presence of a used piece ofcolour coat pottery. Whilst colour coat pottery, and apeculiar coarse pottery (with many voids, colloquiallycalled 'ugly ware') was found it was not in sufficientquantities to indicate that it was made in this particular kiln.The kiln design has no central pedestal and no tongue whichtherefore differentiates it from the Churchill type kilns. Thesmall size of the ldln however makes it similar to thosealready found in this area (see Oxoniensia 1974). The lackof a floor to the firing chamber makes it similar to the NewForest type ldlns, but the length of the stoke hole hassimilarities to the Churchill kilns. It could be that the smalldiameter did not require the perforated floor which ldlns ofdouble the diameter needed. A large piece of storage jar, toolarge to have been fired in this Idln, was found and this couldhave been used as kiln furniture. Altematively the floorcould have been destroyed in the past as pieces of unbumtanimal bone were found in the firing chamber fill.The site of a second kiln was identified in this field andanimal burrows have revealed others on the adjoining land.OxfordshireCOTSWOLD ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUSTEynsham, 11 and lia Cassington Road (SP 4370 0968)Jonathan HartAn evaluation at the rear of the property encountered noarchaeological features or deposits.Begbrook to Yarnton Mains Replacement(SP 4735 1375 to SP 4855 1255)Jonathan HartAn archaeological watching brief identified the presence ofa v-profiled Romano-British ditch within an area of knowncropmarks of probable Iron Age or Romano-British origin.A wide, shallow and flat-based Saxon pit and apost-medieval field boundary ditch were also identifiedbeyond, but close to, the known extent of the cropmarks.Oxford, Pegasus First School, Blackbird Leys(SP 588 028)Kevin ColisIn August 2001 a watching brief was carried out during theconstruction of classroom extensions at Pegasus FirstSchool, Blackbird Leys. No archaeological features orartefacts were identified.Watchfield, Shrivenham Hundred Business Park(SU 2480 9070)Mark BrettIn February 2001 an archaeological evaluation on land tothe east of Shrivenham Hundred Business Park revealed/AS HILLFig 2. Boars Hill; location plan, plan and section of kiln.39

Oxfordshireevidence of ridge and furrow cultivation, a pit or ditchterminus, and a single tree-bole pit. Although datingevidence was very sparse, it is likely that the pit/ditchterminus is of 12th to 14th century date and that the furrowsrepresent a cultivation system of sirnilar date.Witney, Downs Road (SP 3280 1040)Kevin ColisIn June 2001 a watching brief was carried out duringg,rotmdworks for the Curbridge Park development scheme,Downs Road, Witney. One pit of Early Bronze Age date wasidentified, analogous with other examples discoveredduring earlier evaluation (CAT 1992).Witney, North-East Witney Sewer Requisition(SP 3635 0960 to SP 3675 0980)Tim HavardBetween February and May 2001 a watching brief wascarried out during the construction of 600m of sewer. Noarchaeological features or artefacts were identified.Didcot, Abingdon Road (SU 538 906)Alan Thomas and Mark CollardExcavation revealed a buried soil, possibly aRomano-British ground surface. It was cut by a trackwaywith flanking ditches which produced 2nd century pottery.It is unclear whether these ditches are contemporary with afield system, consisting of north-east/south-west aligneddrainage gullies, identified to the east. At least two phasesof second or third-century gullies defined this field system,and two may have flanked part of another trackway. Thegullies were covered by alluvium, derived from episodicflooding of minor local tributaries of the River Thames. TheAbingdon Road site lies at the base of a slope leading to aRomano-British settlement at Hadden Hill, and as such maylie within its agricultural hinterland.FOUNDATION ARCHAEOLOGYHanwell Fields, Banbury (SP 452 425)Roy KingThe work consisted of twenty three 30m evaluation trenchesover a site area of 11.3ha. The evaluation followed aprevious evaluation to the west of the site in September2000. Archaeological features comprised a ditch in Trench1, a shallow ditch/gully in Trench 2, two ditches, one witha possible recut or pit cut into the top, in Trench 9, and twopits in Trench 22. Artefactual material from these featureswere restricted to a number of tiny fragments of burnt clayfrom the ditch in Trench 2 and one sherd of 17th/18thcentury salt-glazed pottery from Trench 22. The remainingfeatures were undated, although all were sealed by thesubsoil and may, therefore, be of some antiquity. The resultsof the evaluation suggest a low-level of archaeologicalactivity across the study area as indicated by the assessmentdocument and the previous phase of evaluation workundertaken to the west of the site. The undated ditchespresent in Trenches 1 and 2, both close to Hanwell Brook,are likely to represent drainage features. The remainingfeatures were all identified within the western part of thesite, on the edge of the river terrace and are indicative ofarchaeological activity adjacent to the floodplain. Thelocation of the study area within, and on the edge of, the rivervalley of the Hanwell Brook defines the land-use of thestudy area as meadowland during the medieval andPost-Medieval periods. Post-medieval/modem activity wasrestricted to drainage channels. The field bas been harrowedin recent years which has led to some mixing of the alluvialdeposits and the subsoils. This has removed the potential forsurvival of earlier positive archaeological fe,atures andcaused some degradation of negative features, although theevaluation demonstrated that such features do survive in atruncated form within the study area. The evaluationdemonstrated that a low-level of spatially restrictedarchaeological activity is present within the study area, witha very low background scatter of unstratified artefactualevidence of prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval origin.The Former Maltings Site, The Vineyard, Abington(SU 4994 9735)Clare KingThe evaluation comprised the excavation and recording ofthree 30m trenches across the proposed 0.85ha developmentarea. Trench 1 revealed four archaeologically significantfeatures, comprising a gully containing two post-holes, anda small pit. Both features were securely dated to themedieval period, with a date span of mid 12th to 14thcentury. Modem disturbance was extensive across the site,resulting from the demolition of houses and previousmalting buildings. No archaeological deposits wereidentified in Trenches 2 or 3. The features suggest thepresence of a Medieval fenceline or structure with uprighttimbers, set into a foundation trench.Monks Farm, Grove (SU 4060 9070)Roy KingThis evaluation has shown a wide spread of archaeologicalfeatures across the development area, although these arevery difficult to interpret due to the sparse dating evidence.There appear to be a large number of probable drainagefeatures, some of which are securely dated to the BronzeAge or Iron Age. This could indicate that attempts werebeing made during that period to utilise this area of land,which might have been very prone to waterlogging as it istoday. There was certainly some form of settlement duringthe Iron Age in this area, as evidenced by the concentrationof pottery sherds from the ditch in Trench 7. It is possible40

that the post holes and other features concentrated at the eastend of the project area may point to a settlement focus here.There is however a distinct lack of artefactual or ecofactualevidence for human domestic activity which is unusual ona site of this period. Possible interpretations might be thatthe settlement focus was not within this area and the featuresare either boundaries or agricultural in nature, or that the sitewas abandoned after just a short period of settlement. Thelimitations of archaeological evaluation mean that it isimpossible to be sure of the full extent and interpretation ofthese remains. The single inhumation found in Trench 5could be associated with the Iron Age settlement or it couldbe later. A medieval extended burial has been previouslyrecorded on the southern edge of the development area. Thedeeper ditch features, which appear to occur towards thenorth west corner of the site were of sufficiently largedimensions to represent part of an enclosure ditch. Possiblythe edge of the settlement. No features were present thatdated to the Roman, medieval or post-medieval periods.JOHN MOOREAston, Barry House, Back Lane (SP 3382 0319)John MooreA watching brief carried out during excavation of footingsfor a new house and garage found evidence of Roman andmedieval activity. Not only does this show a new site ofoccupation in the late 2nd to early 3rd centuries but indicatesthat this part of the village was occupied in the 11-12thcenturies and probably later.Banbury, Grimsbury Manor, Grimsbury Green(SP 4625 4173)John MooreExcavation immediately south of this site during theconstruction of Hennef Way found remains of prehistoricsettlement, Roman activity as well as parts of the 12th -15thcentury deserted medieval settlement.These sites did not continue into the area to the rear of theGrimsbury Manor (formerly Grimsbury House) where awatching brief only recovered pottery dated to the later 14or 15th century from a ploughsoil.Barton, Bernwood School, North Way (SP 5535 0780)John MooreAn evaluation of the playing field was undertaken and foundone inhumation of possible Roman date.Bucknell, St Peters Church, Bainton Road(SP 5609 2560)Amy Gray JonesGround reduction for an oil tank and excavation for anOxfordshireassociated pipe trench did not disturb any archaeologicaldeposits or features.Burford, Land adjoining Muffety Cottage, TannersLane and 174 The Hill(SU 60433 89753)John Moore and Simon TomsonA watching brief carried out during ground reduction for anew house found evidence of medieval activity. Thisconfirms the view gained from the watching brief to the rearof the Old Ropery, some 50m to the north, that the medievalsettlement of Burford extended up the hill further thanpreviously thought. The ceramic evidence from both sitessuggests occupation from the 12th and 13th centuriesonwards.A single sherd of Iron Age pottery indicates activity of thisperiod in the vicinity of the site but not on the site.Chilton, Chilton School, Downside (SU 4843 8592John MooreThe archaeological watching brief undertaken duringtopsoil strip revealed nothing of archaeologicalsignificance.Chipping Norton, Chipping Norton School(SP 3160 2662)John MooreAn archaeological watching brief recovered flints of theLater Neolithic to Bronze Age period indicating that the topof the hill was used for some activity during this period.Finds of pottery within a ploughsoil show that the area wasused for arable purposes from at least the early medievalperiod.Cogges, Cogges Manor Farm, (west of fishpond)(SP 3622 0973)John MooreA watching brief was carried out during excavation for a gaspipeline at the south-west end of Church Lane. The fieldthrough which the pipeline passed is to the south of theMadley Brook and west of the medieval fishpond. A ditchwas found, which has been interpreted as a leat for thefishpond to the east. It is aligned, as best can be estimatedfrom the short section exposed, on the mid point of thesouthwest side of the fishpond. Either the exit sluice did notfeed surplus water directly into the Madley Brook at itsclosest point and led into the Brook further downstream, orthis leat fed a further fishpond in the area of the now disusedplayground to the southwest. The possibility of a furtherfishpond in this area has been raised by Steane and Bond(1984).41

WordshireReferenceSteane, J M & Bond, C J 1984 Oxfordshire County CouncilDepartment of Museum Services, Field Section Report. SMA 14,61-63.Cogges, Eton Close (SP 3685 0925)Amy Gray JonesAn evaluation of an area proposed for development forresidential purposes was undertaken to determine thepmsence/absence of significant archaeological remains. Aditch and two postholes, pre-dating a medieval ploughsoil,were found. A medieval plough soil covers the whole of theevaluation area and a few sherds of medieval pottery wererecovered from this deposit. A high concentration ofmedieval pottery however was found on higher ground tothe south of this plot at SP3681 0900. A flint blade and flakecore must represent casual discarded or lost items associatedwith hunting/gathering activities in the Mesolithic andNeolithic period.Fringford, The Close, Church Lane (SP 6053 2906)Amy Gray JonesA watching brief did not find any continuation of theRomano-British settlement lmown to the southwest.Gorhig-on-Thames, Mill Cottage, Church Approach(SU 5973 8070)John MooreArchaeological investigation took place in two areas withinthe grounds of Mill Cottage, which occupies part of theformer extent of the Augustinian Nunnery of St Mary. Asexpected, the area between the Millstream and the Thameswas subject to flooding during the medieval period andappeared to be used for some rubbish disposal. Parts of fourbuildings were found in the southernmost area of gardenadjacent to the present churchyard. Three of these buildingsare thought to be the guest house, hospitium and necessaria.Henley-on-Thames, Chantry House and St Mary theVirgin Churchyard, Hart Street(SU 7626 8270)Amy Gray Jones and John MooreAn evaluation of an area between St Leonard's Chapel andChanty House was undertaken as part of a consideration fornew facilities. No structural remains pre-dating thepost-medieval period were found to be present in the area ofthe proposed development. The use of the whole area forburial has destroyed any early medieval evidence pre-datingthe construction of Chantry House and any depositsassociated with the early use of Chantry House.Chantry House is considered to have been built c 1500 as awarehouse, one of a series of commercial buildings andmerchant's houses parallel to the wharf alongside theThames. A lane (presently Church Lane) ran behind themfrom Hart Street to New Street, from where it continued asWharf Lane. With a decline in the grain trade in the middleof the 16th century, Chantry House partly became used as aschool in 1553. The continuing decline in the river trademeant that Church Lane as an upper access to the granariesand storehouses was no longer required. Almshouses werebuilt where granaries and storehouses once stood and StMary's churchyard was gradually extended eastwardstowards the Chantry House (Dunn, undated).ReferenceDunn, M, The Chantry House at Henley-on-Thames.Archaeological Analysis of a Late Medieval Timber-FramedBuilding. Unpublished report.Littlemore, St Giles Farm (otherwise known as SaundersDairy), Cowley Road (SP 5393 0295)John MoorePottery and pits shows that the site was occupied during themedieval period, certainly in the 15th century and probablyearlier. No structural evidence was present. The fact that thepits and the pottery were found well back from the roadsuggests that a building did not front the street but may havebeen in the position of the present cottages or the barn knownto have been standing in 1819. This suggests that the site inthe medieval period may have been a farmstead with a yardto the front.Oxford, All Souls College, Codrington Library(SP 5164 0638)John MooreAn excavation was undertaken in the cellars under theCodrington Library. A dense mass of pits was examined.The pottery assemblage, although relatively small, containssome of the best preserved early medieval pottery which hasbeen excavated in Oxford in recent years, with the late llth- 12th century material being particularly worthy of note.The assemblage also produced one of the few sherds ofimported early medieval Pingsdorf ware from the city, andalso a 15th century sherd of Spanish tin-glazed earthenware,a similarly rare find in Oxford.The pottery is also notable for a small but extremelywell-preserved group of late 17th century pottery, includingtwo dated and named German stoneware vessels and afragment of a decorated plant-holder. Overall, it appearsfrom the pottery that the site was occupied by individuals ofhigher than ordinary status during the late 15th century andbeyond.Oxford, rear of 2-3 Cowley Place (SP 5221 0594)John MooreAn archaeological watching brief undertaken during the42

course of construction to the rear of Nos. 2 and 3 CowleyPlace recovered evidence to show that activity of c. the latellth century had occurred here. This evidence was in theform of pottery recovered from a small area of deposits ofthis date surviving on the edge of a gravel terrace. Elsewherepost-medieval activity had removed earlier deposits. Wallsof a building survived that may date to the medieval period.OxfordshireSwalcliffe, Swalcliffe Grange (SP 3718 3698)John MooreThe archaeological watching brief undertaken duringlevelling work immediately to the west of Swalcliffe Grangealong the south side of Grange Lane revealed nothing ofarchaeological significance.Oxford, rear of Cowley St. John Vicarage, 271 CowleyRoad(SP 53360 05408)John MooreDavis' map of 1793 shows a fork off the Cowley Road justto the west, and the northem arm appears to run close to thiswatching brief site on the projected alignment of the presentBarracics Lane to the east. However, it was shown that theroad did not cross this site. Archaeological evidence andclose examination of map evidence suggests that the roadmay have run along the extreme south-west side of theBartlemas Cottage plot immediately to the north of the site.Risinghurst and Sandhills, Land adjacent to ThornhillPark and Ride Car Park(SU 5650 0732 and SU 5665 0743)John MooreThe evaluation carried out on this site proposed fordevelopment failed to find any significant archaeologicalfeatures. A post-medieval ditch was located. A flint core ofprobable Bronze Age date was recovered from apost-medieval ploughsoil.South Stoke, Ivol Barn, Woodcote Road (SU 6162 8381)John MooreAn evaluation of the site of the proposed new grain storefacilities found archaeological features considered to beprehistoric in date and to pre-date the barrow cemetery justto the northeast of the investigation area. The femmes werepits, a ditch and a gully representing occupation of someform. The flints recovered during the work are not closelydated but the technology used to produce them is commonin the Neolithic and Bronze Age. Given that that occupationsites are not close to barrow cemeteries the date can berefined slightl y to the Neolithic to early Bronze Age periods.The barrow cemetery just to the northeast is on an arc asopposed to the more general linear arrangement seenelsewhere (cf. Barrows Hills, Abingdon). This is explainedby a band of flinty soil that occurs in the River TerraceGravels. The cemetery must have avoided the flintymaterial, confining itself to the more easily dug graveldeposits.Wallingford, 14 St Georges Road (SU 60433 89753)John MooreA watching brief was undertaken during excavation offooting trenches for a new bungalow. The eastern boundaryof the property lies immediately adjacent to ScheduledAncient Monument 234, the defensive bank and ditch of theSaxon burh.The original outer edge of Saxon burh ditch was located inthis area showing that the ditch at this point was still curvinground from the north on its outer edge before straighteningas the western side of the burgh.An undated ditch was found parallel to and close to StGeorge's Road. The very steep angle of rest for the fill layerssuggests that the ditch has been deliberately infilled withimported material. This feature may be related to theboundary hedge that is marked on the 1st edition OS map.However the ditch is large, estimated at least 3m wide andpossibly 1.5m+ deep.A further undated ditch occurred between the twomentioned above. Again the ditch appears to have beendeliberately infilled with imported material. It was unclearwhether the ditch was parallel to the Saxon ditch over itswhole length or whether the apparent orientation seen at itssouthern known extent is real. If the angle in the southemfooting trench is as found, then the ditch is more likely topre-date the Saxon ditch; as an additional defensive ditch,apparently joining the main ditch, would not make sense atthis point on the defences. However, if the ditch is parallelto the Saxon ditch then it could be a strengthenin of thedefences on the west side of the town. The ditch is undatedand could be Saxon or date from the civil wars of the reignof Stephen when it is thought that the castle wasstrengthened (Rodwell, 1975, 155)ReferenceRodwell K, cd. Historic Towns in Oxfordshire (1975).Wolvercote, Wolvercote First School, First Turn(SP 4974 0984)John MooreA watching brief was carried out during excavation for newaccommodation at the school. The results showed that thesite had been primarily in agricultural use through from themedieval period.43

Oxfordshire10EEVILL HERITAGE CONSULTANCYDorchester AbbeyGraham D KeevillThree consecutive phases of archaeological fieldwork werecarried out at Dorchester Abbey during 2001. The,se werean evaluation (March), excavation (May-June) andsubsequent watching brief (August-December). The workwas undertaken as part of the Parochial Church Council'sprogramme of re-ordering and improvements both withinand outside the church. In particular, it was necessitated byproposals to upgrade the heating system within the churchand to build a new external pentice on the north side of thenave. The boiler room for the new heating would be housedat the west end of the pentice, and the excavation here wasexpected to reach a depth of approximately 2m belowcurrent ground level. Small-scale excavations in the CloisterGarden on the north side of the nave during the early 1960ssuggested that the site had considerable potential for Romanand medieval remains. Past discoveries both within theabbey church and in its surroundings also suggested thatimportant archaeological remains might be encountered.The evaluation Excavation of a single test pit inside thechurch against the north wall of the nave suggested that thewall represented a rebuild over an earlier foundation,possibly of late Anglo-Saxon date. The three trial trenchesdug immediately outside and to the north of the church inthe former position of the monastic cloister (flow the CloisterGarden) showed that archaeological levels survived undermodern overburden at a depth of approximately 1-1.2mbelow the existing surface level. Probable Roman orAnglo-Saxon deposits were identified in two of the trenches,and the ceramic assemblage was dominated byRomano-British pottery. Medieval horizons were restrictedin extent, but appeared to represent a series of make-up orbedding layera for floor surfaces within the south cloisterwalk and possibly within a passage through the east walkinto the central garth. The positions of the south and eastwalks appeared to be defined by foundation and robbertrenches. At least five graves were also revealed and theskeletons within them exposed (but not removed). Most ofthe graves probably belonged to the monastic (medieval)period.The boiler room excavation An area of approximately 6m(east-west) x 4m was excavated to a depth of up to 2m inadvance of construction work. The nave north wall formedthe south side of the excavation area. Natural brickearth wasfound over the whole of the excavation area, lying at orabout formation level at the west end of the deep excavationand sloping up gradually to the east from there. No Romansoil horizons or features were encountered within the trench,although the majority of finds (especially pottery) continuedto be of Roman date. The excavation site is thought to lieoutside the eastern defences of Dorchester Roman town,though the exact location of the wall or rampart remainselusive. The Roman finds may be consistent with the use ofthis area as an extra-mural rubbish dump, either as amunicipal initiative or on a 'fly tipping' basis. It would beinteresting to re-assess the 1960s excavations in the light ofthe recent work.The brickearth was directly overlain by an impressivesequence of Anglo-Saxon soil layera, surfaces and features.The earliest remains comprised a substantialstmken-featured building. Only the east side of this wasfound, running at right-angles to the medieval abbey church.The remainder of its plan extended beyond the limits of thetrench. Several parallel north-south linear features(probably beam slots) had been cut into the base of thestructure. Soils accumulated within and over the sunkenarea. Provisional assessment of the pottery and other findssuggests a date within the 6th-8th centuries.Two successive trench-built timber structures were thenerected. The post trenches cut into the earlier soils on adifferent alignment from the sunken-featured building. Bothtrenches ran on a fairly true north-south alignment, jeobliquely to the abbey church. Unfortunately these were theonly features of the two buildings to be unc.overed, but floorsurfaces to either side of the earlier trench demonstrated thatit was an internal element between two separate rooms(presumably within a single building). The later trench, bycontrast, had floors to the east only. This shows that it wasthe external (west) wall of a building, and indeed asubstantial ditch (property boundary?) was found numingparallel with and to the west of the wall trench. The ditchtenninated within the excavation. The likely date range forthese structures is the 8th to 10th or early 1 lth centuries. Thefinal Saxon feature was an impressive stone-lined wellcutting the northern terminus of the ditch.The upper level of the Anglo-Saxon sequence was cut byapproximately 15 graves and a number of charnel features.No positive dating evidence was forthcoming for these, butthey all appeared to belong to the medieval monasticestablishment rather than earlier or later phases. Othermedieval remains included a surviving fragment of thefoundations of the west cloister range, a few survivingpatches of bedding material for floors in the south cloisterwalk, and a number of postholes. The latter most probablyrelate to the construction or refurbis/unent of the nave northwall. The latter was shown to rest on surprisingly shallowfoundations. These had not been bedded into the underlyinggravel - indeed in places they did not even cut into thebrickearth but rested instead within the Anglo-Saxon soilsequence.Post-medieval features were restricted to robber trenchesalong the west cloister range and an associated buttress, anda pit containing domestic rubbish such as pottery and glassbottles. The upper 1m (approximate) of the soil sequencecomprised late post-medieval or Victorian soils, apparentlydumped here to level up or landscape the site.The watching brief: external The shallow dig for the penticefoundations revealed 12 articulated human skeletons,mostly within clearly defined grave cuts, in the central area

of the pentice between the boiler room excavation andevaluation trench 4. They occurred at significantly higherlevels than expected on the basis of the evaluations andboiler room excavation. At least one child was present, andalso a pregnant woman. A solid stone medieval sarcophaguswas also found, buried tight against the foundations of thenave north wall. The lid of the coffin had been broken inantiquity, and this was removed so that the inside could beinspected. It had been hewn from a single, massive block oflimestone. The skeleton within was that of an adult male,probably a prior, but there were no obvious grave goods (egpersonal jewellery, chalice and paten etc). The skeleton wasleft in situ and the lid replaced, so that the burial remainedessentially undisturbed. Further fragmentary remains ofarticulated skeletons were observed in drainage trenches outfrom and alongside the pentice trenches. All the burials wereprobably medieval, although a later date for some of themcannot be ruled out. Further but restricted areas ofAnglo-Saxon stratigraphy were revealed in some of thedrains and associated manholes.Machine and hand excavation of trenches to the north andwest of the tower revealed more of the west cloister range,and the original foundations of the tower itself. The latterwas rebuilt at the beginning of the 17th century.The excavation of a new gas supply trench along thepathway from the lych gate in front (south) of the abbeyGuesthouse and around the base of the tower exposed onlycultivation soils with occasional patches of rubble. Noearlier floor or road surfaces were present, suggesting thatthe gate and path are a relatively recent feature. It seemslikely that the medieval outer gate into the monastic precinctfrom the High Street lay somewhat to the north of the lychgate, with a roadway passing to the north of the Guesthouse.This makes considerable sense given that the jetty of theupper floor is on the north side of the building, je facing ontoa putative access road here.The watching brief: internal As with the exterior, limitedareas of Anglo-Saxon stratigraphy were revealed within thenave, but too little was present for meaningful interpretation.Nevertheless the presence of these layers is clearlysignificant for intexpretation of the Saxon sequence on thesite. It was also possible to observe and record the original12th century foundations of the west end of the nave, thechancel and the crossing at several points on both sides ofthe church. The most significant discoveries were at the westend of the church, where the likely original positions ofwestern and south-western doors were noted as blockedopenings within the base courses of ashlar masonry exposedbelow the current floors. Several voussoirs and jamb stoneswith fine beak-head ornament recovered during thewatching brief may well have derived from these doors (orassociated windows). A number of other beak-headfragments are present within existing collections ofarchitectural masonry at the abbey.The Norman foundations of the chancel were noted on bothsides of the building behind the existing choir stalls. TheOxfordshirefoundations were in good condition and demonstrated thatthe medieval floor surface was only a little below today'slevel here. The scar of the eastern foundation and wall of thesouth transept running south from the crossing was alsonoted under the Shrine Chapel floor. Excavation within thesouth transept exposed another limestone sarcophagus, butit was possible to keep the duct route to one side of this. Itwas therefore possible to leave the sarcophagus in situ.Approximately 30 architectural fragments were discoveredamong a dump of stone rubble immediately underneath thepaving in front (west) of the modern shrine to St Birinus.Most of the fragments are plain and of little interest, but afew 14th century window elements are present, and twolarge pieces of parapet may derive from the west tower.Other discoveries largely related to post-medieval,Victorian and modern arrangements within the church. Anumber of graves and burial vaults were observed, forinstance, but it was possible to leave the skeletal remains inthese undisturbed. The positions of earlier structural featuresof uncertain function were noted in places within the naveand chancel. It should be possible to suggest interpretationsfor these on the basis of further analysis and research.Modern features included a large under-floor chamber in thesouth-west corner of the nave associated with a former (early20th-century?) boiler position.The watching brief: the blocked door in the nave north wallUnblocidng of the door at the east end of the nave north wallrevealed intact plain wall plaster to the jambs and soffit ofthe arch, and a few decorated tiles surviving in situ on thefloor. The positions of several other tiles could be identifiedeasily because their original mortar bedding survived.NATIONAL TRUSTGary MarshallColeshillA watching brief was maintained over repairs to two of theNational Trust's estate buildings at Coleshill, Mill Cottage(SU 2347 9341) and Middle Leaze Farm (SU 2384 9475).In both of these properties, which date from the 18th century,unblocking of the brick fireplaces led to the discovery ofinternal niches in the side walls, thought to be former breadovens, or perhaps salt or herb drying cupboards.Building recording was also carried out over the remains ofthe former hen houses attached to the north wall of ColeshillWalled Gardens (SU 2365 9375).Greys Court (SU 7254 8345)Geophysics surveys carried out in 2001 have successfullytraced and mapped the buried remains of medieval andpost-medieval buildings situated between the house and the45

Fig 3. Greys Court. Plan of excavations in the north tower and at the base of the east section of the curtain wall.east section of the fortified curtain wall. OxfordArchaeology were cormnissioned by the National Trust topartially excavate the interior of the medieval North Towerprior to repairs on the walls. This revealed a modernconcrete surface forming part of the floor, whilst theremainder of the floor was found to consist of rubble in a siltmatrix. A brick surface forming the floor to what is thoughtto be a 16th century building incorporated into the eastsection of the curtain wall was also excavated by OxfordArchaeology.flint wall was revealed, abutting the north section of thecurtain wall. This was previously thought to be a gardenfeature, a small retaining wall holding back a garden bed.However, it is made up of narrow Tudor bricks, which formthe west face of the wall, laid in Flemish bond. It is thereforelikely to be the west wall of the Tudor building containingthe floor excavated by Oxford Archaeology. It was clear thatthe north end of this wall had cut across the curtain wall,suggesting that the medieval wall had been cut back andtruncated by the 16th century.As a consequence of the repairs a short section of brick and46

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Great Coxwell Barn (SU 2690 9402)Minor repairs to the medieval barn at Great Coxwell werecarried out during 2001, involving re-pointing of the lowerparts of the walls and re-fixing of loose coping stones on theend gables. An archaeological watching brief wasmaintained during this work and excavations were alsocarried out to assess the ground make up at the base of thewalls. The excavation against the base of the east wallrevealed a very shallow spread of crushed stone lying belowthe existing pitched stone paving, which is probably a 19thcentury addition. Rather surprisingly, the projecting footingat the base of the east wall was found to be only two coursesin depth, and laid directly onto the natural limestonebedrock. Similar evidence was found on the west side of thebuilding, where the stepped footing was found to lie directlyover the bedrock. Below the topsoil a thick dump of soil andrubble containing pieces of 20th century farm machinerywas found abutting the footing. The evidence thereforesuggests that the stepped footing was always exposed, aconclusion supported by evidence from an 18th centuryengraving, which shows the ground surface as lying belowthe footing on the west side of the building.Oxford Archaeology were employed to extend the trench onthe west side of the building after what was thought to be arock-cut grave was exposed. A large coffin-shaped piece oftimber was found at the base of the cut, hence the initialinterpretation as a grave. However, the cut proved to bemuch longer than the length of a grave and the conclusionwas therefore that the cut had served as a drain around thebuilding, and perhaps also as a source of stone used in theconstruction of the building.Priory Cottages, Steventon (SU 465 915)Repairs to the timber frame and wattle panels of the northand west elevations were carried out in 2001. James Moir ofFinial Associates was conunissioned to carry out a watchingbrief, which involved recording the sequence ofconstruction and repair apparent in the panels of these twoelevations, together with the south elevation of thecourtyard.Dendrochronology sampling undertaken by Dan Milesrevealed felling dates of 1462-63 for the timbers of the eastsection of the north range, 1443-44 for the timbers of thenorth-west range, and 1570-71 for the timbers forming thebay window of the north-west range. The results from thedendrochronology dating are significant because they allowthe phasing of the building established by the Trust'svemacular buildings survey (1989, based on earlier work byChris Currie) to be reinterpreted. The 1463 date was knownfrom documents and was thought to relate to theconstruction of the north-west range, whereas in fact the datefor this range has been established as 1442-44. The eastsection of the north range was thought to be mid 16thcentury, whereas in fact it is a hundred years earlier i.e.1462-63. The 1570s date for the bay window is 30 yearsOxfordshireearlier than the c 1600 date suggested by the vernacularbuildings survey.NORTH OXON FIELD ARCHAEOLOGYGROUPEdward ShawyerActivities in 2001 had been greatly scaled down even beforethe foot and mouth disaster and were further reduced whenthe fears of our landowner about the exposed, publicposition of our new, intended dig site caused us to settle fora 9 day intensive excavation rather than a season longendeavour. Our efforts were once again centred upon theRoman settlement at Swalcliffe Lea, this time upon a site onthe other side of the road from the Roman villa we hadexcavated for the last four years. The new location is in theBlacklands sector of the settlement, so called after the fieldnames of the 1840s description of the site. The reason forinvestigating this location was the very high count ofartefacts spread over a large area, which seemed to hint ateither an important complex or a cluster of smallerbuildings. There were also high counts of fine tablewares,even more than on the villa site, though there were no furthersigns of high status such as tesserae and large quantities ofbaked and stone roof tiles. The excavation therefore wascentred upon one of the main concentrations of materialidentified by fieldwalking. In the short period we hadmanaged to reveal the outline of a quite large late Romanbuilding similar in some respects to the "strip" buildingfound in the neighbouring field by the Shipton HistoricalSociety in the 1960s. A deep section across the structure wasstarted, but never finished due to time restrictions, though itdid reveal an earlier, perhaps higher status building beneath,the extent of which is unknown at present. During the 9 daysmost of our attention was concentrated upon excavating andrecording the upper building as well as trying to ascertainils size and function.The Late Roman BuildingThis edifice was located just 20-25cm below the surfacewith no traces of any later settlement above. The coveringsoil was a rich, dark brown humus containing mostly Romanpottery and a lesser amount of Post-medieval wares, withonly a very small percentage of Medieval wares. Trenches1 and 2 came down directly upon what turned out to be afloor surface and extensions had to be made in order toestablish if the surface belonged to a building. A number ofsmaller trenches were sited along the course of the walls toget some idea of the size and shape of the structure. Whatemerged was a large rectangular edifice of barn-likeproportions, with at least two rooms, of which the one thatwas partially excavated measured at least 10m+ long by 9mwide. The floor surface strongly appeared to bedifferentiated into two distinct halves with a stone slab flooron the western side and a tightly packed smaller stonesurface on the eastem side. The slab floor was virtuallyidentical to the late 4th century ones found in the villa across49

OxfordshireKEY TO SyMBOLS\311111:1.1,.LI-TH CENTILRyWALLSCOURSE OF WALLSFARLIER WALLSariPILLAR BASEi-GetleaIa.Siva.DATUM taptEoPoT SUNK tNTO \FLOORtoSToNE KERBINfiSTONE FLOORSToNE. SLAB FLOOREARLIER a_fly RooRthe road and was clearly a working floor for both industrialand agricultural purposes. There was a certain amount ofiron slag found on the slab floor and many stones were firereddened, which revealed that probably some metal workingtook place there. One interesting feature was a prominentstretch of stone kerbing, which upon later examinationseemed to be delineating a squarish section of the room. Thekerbing strangely resembled a similar feature we excavatedat a 17th century stable in Cleveley (see CBA9 Newsletter28), which was used to mark out two horse stalls. These weredivided by a wooden partition and a large posthole wasfound, which is significant since there was the suspicion ofa large pos thole interrupting our Roman kerbing as well. Theposthole was not totally clear since large portions of therooms floor had been robbed, mainly on the western sidesince the slab floor contained better building stone. Theeastern side of the room consisted of a tightly packed layerof smaller stones 15cm thick, which might have had a layerof clay upon it, the like of which we had found at the villasite, but no traces of any clay floor were detected in theexcavated area. A small, intact grey ware vessel which hadbeen deliberately inserted into the floor was found in thenorth eastern corner of the room. The jar had no contentssave a small quantity of gravel or seeds at the bottom of thevessel. The initial opinion of the Museum experts is that thef,r. ;TetrI1.\.-.3 *J-119..i ., 1 k sc.I I, 60,v \3",.1 0 I \ \+% NI , \4% 4.%.°4161.E WIt.\ \(1 ili113% ...A:, a. 0 AN" 1 \S -'3.: : :.\ N.-6 ts \ TRENCH 1 ! \ \1 TRFACH \ %I t IA\ \7 k% i i \ \\ v fi 7"---a : .'% A s, istAP 1S \ 1 ; oi: 9,0 , 09, ,w.,Pr 0.1 104, 0 ç'--.7.\\-- ..-t"TREN0H 2.TRENCI1 6\....0\ ..., .0-- \II\\ ...- "'" -II.-..-..aGN-60,PRoaftaLE CoBt5LEDyARD.Lit4iT5 OF FEATURESl.LIMITS OF EXCAVATIONmEitkrstillillL.'°.--\--MHO(Fig 6. Swalecliffe Lea. Plan of Roman building in Blacklands Field.0 ...4\\\\.. 0, --\"TRENCH 5 \ \jar may have been votive, possibly a dedication to the Laresor Household Gods. No significant portion of the secondroom was excavated to be able to say anything of its nature,save that it was another stone floor. Initial examination ofthe ceramics seems to reveal a Late Roman assemblage withsome late 4th century forms. An interesting feature of thiscollection was the seeming large percentage of finetablewares which included decorated Samian, Oxford andNene Valley colour-coated wares and some silvery Frenchor German pottery. In the south-east corner of the secondroom a squarish post pad was found inserted into the wall,a feature which we also discovered in the late 4th centuryphase of the villa.The Earlier Roman BuildingOnly a small section was dug and this had to be discontinuedsince we had not enough time to go any deeper; what it didreveal was a wall rwming parallel to the later east wallabove, with a clay floor to the west of it. The clay restedupon a layer of small tightly packed stones 20cm deep,beneath which was a layer of dark humus and not the naturalorange coloured clay-ironstone soil. This type of floorconstruction was also found on the villa site and may havebeen common throughout the settlement, though the recordsof the earlier digs are too poor to tell us if any traces of clay50

OxfordshireC.9'7IC3 (21I.0t-rottY7te; '47.11i#71FOlAfiftA. M ASWALCLIFFE LEAROMAN BWLDIN§ ONBLACKLANDS FIELDMULTiCoNTExT DIAgRAMOF TRENCHES 1 AND 2.^isZoo]. &D. EXCAVATIONKEY TO SymBoi...5WHITE *LIMESTONE2A114 234so-0; -,a- 003aTRENCH 10%,°, ?,e dab 4*vres6,0 tf.'TRENCH 2i57117 c T)czzsV',,,f10R°laz'oneCiv':;6io-l °0.6a o om4 ;44ovrt,b, ai%Cif).c) 0 * cs. %'Ofe $04 0. (52s--con (1-):5sce". e1 6mga çf.;"i D zoi0° 0 rA" oco ccclIAEi BREAK OF SLOPEDARK BROWN HU.MILS9BLUNT STONEIRON SLA§BONEWHITE cukySURVEYINS LEVELsaLIMIT OF EXCAVATIONEl COIN FINDFig 7. Swalecliffe Lea. Roman building in Blacklands Field. Multicontext diagram.were discovered on the stone cobbled surfaces. Closeexamination revealed that the clay floor was onlyrecognizable in places as a different coloured soil, showingthat it must have degraded through mixture with humus.Perhaps in earlier digs such things weren't noticed since the0 imchange was a subtle one. Only one tiny fragment of potterywas found in the footings of the lower floor and this was asmall piece of Nene Valley red colour-coated ware, whichseems to indicate that this earlier building was probably LateRoman as well. The dark humus the footings rested on was3M0WHITE CLAY Rod.o'owalieFig 8. Swalecliffe Lea. Roman building in Blacklands Field. Section through Room 1 facing north.51

Oxfordshire80cm beneath the ground surface, a fact that hints at furtheroccupation deeper down, since in the part of the villa wherelate 4th century floors were found the natural was 1.2-1.3mbeneath the ground as opposed to only 75cm of depth wherelate occupation was absent In the 1959 excavation of aRoman building just a field away the depth was also 75cmand here late alterations were aLso lacking. Unfortunatelydetails are lacking for the Shipton society's building whichdid have late 4th century floors.ConclusionThe initial results of the preliminary excavations seem toreveal a large rectangular one- to three roomed house ascategorized by Richard Hingley (see Rural Settlement inRoman Britain by R. Hingley 1989 Seaby). The dateableartefacts reveal that the building existed in the mid-late 4thcentury and maybe earlier since two 3rd century coins werefound by the walls, although a late Roman date is suggestedfor the earlier building as well. The differentiated floorsurfaces and stone kerbing strongly suggest that thestructure housed both humans and animals with woodenpartitions dividing them, though these features seem to bemore characteristic of aisled houses. Stone surfaces weredetected on both sides of the building which could be a stoneyard, the like of which was found on all the other sites in thesettlement, but further extensions cannot yet be ruled out.The traces of metalworking, slab floors and the use of pillarsinserted into the walls are all features of the late 4th centuryoccupation found on the villa and Shipton site, soit is likelythat this location is the first proper late 4th century housefound in the settlement as opposed to the cruder workshopstructures found on the other sites. The building was quitewide, measuring 7.5m internally thus necessitating the pillarbase for the support found in room 2. No traces of mortar orclay packing were found in the walls which were about66-70cm wide, which makes it likely that they were merelylow sill walls supporting a wooden structure. A number ofwhite limestone slates were found just outside the west wallas well as a few inside the building, but it is unlikely thatsuch a large timber building could have safely supported theload of a slate roof. It is possible that the slates belonged tothe earlier structure which may have been narrower, thoughthe Shipton building was a large 3 roomed house at least21.5m long by 7.8m wide and this was roofed with slate.The large amount of fine tablewares found on theBlacklands site hints at a certain degree of prosperity,possibly from the metal working industry established in thesettlement. The original query about the high level ofactivity in this field was concerned with a possible villa ormansio site but now it looks likely that it is associated withthe metalworldng phase instead. The very small section dugon the earlier building doesn't tell us very much at presentso anything could be there, though the early findings fromthese excavations do point to significant late 4th centuryactivity in this part of the settlement.FieldwalldngRoman sites Great Bourton/Cropredy Parish(undisclosed location)A collection of Roman pottery was found a few years agoby a Great Bourton farmer and only revealed to EdwardShawyer this year. The location of the site was determinedand further enquiries revealed that contractors had alsofound Roman pottery there during agricultural work. Due topersonal reasons the owner's family do not wish the locationof the site to be revealed for the present.The finds consisted of shell tempered wares, grey wares,white wares and Oxfordshire colour-coated wares. Inaddition baked roof tiles were found and also fragments ofcomb decorated hypocaust flue tile, which makes it highlylikely that there was a villa building nearby. The pottery andtile were examined and identified by Paul Booth at theAshmolean Museum. Up until the present the only Romanfind made in the parish was a coin of Maximinus Daza in1863 and here also the fmd site was unlatown. (see BanburyHistorical Society, Cake and Cockhorse 1964 edition)Rollright Stones (SP 296 308)Fieldwalking has begun on a farm property just across thecounty boundary from the stones which has at least twoRoman sites on it, one of which is a courtyard villa recentlydiscovered by aerial photography. The significance of thesesites is their clear relation to the Iron age settlement near thestone circle, since they are only just two or so fields away.The entire orientation of the villa is interesting because itignores a beautiful view to the east to look instead up ontoa bleak hillside and direclly face the stone circle to thesouth-east. This suggests that the site still had some religiousmeaning for the Romano-Britons, which is likely since thearea belonged to the Dobunni who were allies of the Romansand adopted their culture.Post Medieval sitesEpwell, private field to the north (SP 355 408)Further observations in this field when the grass was cutshort revealed the course of the former north road leadingout of the village and showed that it bifurcated to head toboth Shutford and Shenington. This road was last indicatedon the 1833 map, but had disappeared by 1882. The possiblehouse platforms nearby were re-evaluated as merely acombination of old end-on furlongs and odd features createdby seasonal mn-off from the side of the road. Since theBanbury area is very hilly there are many areas by oldhollow ways where seasonal rainwater creates odd features,as we discovered at Ledwell in 1997.Barford St Michael, Manor Farm, The Manor House(SP 432 327)Further to the observations made last year, architectural52

expert David Clark and ex County Archaeologist JohnSteane were invited to have a look at the existing buildingsof the Manor. The general consensus was that the eastemsection of the house was 16th century in origin with later18th and 19th century features being added on.Oxfordshirewere five Grade II listed structures each of which appears topre-date the brewery. The archaeological potential of the sitewas considered to be moderately high.Abingdon, St Nicholas School (SU 4960 9788)James MumfordThe other western section of the Manor (referred to as the"central" section in last year's newsletter) had beenconnected at some stage to the eastern section and may havebeen contemporary or later in date, but it did appear to havean 18th century window. The alleged traces of thecontinuation of the western section visible as features in thegarden wall and alterations to the end of the existing houseexcited a difference of opinions, which it was concludedcould only be answered by an excavation in the garden, butMr and Mrs Ault naturally were not too keen on this idea. Banbury, 24 High Street (SP 4554 4046)Robin BashfordIn May 2001 OA carried out an archaeological watchingbrief at St Nicholas School. The work was commissioned byW S Atkins in advance of the construction of an extensionfor a new Information Technology and administration area.The watching brief revealed a single undated ditch cuttingthe nahual gravel.NORTHAMPTONSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGYA43 Towcester to M40 Dualling ProjectAndy MuddExcavations took place on the following sites in Oxfordshire(see also Northamptonshire).Tusmore, Cottisford Turn (SP 566 319)David LeighThe site consisted of a rectilinear alignment of ditchsegments running north-south, and deliberately sited to cutearlier pits. The few finds comprised some small fragmentsof later prehistoric pottery.Tusmore, Drain Outfall (SP 558 307)Jim BrownA watching brief was undertaken during soil stripping for anew drainage outfall on the western edge of a ScheduledAncient Monument. The only archaeological featurediscovered was a shallow ditch containing Iron Age pottery.Roman pottery of 2nd - 3rd century date was retrieved fromthe topsoil. The results would suggest previouslyunrecorded Iron Age and Roman settlements within thescheduled area.OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGY (OA)Compiled by Emily EdwardsAbingdon, Moriand's Brewery (SU 4945 9695)Morland's Brewery site in Abingdon in advance of anapplication for the redevelopment of the site. Some of thebrewery buildings were found to be of considerableindustrial archaeological interest particularly the towerbrewhouse and the mailings. Neither was listed but thereBetween August and September 2001 OA undertook awatching brief at 24 High Street. A possible cobbled surfaceassociated with the 19th-century listed building wasrecorded during the groundwork, although this lay below thefinal impact level and was only partially revealed.Banbury, Thorpe Park, Thorpe Way (SP 4680 4040)Robin BashfordIn July and August 2001 OA undertook a watching brief atThorpe Park, Thorpe Way, Banbury. No significantarchaeological features or deposits were observed during thewatching brief.Banbury, Tudor Hall School, Wykham Park(SP 4400 3805)Robin BashfordIn July 2001 OA undertook a watching brief at Tudor HallSchool, Wykham Park. No archaeological remains wereobserved as the site had previously been landscaped toprovide a level surface for the existing playing field.Burford, Rose Cottage, Church Lane (SP 2528 1230)OA undertook a watching brief in the garden of RoseCottage in January 2001. Two east-west aligned trencheswere observed, along with a localised deposit of large,unworked limestone blocks.Chadlington, St Nicholas' Church (SP 326 221)Jon HillerIn May 2000 OA undertook a watching brief at St Nicholas'Church. No archaeological features were seen and no findswere retrieved during the course of the watching brief.Limited observations were made of stonework present inpart of the trenches, though no certain interpretation wasmade of this on site within the limited confines of the trench.53 -

OxfordshireCharlbury, The Lawn, Market Street (SP 3560 1957)OA undertook a watching brief at 'the Lawn' in Charlbury.Nothing of archaeological importance was noted.Cholsey, 10 Amwell Place and Paternoster Lane(SU 589 685)James MumfordIn April and October 2001 OA carried out an archaeologicalwatching brief at 10 Amwell Place and Paternoster Lane.The work was conunissioned by St Helens Homes Limitedin advance of the construction of residential propertiesfronting Amwell Place. The watching brief revealed oneeast-west aligned ditch and one north-south aligned ditch inthe foundation trenches to the rear of 2 and 4 PaternosterLane, which together may have formed part of a potentialmedieval enclosure. A single undated pit was observed inservice trenches excavated adjacent to 10 Amwell Place.Dorchester, Plumtree Cottage (SP 5793 9388)James MumfordIn August 2001 OA undertook a watching brief at PlumtreeCottage. The foundations were excavated through a depositof alluvium mixed with garden soil and did not impact onany significant archaeological deposits or features.Dorchester-on-Thames, 14 Watling Lane(SU 5760 9429)Valerie DiezIn June 2001 OA undertook a watching brief at 14 WatlingLane. Natural sand was observed at the base of 1m deepfoundation trenches for a new building. An undated soilhorizon was observed in the trench sections, sealed beneathmodern make-up layers associated with previousconstruction work. No significant archaeological feature,s ordeposits were observed in the course of the watching brief.Drayton, Drayton Mill (SU 4897 9335)Robin BashfordBetween June and October 2001 OA undertook a watchingbrief at Drayton Mill, Drayton. Two potential drainagechannels and a pit, all of uncertain date, were observedduring the groundwork.Drayton St Leonard, The Barn (SU 5978 9605)The Grade II* listed barn at Drayton St Leonard, which isthought to date to the 15th century, has been recorded priorto and during its conversion to the headquarters of the AstonMartin Owners Club. It is a very impressive timber-framedstructure, which appears to have undergone few structuralalterations since its initial construction, its importance lyingtherein. The only evidence of phasing uncovered weremortices suggesting that a projecting porch may originallyhave fronted one of the two wagon entrances. Historicalresearch suggests that it was a manorial barn serving theDrayton estate rather than a tithe barnEynsham, Foxley Farm (SP 4190 0808)Robin BashfordBetween November 2000 and September 2001 OAundertook a watching brief at Foxley Farm. A number ofarchaeological features were observed during thegroundwork for the development and included a partiallyexposed Bronze Age ring ditch, a cremation and numerouspits and post-holes. The ring ditch (Group 98) isundoubtedly part of the scheduled Barrow cemetery (SAM119). The majority of the pottery sherds recovered from theupper fills of the ditch were Roman, suggesting that theupper fills were deposited diving the Roman period.Garsington, Garsington Manor 413rewhouse'(SP 5819 0197)OA was asked by Nichols, Brown, Webber to carry out aprogramme of archaeological recording at the abovepremises which lies immediately to the north-west of theJacobean manor house. As part of the facilities for theopen-air opera held at Garsington Manor each summer,dressing rooms were to be inserted into the earliernorth-south wing of this L-shaped Grade II listed building.The two wings together are listed as 'Former bakehouse andattached out building' although locally the building wassometimes known as the monk's 'brewhouse'. Whilst theexact function of the earlier wing was unclear, the latereast-west wing still clearly showed evidence of latterlyhaving been used as a bakehouse and evidence was notedsuggesting possible earlier use as a brewhouse also.The present building is not shown on two surviving 17thcentury maps but archaeological evidence suggests that itmust have been constructed soon after and it theieforeappears likely that the north-south range was built in the late17th or early 18th century and the east-west added in the18th century date. Although both wings show muchevidence of later work, the earlier of the two wings, whichwas to be affected by the proposed development, wasnotable on account of some well preserved roof and windowcarpentry of the 16th and 17th centuries and somepotentially llth century long and short work. It is morelikely, however, that this later work is an anachronisticpost-medieval feature. The early carpentry suggests that thebuilding may have been constructed with a significantquantity of reused material from a previous structure. Noevidence was found to suggest that any part of the standingstructure was medieval. The building was also of interest asit was thought to contain evidence of later use for domesticelectricity and gas production. The proposed conversion54

work revealed the towering of the internal floor level by upto 1m and observations revealed a succession ofpost-medieval floor layets above natural deposits as well assome foundations of an earlier building on the site. Adetailed study of the building itself and its foundationsrevealed that it had originally been only five bays in length,with timber framed gables. It was probably partiallyopen-fronted to the east and it seems to have originallyabutted an earlier east-west range at its northern end. Thisearlier building is shown on the two 17th century maps.Despite there being no evidence of early upstanding fabric,clear evidence was found to indicate that the 'Brewhouse'overlies the foundations of one, if not two earlier buildings,both of which were of probable medieval origin.Mr Wickham's Land at Garsington (c. 1624) Map of theParish of Garsington (Late 17th century) Bodleian Library:(MS D.D. TYRWHITT-DRAKE a.1)Goring, Church of St. Thomas of Canterbury(SU 59765 80715)Andrew Holmes and Jon HillerOA carried out an archaeological field evaluation at theChurch of St Thomas of Canterbury, Goring, in April 2001.This followed a Geophysical Survey of the churchyard byStratascan. The evaluation was commissioned by RobHoward, architect of Streatley, and was carried out inrespect of plans to build an extension on the south side ofthe church (between the existing vestry/boiler [east] andkitchen/lavatory [west]). The extension will conformapproximately to the outline of the former cloister walk(north side) belonging to the now demolished Augustinianpriory. In addition, a new path has be,en proposed, to besituated north of the church. A test pit and a strip trench wereexcavated on the site of the proposed building extension tothe south of the church and a further trench was excavatedon the site of the proposed new path on the north-west sideof the church. The evaluation revealed the wall of thepriory's northern cloister walk. Part of a probable wallnearer to the south side of the church was also discovered,though its function was unclear. In the area immediatelynorth-west of the church, limited evidence was revealed foran 18th century blacksmith's building.Hampton Gay, Manor Cottage (SP 4863 1647)Robin BashfordBetween August and September 2001 OA undertook awatching brief at Manor Cottage. No archaeologicalfeatures or deposits were observed during the groundworkfor the new development.Henley-on-Thames, Greys Court, Rotherfleld Greys(SU 7264 8334)John Payne and Ric TylerOA was commissioned by the National Trust to carry out anOxfordshirearchaeological recording action at Greys Court inHenley-on-Thames. The work was commissioned inadvance of a programme of consolidation work to the 14thcentury Curtain Wall, a Scheduled Ancient Monument thatsurvives at the site. The Manor of Rotherfield Greys isrecorded in the Doomsday Book as being in the ownershipof Anchetil de Greye sur Mer and the property was ownedby this family for over four centuries. There are fragrnentaryremains of the fortified manor, including the southeast andsouthwest towers, part of the north tower linked by the eastcurtain wall (with attached Great Tower), and the keep. Thework included recording of a stone seat and loose masonryagainst the southwest wall of the North Tower; removingrubble within the North Tower; recording an area of brickand stone paving adjoining the wall and a short stretch ofwall at 90 degrees to the curtain wall. The ornamental gardenseat was formed of three re-used architectural fragments.The seat comprises an incomplete, inverted fireplace manteland the supporting Venetian Gothic style columns may dateto either the 12th century or 16th century. The fragment ofwall and brick floor suggests that there may have been abuilding against the wall, with a substantial fireplace. Thiswould have been contemporary with the building of thecurtain wall and the original crenellation (dating to 1347).Other areas suggested that the curtain wall may have beenrefaced during either the 19th or 20th century. The rubble inthe North Tower represented the degrading of the wall overa short period of time, although there was some suggestionthat some material had been gathered from elsewhere andeither dumped or stored in the Tower.Henley-on-Thames, Shiplake College (SU 7675 7834)Jim MumfordIn November and December 2001 OA carried out anarchaeological watching brief at Shiplake College,Henley-on-Thames. The work was commissioned byNicholas Brown Webber Architects and LandscapePlanners in advance of the construction of a new 6th FormHouse at the College. A former college building wasdemolished in the course of the works and the watching briefrevealed natural clay and subsoil levels below the topsoil.Kelmcott, Kelmscott Manor Barn (SU 2510 9891)Kelmscott Manor is best lcnown as the country home ofWilliam Morris, where he lived from 1871 until his death in1896. A programme to refurbish one of the main barns atKelmscott prompted a programme of archaeologicalbuilding recording prior to and during the refurbistunent.Although it is an impressive and attractive building it issigmificant more for its historical association with KelmscottManor and for forming part of a good group of buildingsconstructed in the local Cotswold vernacular style than forany particular intrinsic architectural significance held by thebarn. It is possible that the barn was constructed in the later16th century as part of the original complex but the trussesare of a slightly later date, suggesting the late 17th century.55

OxfordshireMiddle Aston (SP 4756 2703)Jon HillerIn April and May 2000 OA undertook a watching brief atthe former Fired Earth site in Middle Aston. The site appearsto have been covered with an extensive layer of `demolition'or landscaping rubble, that directly overlay the natural sand.This landscaping, that appears to have also involved theremoval of former soil horizons that may have been present,probably took place at the time of the construction of thefactory that formerly occupied the site. Nothing ofarchaeological significance was recorded during thewatching brief.Noke, Tree Nursery, Old School House (SP 5455 1317)Robin BashfordOA carried out a watching brief at this site in =Tuner 2001.No archaeological features were observed during thegroundwork.Oxford, Michael Sobel! House Hospice, ChurchillHospital (SP 5425 0570)Robin Bashford and John HillerIn March 2001 OA monitored the excavation ofgeotechnical test pits at Michael Sobell House, ChurchillHospital. A possible ploughsoil of indetemtinate date wasobserved during the watching brief. This is consistent withthat of a Roman 'subsoil' previously noted duringarchaeological work at The Churchill Hospital (Young,1972; OAU 2000) and it is possibly that archaeologicalremains survive underneath the more recent deposits.ReferencesYoung C J 1972; Excavations at the Churchill Hospital, 1972:Interim Report. Oxoniensia =WMProposed Institute of Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine,Churchill Hospital, Oxford, Evaluation Report, OAU, 2000.Oxford, New Chemistry Laboratory (SP 5170 0692)Beth Charles, Daniel Poore and Alan HardyOA was commissioned by Laing Ltd to undertake anarchaeological excavation on the site of a new laboratorycomplex at 2-4 South Parks Road. The aim of the excavationwas to further investigate archaeological deposits revealedby an evaluation of the site carried out by OA in June 2000.The earliest activity on the site was represented byNeolithic/I3ronze Age pits and a ditch. This was followedby Romano-British activity in the form of field deposits andfeatures possibly characteristic of a nearby settlement focus.No evidence was found of Anglo-Saxon or medievalactivity, the site remaining undeveloped until the 17thcentury. A large part of the site was then occupied by asection of the Civil War outer defensive ditch. The finalphase of activity was represented by the basements andgarden features of 19th century houses along the north sideof the site.Oxford, The Rector's Garden, Lincoln College(SP 5160 0640)Annie Bingham, John Hiller and Alan HardyIn March 2000 OA was conunissioned by Lincoln Collegeto undertake a watching brief within the college groundsduring the excavation of trench runs for new heating andservice ducts. The service trench extends through theFellow's Garden and the Rector's Garden. The excavationsestablished the presence of parts of two walls forming aprobable building aligned east-west inunediately south ofthe college chapel. The exact date of construction of thebuilding was not established, though the walls were setwithin deposits containing a range of post-medievalmaterial. Part of a third wall on a north-northeast -south-southwest alignment corresponds with that of abuilding depicted on Taylor's 1750 map of Oxford. Potteryand glass from associated deposits was of post-medievaldate. No evidence of medieval buildings or occupation wasrecovered from the service trenches. Deposits overlying thedemolished structures indicate that the site was levelled inthe 19th century in preparation for the gardens on the sitetoday.ReferenceTaylor's Map of Oxford, 1750Oxford, Christ Church Cathedral (SP 5145 0600)Jon HillerIn November 2001 and January 2002 OA carried out anarchaeological recording action in Christ Church Cathedral,Oxford, during the re-positioning of St Frideswide's Shrineto its original approximate medieval location in the LatinChapel. Howes Allen & Montgomery, Chartered Architectsconunissioned the work. The work revealed that the shrinehad been rebuilt at least once, with replacement stonesincorporated in the original structure. The shrine hadpreviously been moved to the Lady Chapel in 1889, whereit overlay a grave slab dated to 1632. Excavations throughthe cathedral floor for the new site for the shrine revealedlayers of mortar and concrete.Oxford, 15-16 Ship StreetThe refurbishment of Nos 15-16 Ship Street provided anopportunity to investigate the remains of the City Wall andDefensive Tower (Bastion 5) preserved in the listedbuilding. It is thought that all the towers. are contemporarywith the 13th century rebuilding of the City Walls, which atthis point stands on the late Saxon earth wall of c 900 AD.The investigation found that the tower has many buildingphases and that it has been extensively rebuilt, with originalwork showing at the base. It is possible that the well-built56

east wall is indeed medieval, thus, the south wall is a lateralteration and the wall dividing the cellar is later still. It isof special interest as being one of only two surviving towersthat are still inhabited.Oxford, Wadham College Front QuadThe Oxford Archaeological Unit was commissioned byWadham College to undertake a programme ofarchaeological recording within the south range of the FrontQuadrangle, in advance of the installation of a wheel chairlift. This resulted in changes to the historic fabric, whichwere the subjects of archaeological recording before andduring works. The discoveries could be related to historicplans of the original room layout, which is derived from thenewly built Fellows Quadrangle at Merton College.Evidence was also found for painted decoration on thechamber walls.Oxfordshiredating to the Roman period. A field system dating to the 2ndcentury has also been recorded.Oxford, Staircase 2, Pembroke College (SP 513 059)Andy Holmes and John HillerIn July and August OA undertook a watching brief atPembroke College, Oxford. Some shallow occupationlayers may have been represented, the earliest of whichcontained some early medieval pottery (possibly from the12-14th century). The deposit that contained these sherdswas not fully excavated and it is not dear whether or notthey were part of an in situ medieval horizon. Above thislayer, was a stone structure showing signs of burning. Theburning and the circular shape of the structure facilitated aninterpretation of the feature as a hearth, of post-medievaldate. This hearth probably belongs to the newly establishedPembroke College, as it would have been in 1624. The lowerdeposits may be associated with the preceding buildings onthe site, namely Broadgates Hall.Oxford, St Frideswide's Shrine, Christ ChurchCathedralOxford, Proposed Waste Management Site, MPRD Site,ICate Newell BMW Plant (SP 558 040)Andrew HolmesThe Oxford Archaeological Unit contributed to a measuredsurvey of St Frideswide's Shrine at Christ Church Cathedral. OA undertook an archaeological field evaluation on the siteThe work was carried out to aid general discussions of the proposed New. Waste Management Centre at theconcerning the proposed relocation and reconstruction of BMW Plant, Cowley Works, East Oxford, in April 2001.the monument. Several additional stone pieces from the The evaluation site lies immediately east of the line of theshrine had been discovered during recent excavations at the Roman Road from Dorchester on Thames to Alchester.Cathedral, which provided further evidence of elements ofthe shrine such as the capitals and columns of the piers that Natural clay deposits were recorded at the base of one of thesupported the canopy. An outline survey of the monument trenches, which was sealed beneath a layer of 'made ground'was carried out, at a scale of 1:5, during August 1999. This probably imported when the original car factory was built.was then used as a control framework for Kent Rawlinson A substantial concrete raft was also encountered, and thisto provide detailed measured survey drawings of the relates to an earlier phase of the car plant. The second trenchintricate carving and moulding of the elevations. The exposed a further concrete raft and the remains of a tarmacframework survey was drawn up in AutoCAD and the surface of 20th century date, overlying contaminated naturaldetailed survey drawings were scanned and positioned clay. A large service trench also cut across the line of thecreating composite elevations and plans. These AutoCAD trench. The absence of former soil horizons and finds of anydrawings were then used to trial various reconstruction antiquity from the evaluation suggests that this area of theproposals.current factory was cleared prior to its construction.Oxford, Integrated Disability Centre, NuffieldOrthopaedic Centre (SP 5475 0660)In February and March 2001 OA undertook a watching briefat the Integrated Disability Centre at the NuffieldOrthopaedic Centre. A deposit of probable kiln waste witha sizeable assemblage of Roman pottery was recorded to theeast of the site, adjacent to Windmill Road. The site lieswithin the vicinity of the East Oxford Roman Potteryindustry and there is considerable evidence of Romanactivity close to the area. The majority of this is focussedtowards the south of the NOC, within the grounds of theChurchill Hospital. Past excavations have revealed kilns,potters' workshops, wells, pottery dryers and buildings, allOxford, Site of Former Government Buildings, MarstonRoad (SP5295 0675)Annie BinghamIn October 2001 OA carried out a field evaluation at MarstonRoad in Oxford, on behalf of GSS Architecture, for theirclient, Brookes University. The evaluation revealed a seriesof naturally formed colluvial and alluvial layers to a depthof over 1m. In places these deposits had been truncated byterracing, probably when the recently demolished buildingson the site were constructed. The remains of a possible farmstructure were observed in one of the trenches associatedwith a modern ceramic pipe; titis structure probably dates tothe 19th century. No artefacts were recovered from the57

Wordshireexcavated trenches and no deposits of archaeologicalsignificance were encountered.Oxford, Department of Physiology, North-EastExtension University Parks Science Area](SP 1562 7068)Andrew Holmes]In July 2001 the OA carried out a field evaluation at theDepartment of Physiology, University Parks Science Area,on behalf of the University Surveyor's Office, Oxford. Theevaluation revealed a buried soil horizon of uncertain dateoverlain by modem road surface malce up deposits. Nofeatures were identified within the evaluation trench, despiteits location in an area rich in prehistoric remains.Oxford, Grandpont Causeway, Abingdon Road(SP 5142 0575)John Dalton, Robin Bashford and Alan HardingIn February, March and April 2000, OA undertook awatching brief at the Grandpont Causel.vay on AbingdonRoad in Oxford. Limestone rubble from the Normanbridgework was exposed in plan at the base of the trench.No further fe,atures were seen and no finds were retrieved.Further work was carried out during repairs to the existingwater main in January 2001 and a small section of the easternface of the bridgework was exposed.Oxford, Rewley Abbey Wall, Upper Fisher Row(SP 5067 0846)James Mumford and Jon HillerIn October 2001 OA carried out an archaeological watchingbrief adjacent to a particular segment of the river Thamestowpath which flanks a wall, formerly surrounding theCistercian Abbey of Rewley in Oxford. This section of thetowpath is situated north of the end of Upper Fisher Row.The watching brief was conunissioned by Oxford CityCouncil in advance of the construction of a new footpathwith new lighting. The watching brief revealed probable19th century building footings and brick-built surfaces ofcomparable date, presumably associated with demolishedstructures along the riverside. The structural remains wereoverlain by a general spread of rich loam topsoil that hadalso accumulated over the former path. Medieval depositsknown on the site were not impacted in the course of thework.Oxford, St Christopher's First School, Cowley(SP 5433 0450)James MumfordIn September 2001 OA carried out an archaeologicalwatching brief at St Christopher's First School, Cowley].The work was conunissioned by WS Atltins in advance ofthe construction of a new extension to existing schoolbuildings. The watching brief revealed a deposit of made upground, presumably associated with the construction of theexisting school buildings and post medieval land drains.Oxford, Peers School, Littlemore (SP 5420 0290)James MumfordIn November and December 2001 OA carried out anarchaeological watching brief at Peers School, Littlemore.The work was commissioned by Rokbuild Ltd in advanceof the construction of a new teaching block and car parking.The watching brief revealed no archaeological deposits orfeatures. Pottery sherds were recovered from the subsoil;one piece dated from the Roman period and the rest fromthe 13th to 18th centuries. These derived from manuring andploughing in the field.Oxford, Oxford Castle Mound, New Road (SP 510 063)Jon HillerIn October and November 2001 OA carried out anarchaeological watching brief at Oxford Castie Mound,New Road.] The work was commissioned by WS Atkins andwas undertaken during installation of new security measuresand lighting on the mound. The watching brief comprisedthe photographic recording of the new lighting installationin the well chamber of the mound, and the erection of a newgate to the well chamber. A new fence was also erected atthe base of the mound. Excavations were limited to both ashallow trench for a new electricity cable dug up the side ofthe mound and also some small pits for the erection of thenew gate and fence. The floor deposits of the well chamberand base of its stair well were partly excavated andinspected; a bowl from a late 18th century clay pipe wasrecovered from the floor.Oxford, Broad Street (SP 5130 0644)Annie Bingham and Emily GlassIn November 2001 OA carried out an archaeologicalwatching brief in Broad Street, Oxford. This watching briefwas further to an earlier phase of work that has previouslybeen reported. The work was commissioned by OxfordC,ounty Council in advance of plans to install hydraulicbollards across Broad Street. The work involved themachine excavation of an east-west trench to examine thebelow ground deposits, prior to installation of a drainagepipe to connect the base of the bollards to an existing belowground drain. The watching brief revealed layers of moderndeposits, service pipes and road make-up down to amaximum depth of 1.35m. No evidence of earlier streetsurfaces or archaeological features were revealed.58

OxfordshireOxford, Provost's Garden, Queen's CollegeOxford, Proposed Musculoskeletal Science Centre,(SP 51745 06365) Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (TQ 5455 0660)Robin Bashford and Alan HardyAndrew Mayes and Ken WelshIn April 2001 OA undertook a watching brief in theProvost's Garden, Queen's College. A number of featuresand archaeological deposits were uncovered but due to thenature of the excavation, the interpretation of these wasproblematic. A general sequence of late llth centurydeposits overlain by 13th and 16th century deposits wasinferred from the pottery. One very large feature may havebeen either a pit/quarry or a ditch meriting the boundarybetween messuages.Oxford, St Hilda's College, New student Accomodation(SP 5220 0570)Robin Bashford and John HillerFrom July to September 2001 OA carried out a watchingbrief at St Hilda's College. The earliest finds on the site weredated to the 18th century or later. The absence of medievaland earlier finds from any of the excavated deposits suggeststhat historically the site was little used until the 19th centuryat the earliest. Deposits and pits observed on the site relateto the foundation of buildings on the site in recent times.Oxford, St Giles' Church (SP 5113 0698)John Hiller and Alan HardyOA carried out a watching brief at St Giles' Church, Oxford,in January 2001. Four brick vaults were revealed, of whichone contained a lead coffin and one a wooden coffin. Thesedate to the late 18th to early 19th century. A further brickstructure was identified and this may have served as a watertank. The excavated soil from the trenches contained aquantity of loose human bones, which were replaced belowthe floor. A few coffin fittings dating to the latter half of the18th century/start of the Victorian era were recovered fromgeneral make-up layers. No structural features relating to themedieval church were observed in the course of the workOxford, King's Mill Lane, Marston Road, OxfordCentre for Islamic Studies (SP 5275 0650)John Hiller and Greg PughAn evaluation was undertaken at King's Mill Lane inOxford, in October 2000, by OA. The oldest featuresuncovered comprised a well-preserved cobbled yard surfaceand stone trackway, which were both dated to the 18th/19thcentury. A trackway was located, which is known to havebeen in use in 1913. The structural remains of a gre-enhouseand a well were also dated to the late 19th or early 20thcentury.In January 2001 OA carried out a field evaluation within thegrounds of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Hospital in Oxford.Four trenches were excavated but very little ofarchaeological significance was revealed. A single sherd ofRoman pottery, dated to 2nd century AD, was retrieved froma possible buried ploughsoil, along with an undated smallpit or posthole.Oxford, Said Business School (SP 600 305)Work continued at the Said Business School, in 2001, witha watching brief. Nothing of archaeological significancewas discovered.Oxford, New Oxford University Clubhouse, MansfieldRoad (SP 5175 0608)OA carried out a field evaluation at the site of the UniversityClubhouse on Mansfield Road. The evaluation revealed anundated curvilinear ditch, thought likely to be prehistoric.The University Parks, to the north, have been shown tocontain a range of prehistoric features, including thering-ditches of five Bronze Age barrows and a Roman fieldsystem. There were also features associated with the 'King'sMound' earthwork, a civil war defensive feature adjacent tothe site; excavations to investigate these features wereobstructed, however, by modem services and tree roots.Terracing on the site was investigated and found to be aresult of landscaping for the current playing field.Oxford, The White Hart, Marston (SP 5270 0872)OA was commissioned by Banner Homes, on behalf ofMorrells brewery, to carry out an archaeological desk-basedassessment for the site of the White Horse public house,Marston. The proposed development would entail theconstruction of 11 new homes, the demolition of late19th-early 20th century outbuildings and the conversion ofthe public house onto hvo homes. The scope of the work wasto identify the archaeological potential of the proposeddevelopment area and assess the potential impacts of theproposed development on this resource. Towards the street,the White Hart maintains to a large extent its 17th and 18thcentury appearance (with the exception of the stone-built20th century porch) and, as such, represents an integral andvaluable historic element within the village. To the rear ofthe main range, the series of 20th century brick extensionsare of no architectural merit and serve, if anything, toobscure much of the original range. Internally, successivephases of refurbishment have left little of historic interestwithin the structure. The oldest elements of the extantstructure are found at second floor level and within the roofon the form three stop-chamfered beams and the series of59

Oxfordshire19th century trusses, representing a re-roofing exercisecontemporary with or post-dating the extension of theproperty to the north.Stanton Harcourt, Gill Mill House (SP 3795 0692)Robin BashfordIn July 2001 OA undertook a watching brief at Gill MillHouse, nr Stanton Harcourt. A roughly east-west alignedlimestone wall footing and a potential robber trench on thesame alignment were observed. Also recorded during thewatching brief were a spread of limestone rubble, a largesub-circular feature and a line of potential post-holes. Largequantities of Roman pottery dating from the 1st to 4thcenturies were recovered from deposits closely associatedwith these features, as were a fragment of sculpted ooliticlimestone and a number of coins.Steventon, 1 The Causeway (SU 4175 9195)Robin BashfordIn May 2001 Oxford Archaeological Unit undertook awatching brief at 1 The Causeway, Steventon. Twolimestone wall footings and a brick-lined well wereobserved during the watching brief, as were two anomalousdeposits of uncertain date.Thame, Thame Park (SP 716 038)OA was commissioned by Strutt and Parker to carry out aHeritage assessment and survey of Thame Park, a Grade Ilisted building, on behalf of the owner. The house is knownto incorporate substantial surviving elements from themedieval monastic buildings of the Cistercian Abbey. Muchof the North Wing, including the roof, is of 14th centurydate. The South Range is also partly monastic. The latemedieval buildings of the abbot's house with theirrenaissance decoration are of exceptional importance.Within the grounds there are significant buildings which addto the value of the park. The chapel is believed to be of amonastic date, although heavily restored during the 19thcentury, but its relation to the monastic plan has beenuncertain. It is of equal importance that further unlmownmonastic-period structures survive, either submerged belowthe floor or hidden within the walls of the largely laterbuilding. It is known, for example, that previous (possiblymonastic) buildings were demolished to allow theconstruction of the 18th century West Wing and that at thesouth-west corner of the house, the Palladian building is seton a foundation of much older (again, possibly monastic)stone. During the field evaluations carried out within theRear Courtyard (north-east of the building), medieval walllines and foundations were revealed. These walls suggesteda covered walkway linking the north and south Wings anda further previously unrecorded building to the east of thecourtyard. After building analysis and more excavation, thephasing was established. The eastern half of the South Wingis a later extension of the western half, which belongs to theearliest phase of construction. The covered walkway wouldprobably have been added during the 14th century, when theNorthern Wing's eastern wall (of which it is a continuation)was built. These probably relate to the Infumary buildingseast of the main cloister.A geophysical survey was carried out as part of theevaluation, primarily to ascertain the whereabouts of anysurviving abbey remains. There is no clear record of thelocation of the abbey church or of the other main buildingsbelonging to its complex. Parts of the abbey, possiblyoutbuildings now underneath the stables, were referred to asstill standing in 1785. In 1840, a Mr Twopeny was able toexamine the outline of the church, the results of which werepublished in 1888, yet no plan of this investigation survives.This mentions buildings arranged around three main courts,with the guesthouse in an outer court to the north. The churchis recorded has having been north of the house and itsdimensions were recorded as being 230 x 70 feet (with aLady Chapel extending 45 feet to the east). The resistivitysurvey was carried out as a means of clarification and/orextension of this limited available information. This surveyproduced strong yet inconclusive evidence that the churchlay north west of the house.Tubney Wood, Fyfield and Tubney (SP 4480 0085)Hugo Lamdin-WhymarkThe Oxford Archaeological Unit carried out a fieldevaluation at Tubney Wood Quarry on behalf of HillsMinerals and Waste Ltd. The evaluation revealed anextensive scatter of early Mesolithic flint in the topsoil andsubsoil; early Mesolithic flintwork was also present in seventree-throw holes. In addition, a small number of laterNeolithic and early Bronze Age flints were also recovered.Eight ditches were located, several of which run parallel tomodern boundaries and may represent the medievalprecursors to these. Two of these ditches could be early indate, as the latest material recovered from them is early tomiddle Saxon. Three other undated ditches in the east didnot conform to the modern field layout. A single undated pitwas also uncovered. The early Mesolithic scatter is ofparticular significance as such assemblages are rare in thecounty. The flintwork from the evaluation containedconsiderable evidence of 'mapping and a varied and highproportion of retouched artefacts was present, including twoflints bearing use-wear from scraping hides. Earlyindications may indicate repeated or extended habitation, aswas identified in New Plantation to the south (Bradley andHey 1993).ReferenceBradley P and Hey G 1993; A Mesolithic Site at New Plantation,Fyfield and Tubney, Oxford.shire, Oxoniensia 58, 1-2660

Wallingford, 64/65 High Street (SU 6062 8949)Fig 9. Thame Park. Interpretative plan showing monastic features.In May and June 2000 OA undertook a watching brief duringconstruction work at 64-65 High Street, Wallingford. Thetown is knoWn to date at least to the Saxon period, as issuggested by the Saxon cemetery, predating the 9th centurytown defensive works. It is also Imown that Bullcroft Parklies within the Saxon burh and was the site of theBenedictine Priory of the Holy Trinity. In 1997, OArevealed a large flint foundation and tiles behind 55 HighStreet, which may have been associated with the Prioryfoundations, revealed during the 19th century. During the61

Oxfordshire.".`"May-June watching brief in 2000, a probable charnel pit wasrecovered. The remains of at least 48 individuals werecounted, of both sexes. The bones showed signs of havingbeen damaged after death, possibly by being removed fromtheir original location. The body areas represented alsosupported the interpretation of the pit as being a charnel pit.Certain body parts are usually over represented in charnel,due to being easily recovered during exhumation. This wastrue of the remains from the pit. These remains were possiblyoriginally interred and removed from the Priory. It is alsopossible, however, that they belonged to the Saxoncemetery. Unfortunately, no dating evidence was found tocooberate either theory. There was a suggestion of a mortarand stone floor at the base of one of the trenches, which mayhave been part of the Priory; too little was exposed for aconclusive interpretation to be made.Wantage, 11/12 Market Place (SU 3985 8790)11/12 Market Street in Wantage is an important localbuilding, which has grown in a number of phases from theconstruction of the original section of the building in the16th or 17th century to its substantial renovation in the late19th century. The building was previously investigated andrecorded in 1998 by John Steane and John Rhodes.Structural works in 2000 allowed a further programme ofrecording. The work concentrated particularly on anexposed area of the first floor, including painted joist soffitsand the frame of a gable, which required substantialstrengthening. It also included a general low-level recordthroughout the building and an assessment of its phasing.Fig 10. Thame Park. The Palladian Front (west wing).Watlington, St Leonard's ChurchIn January 2001 OA undertook a watching brief at StLeonard's Church in Wallington. The church was almostcompletely rebuilt in 1877 although surviving featuressuggest that the building dates from as early as the 12thcentury. There are also 14th and 15th century alterations.During the installation of a new floor within the church, awest aligned inhumation and a brick structure were partiallyexposed - the inhumation was left in situ as no further impactwould be made. This burial is likely to have dated to beforethe 1877 renovation. The brick structure was likely to haverepresented either a vault or a brick floor support for anearlier floor surface, presumably that which existed beforethe refurbishment in 1877. Evidence for the refurbislunentof the church in 1877 was also recorded in the form of brickfloor supports and a deposit of lime mortar. Following thereduction of the existing path from the south porch to thelych gate, a number of burials were re,corded, two of whichwere excavated and re-interred prior to the deposition ofhardcore for the new path. Those remaining were left in situas they were only subject to minimal impact from the groundreduction.Weston-on-the-Green, Oxford Court (SP 5328 1880)Dave ThomasonThe OA carried out a field evaluation at Oxford Court inWeston-on-the-Green in June 2001, on behalf of BattertonTyack Architects/Swan Hill Homes Ltd. The evaluation62

atiftitaN' :ji=',41"Q

Oxfordshire4:1revealed no archaeological deposits other than modern madeground and make-up layers. A modern dry stone wall wasobserved which overlay modern deposits.Witney, 6 Church Green (SP 3555 0950)Jim MumfordIn November 2001 OA carried out an archaeologicalwatching brief at 6 Church Green, Witney, Oxfordshire. Thework was commissioned by Skyline Developments inadvance of the construction of a new office building at therear of the property. The watching brief revealed a numberof late post-medieval/Victorian rubbish pits and latepost-medieval wall footings associated with outbuildings onthe site at this time. The function of the buildings isuncertain, but they were evidently associated withproperties on the street frontage.Witney, 4 Meadow View, Cogges (SP 3628 0980)Robin BashfordFig 13. Thame Park. Panell ing in the Abotts Parlour..Woodperry Garden Tower BenjaminM JeffsOA carried out an archaeological and historical analysis ofWoodperry Garden Tower, on behalf of Johnston CavesAssociates. The works revealed that the building post datesthe construction of the retaining walls for the kitchen garden,and is largely of a single phase of construction. The originsof the building may be late 17th or early 18th century.OXFORDSHIRE BUILDINGS RECORDGrant Audley-MillerOxfordshire Buildings Record was launched in may lastyear and has held a number of 'recording days'. the OBRheld a recording day at the Abingdon Police Station on 2September 2001.Abingdon County Police Station (SU 4980 9690)In May 2001 Oxford Archaeological Unit undertook awatching brief at 4 Meadow View, Cogges, Witney. Thedevelopment lies within Scheduled Ancient Monument28177 at SP 3628 0980. No archaeological features ordeposits were observed during the watching brief. Moderndeposits were observed which may relate to work carried outin the 1980s.Abingdon County Police Station was built in 1856 as apurpose built police station to serve one of 9 districts in thethen recently formed Berkshire County police force. Thebuilding was extended in the 1890s and remained inoperational use until 1999.The first phase of 1856 is built of roughly coursed darkyellow ochre limestone rubble, the second phase in64

matching materials probably greensand. The main faade ofthe two phases is plain and unpretentious, with seven bays,symmetrical about a central doorway. It has vertically hungsashes with narrow glazing bars and window dressings ofred brick. The flat arches above the windows and doors areof fine rubbed orange sandy brickwork. An ashlar platbandon the first phase has in Roman capitals the inscription:'COUNTY POLICE STATION'. The roofs aie coveredwith Welsh slate.An early 20th century floor plan shows that the ground floorconsisted of an enquiry office, guard room, mess room andscullery, the sergeant's private suite with a drawing room,sitting room, kitchen and pantry and the superintendent'sstudy. Three windowless cells were located in the centre ofthe building. The first floor was entirely livingaccommodation for the sergeant, superintendent andconstables. the census of 1871 shows that there were 14people living in the station, including the superintendent andhis family and two constables.The cells are one of the most interesting features of thebuilding and are accessed through a set of doors: the firsttimber, the second a heavy wrought iron security gate. Toopen the security gate, the custody officer had to unlock asmall wall-safe and release the sliding metal bolt Thesecurity gate is also fitted with hinge bolts to prevent it beinglifted off its hinges.This set of doors opens into a corridor, lit by the smallheavily barred windows. These windows have heavy stonelintels and diamond-section iron bars which match the cellwindows of the Old Gaol to the rear. Each cell opens ontothe corridor through a wooden outer door, fitted with a lock,and a wrought iron inner security gate with lock. Thespecification for the security gate locks survives in theBerkshire Record Office, along with a number of the tendersreceived. There is no evidence either in the building or inthe Record Office, as to which finn won the job, althoughJames Wilder & Sons of Reading submitted the lowesttender. . Inside each cell is a built-in unit comprising awooden bedstead and toilet and probably dating from themid 20th century. Chain-operated cisterns in the corridorflushed the toilets prior to the installation of push buttonflushes inside the cells. These cells were in use until thestation closed in 1999 and were reputed to be the oldestoperational cells in the country.The first phase of the station appears to have been built in1856. A 'Court Room' is shown on the 1st Edition OS mapof 1874 to the south-east of this first phase and may havebeen for the Police Court. Conflicting evidence from the 1stEdition OS map, auction details and late 19th centuryphotographs make it difficult to establish when the courtroom was demolished, and the extension built.Archive material for the Police station is limited. The onlydocumentary material in the Berkshire Record Officerelating to the construction of Abingdon police station is aOxfordshiretender for £1312 9s 5d for the building, from James Thomas,builders, of Abingdon, dated 25 July 1856. We mightassume that, as this is the only tender to survive, that it wasindeed from the successful firm. The specification for thecell locks and fittings, and five tenders, the lowest of whichwas from Wilders of Reading survive in the BerkshireRecord Office. Neither the Thames Valley Police(successors to the Berkshire force) nor the current ownershold any archive material.The definitive work on the operation of the Berkshire Force'A Short History of the Berkshire Constabulary' providesonly a limited insight into the operation of the force between1856 and the 1950s and almost no information on theAbingdon Station.Conclusions The recording of the County Police Station inAbingdon has uncovered material which has shed light notonly on the building but on the operation of the police forcebetween its establishment in 1856 and the date when it leftthe premises. Few archives appear to have survived and thisstudy has highlighted the effects of the loss ofdocumentation from the very recent past. It has alsohighlighted the paucity of published information about thehistory and operation of the police force. The OBR intendto carry out further archive research to understand thehistory of the building and the operation of the police force,which occupied the building for almost 150 years.Reference'ridge W (Serge,ant) 1956; A Short History of the BerkshireConstabulary (1956)PHOENIX MM ARCHAEOLOGY ANDHISTORIC RESEARCHWigginton Interim Roman Site ReportMark MorrisPhoenix MM Archaeology & Historic Research, is anamateur group consisting of people with diverse interests inarchaeology/history, and was formed in 2000It is a group that welcomes all ages and archaeologicalexperience with an ethos based on membership participationat all levels. The group encourages members to have asmuch fun as possible whilst embracing the golden rules ofHeritage Conservation and Protection.This is a summary of the archaeological investigation work,which has been carried out by the group at the Roman Villasite in the village of Wigginton, in Oxfordshire, during theperiod from Aug 2001-March 2002.Wigginton has been lcnown for some time as the site of aRoman Villa, and has been excavated in varying degreesover a period of some 200 years.65,

OxfordshireIn the 1960s, The Ministry Of Works took on the lastarchived excavation of the Villa, but sadly this work was notfully completed due to the untimely death of thearchaeologist Professor Ian Richmond. To date, no otherexcavation of the villa site or the immediate sunoundingarea has been concluded, so Phoenix Archaeology decidedto investigate further to find out if any evidence lay in andaround the area that mig,ht possibly point to an earlieroccupation.In particular it relates to the discovery of a dark, crop markfeature, that measures approximately 30m square, and hasthe appearance of an enclosure boundary ditch, which showsup only on aerial photographs. There also appears to be around, pit-like crop mark in one corner of this feature. It wasdecided from the beginning, that no immediate excavationof the Roman Villa would take place until investigation ofthese various anomalies was completed. The dimensions ofthe crop mark were estimated by taking a lcnown distanceon the aerial photograph and using it as an increment togauge where best to locate any trench work.To begin with a 7.62m (25ft) x 1m trench (Trench 1), wasdug at a right angle across the boundary ditch crop mark.Just below the topsoil, at a depth of 303 cm, an area of darksoil was noticed which was attributed to a silt infill of a ditchover a period of time and a small amount of Roman stylepottery was also discovered.A second trench (Trench 2) was then opened upapproximately 17m further down the field towards thevillage and cut directly across the boundary ditch crop markagain. It was noted that the ditch had been cut through clayand was approximately 1.83-2.13m wide, however the finallength of this trench has not yet been determined. Onceagain, we noticed the same "dark soil feature" as trench 1,and we also came across a scattering of pottery, tile and bumtstone at the same depth.The group considered the pottery to be Roman, althoughexpert opinion would need to be sought to find a positivedate, area of manufacture and verify the type of material itwas made from. What did prove to be exciting though wasthe discovery of a selection of black rough pottery, whichwas later identified by an expert as almost certainly IronAge. The group discovered the tile was a piece of ImbrexRoman roof tile. However, the bone fragments and the bumtstone were beyond our identification resources.The next stage of the ditch investigation involved randomtest-pits of about 60cm square and 30cm - 35cm deep. Thesewere dug in an area within the enclosure to attempt to locatethe larger pit-like feature that was also seen on the aerialphotograph. The first test-pit revealed no silting or evidenceof a feature but it did yield a flint flake and a piece of bonethat appeared to have cut marks on it. However, the secondtest-pit revealed only natural Cotswold Limestone bedrock.At the time of writing this report, another trench is in theprocess of being excavated and it appears that silt and burntstone have been revealed, therefore the round crop mark,which measures approximately 3m across, may possiblyhave been fotmd, so we are investigating further.To conclude this interim report, it is worth mentioning thegeneral environment in context to the site. The area aroundthe Villa (and the rectangular feature) is undulating andunusually "hillock like" and bounded on two sides by DashLake and the River Swer.The locality has almost certainly had some sort of attractionas a meeting place or gathering area, which has subsequentlyled to the establishment of a settlement. With this in mindthe group will continue further investigations and researchinto the various features and hopefully in the future, be ableto create a better picture of Wigginton's ancient pastTHAMES VALLEY ARCHAEOLOGICALSERVICES LTDAbingdon, Morlands Brewery, Ock Street (SU 49509690)Kate TaylorFollowing the evaluation reported in SMA 31 (65-7),excavation of five trenches at the site of the former MorlandsBrewery in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, discovered complexdeposits representing medieval (11th-15th century)occupation on the south side of Ock Street. This discoveryadds to the information gained from earlier excavations onthe north side of the street at Enock's C.oal Yard (no 75) andthe Mr Warrick's Anns Hotel and The Crown public house(nos 83-88).The combined effect of these excavations is to reveal thatmedieval occupation extended further along this main streetof the town than was previously thought. This suggestsconsiderable westward expansion of the settled area in thellth-13th centuries, by comparison with the Saxonsettlement Trench A was located near the road frontage. Itrevealed 2 substantial buildings represented by series ofearthen floors and massive limestone walls. One of thesewas probably in use from the late medieval period until the17th or 18th centuries. Later phases of site use comprisingfurther walls, brick and flagstone floors, a well, a fireplaceand a probable chimney-stack may be the remains ofdemolished buildings shown on the Ordnance Survey mapof 1874.A number of large medieval (11th to 13th centuries) storageor rubbish pits were found beneath the lowest floors. TrenchB was set further back from the road and-uncovered a largenumber of intercutting pits, some huge, that had beenbackfilled with rubbish. Some were originally domesticstorage pits relating to the buildings, but others seern to havebeen for the industrial processing of animal products,probably including the tanning of leather. The majority of66

these dated from the 16th to the 18th century, some were13th century, and one was Roman. The earliest discovery onsite was a spread of struck flints from the late Mesolithicperiod, c 5000 BC. Trench D was excavated alongside theriver. It revealed dump deposits indicating land reclamation,and pits with timber and mortar linings, probably dating tothe 13th c,entury. Similar pits from other sites are known tohave been used in tanning. In confirmation of this,waterlogged deposits from this area yielded leather offcuts.Other trenches revealed fewer features, mainly medievalpits and gullies, and only a single feature that might datefrom the Saxon period.Abingdon, Abbey House, Abbey Close (SU 5000 9200)M John SaundersA watching brief during stripping of topsoil andcontaminated ground, and construction of piled buildingfoundations and service trenches, did not locate anyarchaeological feahires.Abingdon, South Abingdon Community Centre,Drayton Road (SU 4872 9638)Helen MooreAn evaluation consisting of two trenches did not reveal anyarchaeological deposits or finds; this negative evidence atleast demonstrates that the nearby Saxon cemetery did notextend this far west.Abingdon, Pumney Farm, Radley (SP 5280 9840)Erlend HindmarchAn evaluation comprising 53 trenches located aconcentration of archaeological deposits in the north-westof the site. The majority of the datable features belong to theearly and middle Iron Age, and most of the undated featuresshould probably also be assigned this date.Features included mainly ditches and pits, although acobbled surface is notable. This incorporated numerous IronAge pottery sherds in its make-up, although the occasionalRoman sherd also intruded. Parts of the surface had beenscorched, perhaps suggesting some industrial process, butno indication of the nature of this was evident. This area ofthe site, therefore, seems to have seen Iron Age occupation.Further south, the evidence consisted mainly of ditcheswhich can be interpreted as field botmdaries and paddocks.These include both Iron Age and Roman examples, some ofwhich coincide with cropmarks already known from aerialphotography. There was no indication of any further activitybefore the 16th century at the earliest. The potteryassemblage included 243 Iron age sherds, 33 Roman and 11post-medieval. A nurnber of features also produced smallquantities of animal bone, but no other finds were retrieved.Banbury, Hanwell Fields (SP 449 424)Jo PineFour evaluation trenches encountered no archaeology.Blackthorn, Elm Tree Farm, Station Road(SP 6242 1952)Steve Hammond and Steve FordAn evaluation comprising eight trenches identified anumber of archaeological features, confined to a singletrench. Two small ditches may be late Saxon in date; thesewere covered by what appears to have been a medievalmidden, which contained large, unabraded pottery sherds,and well-preserved animal bone.Oxford, Church Cowley, St James First School,Bartholomew Road (SP 5435 0353)Sin AnthonyA series of watching briefs during the digging of foundationtrenches and landscaping revealed nothing of interest.Oxford, Church Cowley Van Dieman's Lane allotments(SP 5440 0344)M John SaundersSix evaluation trenches revealed nothing of interest; morespecifically, no trace was found of a suspected earlyboundary ditch, nor of an accompanying bank.Cowley, Garden House, Hollow Way (SP 5482 0446)M John SaundersSix evaluation trenches revealed nothing earlier than a pitfilled with 20th-century rubble.Cropredy, Claydon Road (SP 4665 4670)M John SaundersOxfordshireTwo evaluation trenches revealed sections of undated ditchand a small undated pit. A single broken flint flake from thespoilheap which could not be closely dated was the onlyfmd.Dorchester-on-Thames, former Filling Station, HighStreet (SU 5788 9410)Sarah ColesBoth evaluation trenches uncovered intercutting earlyRoman features, mainly pits. Over 200 sherds of potteryincluded numerous imports (South and Central GaulishSamian, Spanish and Gaulish amphoras, North Gaulishcolour coated, rough-cast beaker) as well as regionally67

Oxfordshiretraded and local wares. The emphasis is clearly on wareswith a 1st century currency, with little beyond the middle ofthe 2nd. Small quantities of animal bone, oyster shell andceramic building materials were also recovered. Latermaterial was surprisingly rare, confined to a singlepost-medieval pot sherd. Graves (undated but thoughtpossibly to be Saxon) have been recorded from landimmediately adjacent, and fragments of human bone werealso recovered from the spoilheaps of both trenches here; nonew light can be shed on the dating of these remains. Nofeatures resembling graves were observed, but it is unlikelythere would have been Roman burials so well within thepresumed line of the Roman defences. These finds fitcomfortably with other Roman evidence from Dorchester,although the limited date range suggests an early change inlanduse in this area after an apparently prosperous start. Itis possible this relates to the development of the civiliansettlement from an early fort, although clearly more work isneeded on this question. Finally, the lack of medievalactivity from a site so close to the Abbey is surprising, andnot easily dismissed as being due to truncation.Dorchester-on-Thames, 1 Manor Farm Road(SU 57900 94450)Erlend HindmarchDuring replacement of an existing garage, a watching briefrecorded only an undated but probably relatively modemstone wall, constructed as two faces of roughly faced,irregular limestone block, random coursed, with rubbleinfill. This wall followed the modem property boundary.Headington, former Garage site, Mason's Road(SP 5545 0626)M John SaundersFour evaluation trenches revealed no features or finds.Headington, former Slade Hospital, Miscall Avenue(SP 5556 0540)M John SaundersTwo phases of evaluation trenching, eight trenches in all,located nothing predating the hospital.Didcot, Didcot Girl's School, Sherwood Rond(SU 5132 9003)Steve FordA watching brief during the digging of fotmdations for anextension uncovered only a substantial ditch backfilled withmodem rubble.Henley-on-Thames, Catherine Wheel Hotel, Hart Street(SU 7610 8270)Jamie PrestonIn advance of a number of proposed alterations, particularlythe installation of a lift shaft, to this Grade II Listed Building,a standing building survey was carried out, comprisingwritten, drawn and photographic records of both interior andexterior features. The hotel originally consisted of 7-9 HartStreet but now also extends to adjacent properties atnumbers 11-15. The main phases of development could beidentified in the timber frame of the original structures. Theearliest (now very fragmentary) elements appear to datefrom the 16th century but could correspond with the firstknown reference to the building in 1499.Extensive modifications occurred in the late 17th or 18thcentury, and seveml major modifications were made in the18th century. Further phases of development followed in the19th and 20th centuries. Of particular note is thedemonstration that the 16th-century structure at Number 9was originally set well back from the street frontage, andperpendicular to it, and only later extended towards thestreet. Most of what is visible today dates from the18th-century phase of development, much of which seemsto have occurred in the second quarter of that century. Thestable block behind Number 7 dates to the late 18th or early19th century, a clear response to the rising demands of coachtmvel. Subsequent developments all tended to encroach onthe stable yard space, as the coaching facilities declined inimportance.Oxford, Larkrise First School, Boundary Brook Road(SP 5320 0465)Andy TaylorThree evaluation trenches revealed nothing of interest.Henley-on-Thames, Church Avenue (SU 7630 7727)Jamie PrestonA standing building survey was undertaken, supplementinga previous survey at the Old Brewery Yard (SMA 31,69-70)to ascertain whether an opening for a doorway could bemade at any point in the 16th century malthouse wall. Noevidence was found of any pre-existing opening, and themain longitudinal elements of the structure appeared toextend the entire length of the wall.Oxford, Oxford High School, Belbroughton Road(SP 5118 0861)Kate TaylorAn evaluation consisting of flute trenches produced onlythree sherds of pottery (two medieval, one 19th century) afragment of burnt flint and three undiagnostic tile fragments,all from deposits also containing modem material. Themajor deposit encountered was an alluvial clay which mayhave been dredged from the river and was used to level outa slope in advance of tennis court construction. This overlay68

a buried ploughsoil which yielded a single sherd of16th-century pottery, which need not necessarily provide areliable date for this layer.Oxford, University Sports Centre, Iffley Road(SP 5225 0550)Kate TaylorA single evaluation trench revealed a shallow gully whichcontained a single prehistoric flint and 60 very fragmentarypieces of animal bone including a sheep jaw and pig tusk.Borehole data suggest there may be a palaeochannelwith a red sandy silt up to 2m deep, which may have thepotential to pmduce palaeo-envirozunental evidence.Oxford, The Oxford Hotel, Godstow Road(SP 4954 1013)A first phase of evaluation revealed nothing of interest; asecond phase is anticipated.Shipton-under-Wychwood, Bradley's Garage, HighStreet (SU 27850 18000)Andrew Taylor.A watching brief following the earlier evaluation (SMA 31,71) revealed nothing of interest in either the foundationtrenches or the areas previously occupied by fuel tanks.Thame, 12a Bell Lane (SP 7057 0607)Clare Challis and Graham HullA watching brief during digging of foundations for newoffices did not encounter any archaeological features; theoriginally sloping site had been levelled by the importationof soil relatively recently.Wallingford, Lamb Garage, Castle St (SU 6075 8952)Graham Hull and Jo PineFour evaluation trenches revealed a complex sequence ofdeposits dating from the late llth or 12th century, andpossibly from the 10th, all sealed below a 19th centurydeposit which may be a buried soil or a levelling layer. TheSaxon or early medieval deposits included pits, post holes,possibly a wall line, and a buried soil. Dating was providedby a very consistent pottery assemblage amounting to 89sherds. The location of the site within the Saxon burh andthe comparative lack of archaeological work in theimmediate vicinity increase the significance of thesefindings.OxfordshireWantage, Yoplait Dairy Crest site, Grove Road(SU 4000 8902)AndreW TaylorAn evaluation totalling 16 trenches produced severalmedieval features. A gully terminus and two more sectionsof what is presumably the same gully were revealed acrossthine trenches. One medieval, one possibly medieval andone undated ditch were also revealed. Apart from a singleRoman sherd from the medieval ditch, all the pottery couldbe dated to the 1 lth century, although a wider range ispossible. A small assemblage of highly fragmented animalbone was also recovered from these features. The resultsappear to point to a small early medieval farm nearby.Witney, 100 The Crofts (SP 3544 0940)Clare A ChallisNothing of interest was observed during a watching briefduring groundworks for new building.Yarnton, Begbroke Business Park, Sandy Lane(SP 4790 1355)Clare A ChallisNineteen evaluation trenches produced a single small,undated pit. No finds were recovered.Publications:'Saxon, medieval and post-medieval deposits at WaterperryHouse, Waterperry, near Wheatley, Oxfordshire', by Steven D GWeaver and Graham Hull with contributions by Paul Blinkhom,Sheila Hamilton-Dyer, Mark Robinson and CatherineUnderwood-Keevil. Oxoniensia LXV, 333-43.'iron Age and Roman Settlements, with prehistoric and Saxonfeatures, at Fenny Lock, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire,' bySteve Ford and Kate Taylor, Rec of Bucks 41 (2001), 79-123.UNIVERSITY OF OXFORDThe Hinforts of the Ridgeway Project: Excavations atMarcham/Frilford 2001.Gary Lock, Chris Gosden, David Griffiths, Patrick Daly,Vuk Trifkovic and Tim Marston.The work at Marcham/Frilford fits in with the wider aims ofthe Hillforts of the Ridgeway Project in exploring theRidgeway in southern Oxfordshire as both a physical entitythat could act as a conduit for movement and as a culturalbarrier separating the chalk downlands from the Vale of theWhite Horse. After seven seasons of work on the BerkshireDowns we now have an understanding of the character ofoccupation from the Later Bronze Age through the Iron Ageand Romano-British periods. Information is available fromthe three sites excavated, White Horse Hill in 1994 and 199569

Oxfordshire(Lock et al in press), Segsbury Camp in 1996 and 1997(Lock and Gosden 1997; Lock and Gosden 1998) andAlfted's Castle, 1998 to 2000 (Gosden and Lock 1999;2001; Lock and Gosden 2000), and also from wider researchincluding GIS-based integrated landscape research (Belland Lock, 2000; Daly and Lock, forthcoming), the resultsof the English Heritage National Mapping Programme andour own geophysical surveys.As in previous years the excavation acts as a trainingexcavation for Oxford University students and is conunittedto education in the widest sense. An Education Officer wason-site throughout the month of excavation and gave toursto over a thousand visitors including groups from localschools and commtmity organisations. Various activitieswere organised for National Archaeology Day and talks aregiven to groups throughout the year.Marcham/Frilford provides an opportunity for furthergeophysical survey, targeted excavation, wider landscapesurvey and the collection and collation of existing evidenceincluding aerial photographs and unpublished fieldwork inthe area. This should provide a finer resolution of the resultsfrom earlier work at Frilford and enable a betterunderstanding of the economic and social articulation in theVale during these periods, the effects of Romanisation onthe late Iron Age settlement pattern, and a valuablecomparison with the evidence from the Downs.Previous work at the site staned with the recognition andpartial excavation of a late Romano-British andAnglo-Saxon cemetery (Akennan, 1865; Calldns, 1978;Dudley-Buxton, 1920; Rolleston, 1869; 1880). ARomano-British temple and underlying Iron Age structuresin the gardens of the ex-Noah's Ark pub were excavated inthe 1930s (Bradford and Goodchild, 1939) andre-interpreted in the 1960s (Harding, 1987). These, togetherwith considerable aerial photographic evidence for a seriesof enclosures, are now scheduled and will not be part of thecurrent fieldwork. This will concentrate in the field to theeast of the temple where Hingley has shown the presence ofan amphitheatre (briefly published in 1985), which togetherwith extensive surrounding material produced byfieldwalking, suggests a major Romano-British religiouscentre. Our work will explore the character, dating andextent of this settlement through large-scale geophysics andtargeted excavation.Fig 14 shows the first phase of the geophysics(magnetometry), approximately 4 ha, carried out by OxfordArchaeotedmics in June 2001. It can be seen that the detailwithin the geophysics is quite remarkable and provided anaccurate guide for the positioning of exploratory excavationtrenches. The grid established for the geophysics was usedfor the precise location of the trenches.Brief Report on the Excavations in 2001.Trenches 1 and 9 are located on the amphitheatre, the formeron the eastern entrance and the latter on a geophysicalanomaly to the south which coincides with the previousexcavations of Hingley. Both of these trenches aretInfinished and will continue in 2002.Trench 1.Fig 15 shows the main features of the amphitheatre's easternentrance in schematic form as many issues are yet to beresolved in Trench 1 and excavation will continue in 2002.The amphitheatre was positioned within a dry valley whichcontained thick deposits of sandy loam, a material relativelyeasy to work with not found anywhere else on the site. Thearena was cut down through bedrock in places, as shown bycut [1116] in the south-western corner of Trench 1. Justinside this cut the arena wall was constructed enclosing anarea of approximately 47m diameter, [1117]. The top of thewall was also identified as it approached the entrancepassage, [1125], although this has yet to be excavated.Material excavated from the arena filled the gap between thearena wall and the bedrock cut and was heaped up to createthe bank approximately 15m wide. At least one layer of localstone and day was incorporated within the bank probablyas a stabilisation mechanism as the sandy loam is notinherently stable. Sondages through the bank show that littleof it remains, 0.2m maximum, truncation finishing at thelowest layer of stone and clay. The rear of the bank has yetto be fully excavated but there is a suggestion of a stone andturf revetment. The geophysics also suggest some form ofrear revetment for most of its circuit. No evidence for seatingstructures on the bank has yet been found such as postholesor timber slots, and it may be that people stood.The eastern entrance passage is defined by a gap through thebank and is indicated on the geophysics by a strong negativeanomaly. Complex stratigraphy fills the entrance passagewhich has yet to be resolved and shows considerable activitywithin the passage when it was filling. A distinct contextcould define a wooden revetting wall on the southem side[1031], probably covered with pink plaster as suggested bypieces found within the fill of the entrance. Nothing foundso far offers an interpretation for the geophysical anomalyalthough the entrance passage probably slopes down into thearena and the arena floor could be at least a metre deeper atthe inner end of the passage where the top of the arena wallhas been identified. The anomaly, therefore, representssomething at a lower level within the entrance passage,perhaps a paved floor or stone from a collapsed bankrevetment.As yet there is no dating evidence from Trench 1 and nothingto suggest more than a single phase of construction.Trench 9.At the southem side of the amphitheatre excavation withinTrench 9 explored the stone structure first discovered byHingley (1985) in order to understand more about theconstruction of the bank, the arena wall and base, as well asthe stone structure itself. Hingley's trench was located andre-opened, revealing the top of the arena wall and part of thestone-built structure. As with trench 1 all conclusions are70

OxfordshireMarcham/Frilford (MF01) July 2001Magnetometer (gradiometer) survey, scale 1:1000Oxford Archaeotechnics June 2001http://www.archaeotechnics.co.ukFig 14. Results of the magnetometry survey at Marcham/Frilford, June 2001 showing the excavation trenches, (OxfordArchaeotechnics).71

Oxfordshireo44-I C1)Et(Fig 15. Trench 1. A schematic plan of the amphitheatre's eastern entrance showing the arena wall and the banks.72

preliminary. The trench as a whole stretched from the centrepoint of the arena to the back of the bank (as determinedfrom the geophysical plot). In the interior of the arena weremoved the topsoil but did not excavate, concentrating ourefforts on the area from the front of the arena wall to theback of the bank (Fig 16 shows part of the area of the trench).At the southern end of the trench the back of the bank wasrevealed, but so far no rear revetment has been found. Thebank is composed of clay and sand in discontinuous layersand so far no evidence of structures has been found in termsof either post holes or stonework to support the bank. Noevidence of seating is preserved. A strip was excavatedthrough the bank at the southern end of the trench and it ispossible that there is both a buried soil (of Iron Age date?)and some structural evidence in the fonn of postholesbeneath the bank, but this requires confirmation throughfurther excavation.Adjacent to the arena the bank dips down to meet arevetment wall, preserved to almost a metre in height. Thewall [9034] is a well-built stone and mortar structure,composed of well-dressed limestone blocks. On thesouthern side, supporting the bank, is a less well-laid wall[9033] composed of poorly dressed limestone blocks, mostof which are not set in mortar. It is not clear at this stagewhether these walls are of a single phase. At a depth ofamund a metre from the top of the outer wall is the arenafloor, composed of well-packed gravel. We have justrevealed the top of this floor and can say no more about itscomposition and structure as yet.The most striking feature on this part of the site was a smallwalled room let into the bank on the southern side of thewall. It is composed of three walls [9004, 9007, 9066] withthe arena walls forming a fourth side. The room is roughly2.5m east-west and just over 4 m north-south. Exactly howit relates to the amphitheatre wall and the bank needs to beconfirined, but at the present the following sequence can beposited. The bank was constructed first and then theretaining wall at the front was built. The room was then letinto the bank which had been removed in this area.Sediments then accumulated within the room, eventuallyfilling it to the remaining height of the walls. Once this infillwas completed a roughly rectangular structure [9006] madeof large dressed blocks was placed on top of the sediment,Fig 16. Around this structure a relatively large number ofcoins and a fibula with embossed decoration wererecovered. We have sectioned the internal depositsremoving those from the western half of the structure, butthis needs to be completed in 2002. Only then will it bepossible to say more about the construction sequence andpossible function of this structure. Similar structures havebeen found at other British amphi theatres, for instance at themilitary amphitheatre at Caerleon and that outside the townof Calleva Atrebatum (modern Silchester). In neither caseis it clear what function the structures performed.In all, trench 9 has started to reveal important evidence onthe structure and history of construction of the amphitheatre,evidence that needs clarification through further excavation.OxfordshireTrench 2.This trench was posidoned over the central area of a largerectilinear magnedc anomaly which seemed to represent alarge stone structure (or `building), c 30m by 15m, with itslong axis lying east-west. On the west, north and east sidesthere appeared to be smaller rectilinear extensions orside-chambers, and there was evidence of probable pits andareas of rubble or disturbance within the walled area.Within a day of begimiing the excavation, it became clearthat the deposits in Trench 2., including the linear stonefeatures which comprised the 'building', were extremelyfragile and extensively robbed and plough-darnaged. Theshape of the two main stone `wall' features crossing thetrench area east-west, [2027 - 2006] (S) and [2025-2003](north), including the square northern extension [2009,2017, 2026], was quickly determined, Fig 17. Subsequentcleaning and recording showed these main `walls' were infact very shallow flat features made up of small ooliticlimestone rubble stones, laid against the sides of shallowflat-bottomed trenches. Hence these features can be bestinterpreted as wall-foundations rather than the lower coursesof true upstanding walls, built against the sides of shallowlinear cuts into the underlying Iron Age soil. Evidence ofplough striations and some damage on top of the stonefeatures show that their upper surface defines the base of theploughsoil, although in the softer deposits in the centre ofthe `building' the plough has cut slightly deeper.Along the southern 'wall', robbing and plough-damage hadresulted in much of the stone being removed, although theoutline of the former wall or foundation trench was clearlyvisible and filled with a dark secondary deposit. There wasalso a line of decayed mortar remaining on the inner (north)edge of [2027]. Two opposed pairs of mortar plinths oneither side of the southern 'wall' defined the sides of aprobable entrance [2040, 2042]. In addition, in the northernpart of the trench, a secondary rubble wall [2004], with aprobable parallel wall in the trench edge to the north [2005]were discovered leading east from the northeast corner ofthe square extension [2009/2026]. Of very poorconstruction, these may represent a later phase extemal tothe main enclosed area. No finds were discovered within thematrix of the stone features.Within the area enclosed by the main 'walls' was a complexseries of discontinuous deposits which reflected verysubstantial plough-damage. In fact, any Roman-period orlater occupation surfaces in the centre of the 'building' hadbeen all but ploughed away, with only a speclded trace ofpowdered ceramic material, some late Roman coins and theoccasional Roman metal object such as nails or braceletfragments remaining in the base of the ploughsoil. Withinthe rest of the 'building' where Roman material had beenploughed-out, the layer which remained beneath theploughsoil, a mottled brown/orange layer, seems torepresent an Iron Age soil. In the east-centre of the trench,traces of burnt wood survived at the interface between thelowest ploughsoil and the surface of: this seemed to point tothe remains of a Roman-period burning (?destruction) layer73

OxfordshireMF 01Trench 9Trench continuesTrench continues116,29 41429115,28141520.56,204_ 04,200 Stone[-_] Mortar11Trench continuesTrench continues0 1 2 3 4 5 MetresFig 16. Trench 9. The southern area of the amphitheatre showing the stone room and the arena wall.74

.°C3MF 01Trench 2.35 3225.32Oxfordshire(02 Area containingconcentrated depositof Roman building.materials, hobnailsand coinsED Gravel and mortaro Stoneires,a'rKS Dcr-4,777i A°. z=5:$4°.VcEptc2D agAs ° -;",_ 6.1.e eo 2LIU0.. 00,:cr?Oh6:;,.14at..0oq et, blalto!'P°:;1. 4W44..itlEXa .:.1c2.40 67; crWa,to e 0tto,D, g., o,'&17=3, too. :34 °(!)..!Q0.0 74. et .°ea Cc. t0 GO eooA i.°;ef.ooj;c:O of 0.cs,9 0 PD; çk4; Iv)0, Delp isip g _D oi .0. .0 0 .. .bstti--11.0Gob. °*o !all-CI.b 'ô 9°-odoRobbed08o 0 000e O g" %VA . 0 o°ci6 O._azro%`b 0 !d é IV... C=I- Op, !:.**.q1§-,Ci\N.01E:D35,120 2 3 4 5 MetreSFig 17. Trench 2. Part of the late Romano-British building.75

Oxfordshirecomprising the fallen and burnt remains of structural timberswhich had subsequently been almost erased by ploughing.The few surviving pieces of burnt timber were sampled. Anidentification of oak was made, but further analyses,including scientific dating, have yet to be completed.Several pieces of Iron Age pottery were found whencleaning the surface of the Iron Age soil, and into it were cuta variety of stake-holes, small pits or post-holes (one ofwhich had a stone quern fragment apparently deliberatelydeposited in it), and at least one large circular Iron Agebowl-shaped pit cut through to the limestone bedrock. Thenorthwest corner of the square extension to the main northwall [2009-2017] was built over an in-filled Iron Age pit[2010]. The general pattern of Iron Age stakeholes, smallpits and postholes (which were difficult to interpret instructural terms), extended with little variation over thewhole trench, both within and outside the area of the'building'. In the extreme northern extra-mural zone, onesmall pit contained a piece of human cranium, another[2014] had a fine polished bone weaving pin and a smallsemi-complete carinated bowl of possible earlyAnglo-Saxon or alternatively Iron Age date (yet to besubjected to specialist analysis).There were two significant exceptions to the general loss ofRoman and later deposits within the 'building'. In theeast/centre of the trench was a slightly-raised platform ofburnt clay and mortar [2126] which may represent a hearth,or alternatively a burnt architectural feature such as a largepost-pad. Around this raised area (which survived ploughdestruction, perhaps due to the harder texture of the burntclay deposits) was preserved a slight trace of possiblesurviving floor surface.In the western side of the trench, layers of mortar mixed withburnt soil, animal bone and extensive Roman tile rubblewere excavated [2070]. With its upper part actuallyoverlapping part of the base of 'wall' [2025], this layerappears to represent a secondary occupation deposit withinthe 'building'. A particular feature of this series of linkeddeposits was the discovery of over 200 stratifiedlow-denoniination Late Roman copper coins. A number ofcoins (some of which were cut) dating to the periods AD300-48 and 365-78, with five post-dating 378, seem toindicate moderate coin use on the site extending to very latein the Roman period. The rest of the coins discovered in thisarea of the site, comprising circa 75% of the total, were FelTemp Reparatio copies dating to the period AD 350-65.Some of these were unusually small, and were onlyretrievable with continuous pre-excavation monitoring bymetal-detector. The Fel Temp Reparatio series are probablyfrom a dispersed hoard. A further unstruck coin blank ispossible evidence of coin production at the site.The layer producing the majority of coins [2070] was alsonotable for numerous sherds of Oxfordshire colour-coatedRoman pottery (late 3rd/early 4th century) and the largequantity of Roman hobnails retrieved. A preliminaryanalysis of the tile suggests that it is extremely varied in type,and therefore less likely to be the result of an in-situ roofcollapse than a dump (or dumps) of tile rubble brought infrom elsewhere. This would seem to indicate a secondaryfloor was laid in this part of the 'building'. Its full extent anddepth is yet to be determined, but its eastern edge extendsno further than the interior 'wall' corner [2017/2025]. Thesouthern edge is harder to define as it gradually thins outover an Iron Age soil.A very preliminary interpretation is that the area of Trench2 saw considerable Iron Age activity, characterised bynumerous small pits. At some stage in the Later Romanperiod, stone foundations (perhaps designed to support thesill-beams of a large timber building) were cut into this IronAge soil. The building may not have lasted long before itwas destroyed by fire, and the interior was subsequentlypartly re-floored with Roman tile rubble. On presentindications, activity seems to have extended to the very lateRoman period but there is very little evidence for anysubsequent presence. These preliminary interpretations willbe reviewed during further excavation.Trench 3.The excavations at Trench 3 were placed to investigate twodistinct features visible from the geophysical survey: asmall, sub-circular enclosure, and part of a largerrectangular enclosure at the point where both featuresintersect, Fig 18. Before excavation the evidence suggesteda smaller prehistoric enclosure cut by a Roman ditchedenclosure. Based upon a preliminary assessment of thefeatures and material culture recovered, a number ofepisodes of activity have been identified, four of which havea definite chronological sequence based upon excavatedrelationships.1st Phase:The earliest evidence of activity was found in the bottomlayers of the large enclosure ditch. This ditch, initiallythought to be Roman, actually consisted of two distinctphases, Fig 6, the earlier of which has been clearly dated bythe presence of an almost complete Middle Bronze Agebucket urn found broken and laid, seemingly deliberately,on its bottom [3113]. The profile is approximatelyV-shaped, a little over a metre deep, cutting through about0.5 m of limestone bedrock before entering into fine sand.The fills of the ditch that remained were mainly composedof a mixture of sand and gravel, not easily distinguishablefrom the natural soil it cut through. In fact, its identificationas a distinct feature might have been missed entirely if notfor the ceramic finds.2nd Phase:A roughly circular arrangement of small pits that werelargely truncated by the smaller enclosure ditch of the nextphase [including pits 3079, 3096, 3045], Fig 18. While itwas not possible to excavate any completely, the fills thatsurvived contained moderate quantities of ceramics, faunalremains, and small finds. A preliminary assessment of thematerial suggests an early Iron Age date.76

i1 3045MF O1Trench 3OxfordshireContinuation of ditch 3095 1Pit1Deep sondageContinuation ofDeep sondageHITT1.117MDeep sondage1 3113(31131Continuation ofditch acral"L1Suggestedpit3014 1o I3145 1C!)13143 13010I 31471Sandy depositEEOi Suggested \pitljjContinuation ofditch 1 3095 1; LimestonePit1 3079 121,260 1 2 3 4 5 MetresFig 18. Trench 3. The complex of ditches and pits ranging in date from middle Bronze Age to Romano-British.77

Oxfordshire3rd Phase:The pits were difficult to identify because the sub-circularsmall enclosure ditch cuts through them largely disturbingmost of their original fills. This ditch [3095] varies slightlyin dimensions and shape, but was mainly flat bottomed,rather narrow and steep sided, cut no deeper than 0.8m intothe subsoil. A number of sections were excavated throughthe ditch, showing that there were between 3 and 4 mainfills, Fig 20. A great deal of ceramics, faunal remains, andsmall finds were recovered from these fills, a preliminaryassessment again indicates an Early Iron Age date.4th Phase:The sequence was further complicated because the BronzeAge ditch, which had been cut by the Early Iron Age pitsand enclosure ditch, was then partially re-dug, [Cut 3091],Fig 19. The fills of this later cut were mostly homogenous,and very distinct from the Bronze Age fills. A few sherds ofpottery were found within the main fill of this later cut, anda field assessment of this material indicates a Roman date.Within the circular enclosure, but not stratigraphicallyrelated, are a number of postholes . They suggest that perhapsseveral phases of timber structures existed. However, it wasnot possible to identify a clear and articulated outline of anydistinct structure. A limited amount of Early Iron Agepottery was recovered from the fill of several postholes. Itis thought likely that the timber structures were related toeither the 2nd or 3rd phase of activity outlined above.Trench 4.Trench 4 was opened within the interior of the largerrectangular enclosure, to ascertain if any archaeologicalevidence existed therein. Two features were found andexcavated in full. While a slight amount of material culturewas found, including a Roman coin, the features aretree-throws. Trench 4 did show that the centre of the largerenclosure did not play host to any activities that requiredfeatures cut into the underlying geology.Trench 12.Trench 12 was excavated to verify that both sections of thelarger enclosure ditch were part of the same feature, anumber of other cut features were also excavated.A new excavation methodology was experimented withduring the excavation of Trench 12. The idea was to devisea strategy that would capture, in a digital format, fineresolution information from the archaeological depositsexcavated. The project was designed not merely to probe thepossibilities and capacities of digital data capture (as theyhave already been demonstrated elsewhere), but to developnew ways to use digital tools (such as total stations, digitalcameras, on-site databases, etc.) to obtain more informationabout the complex relationships between objects, contexts,and features. Furthermore, an additional aim was to collectthis information in a way suitable for publication within anelectronic format.The basic unit of the recording strategy was the individualartefact. Each artefact was assigned a unique identifier andrecorded separately. The exact position of each artefact wasrecorded by total station, and if deemed necessary, theartefact photographed (digitally) in situ. A database of allobjects was compiled on site. On site photography useddigital cameras within a geo-referenced grid so that allphotos could be geo-referenced. The same teclmology,coupled with detailed micro-topographical survey of thefeatures using a total station was used across the entimtrench. This procedure resulted in data that can beinterpolated into a surface model, with the geo-referencedphotos 'draped' on it, creating a realistic 3D model of eachfeature, at all stages of its excavation. The process ofhorizontal photography and micro-topographical surveywas conducted at the interface of all contexts, and withincontexts if there was clustering of artefacts. The finalproduct allows for the micro-topographical surveys anddigital images to be fitted together to re-create the features,including the 3D positioning of all artefacts.Trench 12 contained a variety of features, most of whichwere not stratigraphically related, Fig 21. A layer of tightlypacked, fist sized stone cobbles was found during theremoval of the topsoil, in the southwest portion of the trench.This surface [12017] was densely covered in oyster shells,and a rich assortment of Roman artefacts, including terrasigillata tesserea, and pottery. A metre wide section was dugthrough the tail end of this surface, and into the ditch [12052]that lay directly undemeath it. The ditch follows the samealigmnent as the surface, and it seems likely that the surfacewas intentionally laid over the upper fill of the ditch toconsolidate it. The ditch, thought to be part of the same largerectangular enclosure as that found within Trench 3,contained three instances of re-cutting, Fig 22. The first cutwas a V-shaped ditch [12052], of similar dimensions to thatfound in Trench 3, with two additional cuts madesubsequently [12033 and 12053]. While it is not identical tothe ditch in Trench 3, it does seem to have been part of thesame sequence of construction.A number of pits and postholes were also excavated. It isnot possible to distinguish the layout of any structures fromthe arrangement of the postholes, and two out of the fourexcavated were little more than shallow scoops in thebedrock. The pits were much more prolific. A cluster ofthree inter-cutting pits was found in the northern portion ofthe trench. The earliest pit [12046] was subsequently cut by[12047], and in tum both were cut by [12048]. At the bottomof the latest pit several large manunal bones were depositedagainst the sides. The fills that remained from these pits didnot contain a large amount of artefacts, but the ceramicsrecovered strongly indicate an Early Iron Age date for thesefeatures. A smaller pit was found in the east of the trench[12021] containing numerous finds, including most likelydeliberately deposited faunal remains and Iron Age pottery,capped by a tighdy packed layer of small limestone cobbles.Nearby, a shallow oval depression, [12015], contained acoarse Bronze Age um, in poor condition, but mostlycomplete, and deposited upright in situ. The entire block was78

CI)ooO)Oxfordshireremoved by a conservation specialist and the interior of thevessel has not been excavated yet. This feature was cut by asub-rectangular pit, [12003] with upper fills containing ashand burnt material, and some skeletal material, which wasnot possible to identify in the field. In lower levels, a largeamount of very well preserved, and almost completeceramic vessels were found, possibly Saxon in date. It ispossible that this feature was some sort of cremation, but noskeletal material was recovered to positively identify it assuch.Just to the north was a narrow rectangular feature, [12002].Traces of firing were visible on the surrounding limestone,and burnt material, half formed bits of metalwork and slagwere found, indicating that this feature was used as a smallfurnace of sorts. A fair amount of Roman ceramics was alsofound within this feature.Filially, a spread of badly decayed and truncated humanremains was found in a radius of about 1m, just southwestof the three inter-cutting Iron Age pits. The remains werefound within a barely perceptible dip of the bedrock, andseem to have been that of a child. The burial lacked anygrave goods, or clear association with any features, artefacts,or hints of formality of disposal, therefore no speculationcan be made about the date.Trench 5.The geophysics show a linear anomaly running across thenorthern side of the site on an approximatelyeastnortheast-westsouthwest trajectory, Fig 14. Trench 5was positioned where this feature gave its strongestreadings, but also where it could be observed to intersect asecond linear shadow running perpendicular atnorthnorthwest - southsoutheast. This second possiblefeature is far less distinct on the survey and anychronological relationship between the two is unclear. Theinitial hypothesis for Trench 5 was that the strong positiveflux readings around the eastnortheast-westsouthwestfeature were a possible branch of the nearby Roman road,now known as the A338. The route of this is confirmed untilshortly before the western bank of the River Ock, just to thenorth west of the site. The smaller cross feature gave apositive reading on the magnetometer, indicating a possibleditch with a parallel neighbour showing slightly to its west,as well as the fainter trace of other possible ditches along asimilar aligiunent across a wider area. Initial thoughts ofthese were that they were the remains of a prehistoric fieldsystem.Fig 19. Trench 3. Section across the middle Bronze Ageditch [3113], recut in the Romano-British period [3091].On removing the topsoil, the number of finds recovered wasobserved to be less than in the topsoil of all the trenchesoutside of the amphitheatre. The trench was initially 10m by10m, Fig 23, and the topsoil was considerably greater indepth along the northern and southern edges of the trenchthan across the middle directly over the strong signal thatregistered on the geophysical survey. Patches ofconsolidated gravel were revealed. As the level of the trenchwas brought down over a wider area, patches of a greensandmaterial and large areas of orange sand were revealed. When79

OxfordshireMF 01Trench 3Section 3.1417.48,28.57 XX 18.46,28.02ditcho 1 Metreexamined in section, the sequence of the layers that had beenrevealed were clear to see: first, sitting directly on thelimestone bedrock was the orange sand [5002], which inplaces was particularly fine and lacked any form ofinclusion. On top of this in places could be seen thegreensand material, [5005]. Further, in some places on topof this were patches of the consolidated limestone gravel[5006]. In plan the patches of greensand, and whereapplicable, gravel, formed no recognisable pattern, Fig 23.More importantly, the surface was of a similar nature acrossthe whole trench, not as the survey had implied solelyconcentrated in the centre. Indeed, extension slit trencheswere dug to expand the East section of the trench up to alength of 19m in order to chase the spread of the gravel. Inthis section, it finally appeared to fade at a total width ofabout 15m. hi neither slit trench was there any firm evidencefor side ditches, whose presence would be likely next to aRoman road. As for the north-south ditch that was initiallyproposed, no clear evidence was exposed. Despiteexcavating into the bedrock at the exact point where thepositive magnetic anomaly indicated, no feature could beclearly defined, although with a favourable eye it wasconsidered easier to remove bedrock at this point thanelsewhere. The conclusion for the north-south ditch at thispoint, then, is that if it is present, it remains primarily as a'ghost' image on the magnetometry.As for an interpretation of the gravel surface [5006], thepossibility of a road is not to be discounted. No similarsurface was excavated elsewhere on the site, indicating thatit is likely to a deliberate deposit. The lack of side ditches,as well as its wide spread, may be explained by its coursethrough a settlement and perhaps it represents more of anopen concourse rather than a wide road. The fragmentarynature of the gravel makes any further interpretationFig 20. Trench 3. Section across the Iron Age ditch [3095].particularly difficult. An exception to the pattern of thegravel surface was a concentration of larger, fist-sizedpieces of limestone rubble in the northwest corner [5003].This may represent consolidation of a damaged surface, orperhaps less disturbed remains of the original surface. Whatis clear is that the strong magnetic signal was at least in partgenerated by the dip in topsoil, which in turn had beencaused by particularly deep ploughing in recent history.With a firm identification of the deposits in this trench stillto be made, work will continue in 2002. To the East ofTrench 5, centred on the co-ordinates 444110, 196355, thereappears on the geophysics what would appear to be a betterpreserved example of the 'road'. Althoug,h giving a faintersignal, the topsoil has not been erratically ploughed thuspreventing the skewed results that led to the positioning ofTrench 5 and possible traces of edging ditches are visible.Just north of the anomaly at this point, a semicircle ofpost-holes can also be seen, and perhaps excavation at thispoint will provide the relative chronology that Trench 5 didnot.Sequence and SignificanceSince the early excavations at Frilford it has been recognisedas an important Romano-British religious complex with IronAge antecedents perhaps based on tribal boundaries(Stevens, 1940). The current work shows that activity withinthe area started at least in the middle Bronze Age with apossible enclosure, occupation and burials. Excavation andthe geophysics suggest the scale of the Iron Age occupationwith pits and ditches occurring over the whole area althoughthe activity does seem to be dispersed rather than enclosed.Romano-British use of the site could start with the earlyrectangular enclosure although whether this is associated80

Oxfordshire1,12.2MF 01Trench 12_._._._._._._._._.11201011120021112012 111200311 1203111120211Probable ditchoutline0'\Deeper sondagePA% \\112052 1Ditch outline1120291112020 1s-,--Probable ditch outlineo23 MetresFig 21. Trench 12. Features ranging in date from middle Bronze Age to Romano-British.81

Oxfordshirewith an early phase of .the amphitheatre and any otherstructures bas yet to be resolved. The temple, stone-builtamphitheatre and cruciform building all suggest a majorceremonial/religious complex although rural in characterrather than the norm of being associated with either a townor fort. The excavated road points towards Abingdon as thenearest Romano-British urban centre at a distance of about4 or 5km to the south-east. Fieldwalking and geophysicalevidence suggests large areas of Romano-British activityand remains between the public buildings and insurrounding areas towards the cemetery to the northidentified and excavated in the late 19th century. The nexttwo seasons of excavation will assess these areas in termsof occupation and establish whether there is a domesticcomponent to the site. Anglo-Saxon occupation isephemeral at the moment although the same cemetery didcontinue into this period and some of the largersub-rectangular positive anomalies on the geophysics maybe sunken-floored buildings. Marcham/Frilford is animportant site in understanding the development of theDovins/Vale area and the evidence for continuity, albeitdiscontinuous, fits with notions of social reproduction andidentity through references to the past (Gosden and Lock,1998).AcknowledgementsSpecial thanks to Will and Janey Cumber for endless andvaried support. Thanks also to John Duffield for logisticalsupport, Debbie Day for catering, Adrian Marsden for aninterim coin report, Tony Johnson of OxfordArchaeotechnics, Michael McKeon, Mike Langford, PaulaLevick and John Gibbs for infrastructure and all studentsand friends who were involved in the Project. Funding wasprovided by the Roman Research Trust, the Cumber FamilyTrust and Oxford University.Fig 22. Trench 12. Section across the ditch showing twore-cuts [12033 and 12053].BibliographyAkerman 1865;. Report on excavations in an ancient cemetery atFrilford. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 3,136-41.Bell Tand Lock G; Topographic and cultural influences on walkingthe Ridgeway in later prehistoric times, in G. Lock (ed)Beyond theMap: Archaeology and Spatial Technologies. Amsterdam: IOSPress, pp.85-100.Bradford .1 S P and Goodchild R G 1939; Excavations at Frilford,Berlcs, 1937-8. Oxoniensia, 4, 1-80.Calkins R G 1978; Grave goods from the Frilford cemetery atCornell University. In Farrell, R.T. (ed), Bede and Anglo-SaxonEngland, Oxford: BAR, 148-72.Daly P and Lock G Forthcoming. Time, space and archaeologicallandscapes: establishing connections in the First Millennium BC,in Goodchild, M.F. and Janelle, D.G. (eds), Spatially ImegratedSocial Science: Examples in Best Practice. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press.Dudley-Buxton L. 1920; Excavations at Frilford. AntiquariesJournal, 1,87-97.Gosden C and Lock G 1999; Hillforts of the Ridgeway Project:excavations at Alfred's Castle 1998. SMA 29, pp.44-53.Gosden C and Lock G 1998b; Prehistoric Histories, WorldArchaeology, 30.1, pp.2-12.Gosden C and Lock G 2001; Hillforts of the Ridgeway Project:excavations at Alfred's Castle 2000. SMA 31, pp.80-9.Harding D W 1972; The Iron Age in the Upper Thamex Basin.82

OxfordshireMF01Trench 5Plans 501 + 502Limestone gravel (allLimestone blocksOxford.Harding D W 1987; Excavations in Oxfordshire 1964-66.Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh Department of ArchaeologyOccasional Paper No. 15.Haverfield F 1897; A Roman villa at Frilford. ArchaeologicalJournal, 54,340-54.Hi ngley R 1985; Location, Function and Status: a Romano-British'religious complex' at the Noah's Ark Inn, Frilford (Oxfordshire).Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 4(2), 201-14.Lock G and Gosden C1997; The Hi Ilforts of the Ridgeway Project:excavations at Segsbury Camp 1996, SMA 27:69-77.Lock G and Gosden C 1998; The Hillforts of the Ridgeway Project:excavations at Segsbury Camp 1997, SMA 28:53-63.Lock G and Gcsden C 2000; The Hillforts of the Ridgeway Project:0Fig 23. Trench 5. The possible Romano-British road.235 Metresexcavations at Alfred's Castle 1999, SMA 30: 82-90.Lock G, Gosden C, Miles D, Palmer S and Cromarty A. In press.Uffington White Horse Hill and its Landscape: investigations atWhite Horse Hill, Uffington, 1989-95 and Tower Hill, Ashbury,1993-4, Oxfordshire. Thames Valley Landscapes Monograph.Oxford Archaeology and Oxford University School ofArdmeology.Rolleston G 1869; Researches and excavations at an ancientcemetery at Fril ford. Archaeologia, 42,417-85.Rolleston G 1880; Further researches in an Anglo-Saxon cemeteryat Frilford. Archaeologia, 45,405-10.Rolleston G unpublished. Memoirs. Oxford: Ashmolean Museum.Stevens C E 1940; The Frilford site - a postscript. Oxoniensia, 5,166-7.483

OxfordshireUNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, INSTITUTE OFARCHAEOLOGY AND UNIVERSITY OFLEICESTER, SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGYAND ANCIENT HISTORYWendiebury (Alchester), an annexe of AD 44 and theearlier(?) main fortress (SP 570 203)Eberhard SauerMain ResultsEvidence for an early fortress underneath the towncontemporary with or earlier than the AD 44 annexeWhile the 2000 season yielded evidence for the earliestprecisely datable Roman timber structure from Britain, awooden gate built in autunm AD 44, in the light of the 2001season it appears that this was not part of the earliest tnilitaryinstallation on site. There is now evidence for a second'unitary compound, a Roman fortress, underneath the townof Alchester. Not only sections of its outer defences havebeen traced by excavation (in trench 28) and ge,ophysicalsurvey, but parts of a timber granary (in E. trench 4) wereunearthed. A series of indications suggests that thecompound whose west gate yielded two identical tree-ringdates of October AD 44 to March AD 45, in the west is itsannexe. The combined size of fortress and annexe isestimated to exceed 14ha. The fortress underneath the townis thus probably not later (a hypothesis favoured previously)than the compound of AD 44 in the west, but contemporaryor earlier (i.e. it is likely to date to AD 43 or, possibly, AD44). The western gate (whose location is now preciselyknown) has a similar potenfial of yielding a precisedendro-date in a future season as the annexe gate of AD 44.Architecture and building history of the probablefabricsWe know now substantially more about intemal buildingsin the annexe, especially about the plan and building historyof the military workshop (fabrica). The latter was anextensive complex and comprised various rooms groupedaround a courtyard with a timber porticus. Its buildinghistory comprised at least four phases, of which thre-e aremilitary (even though it is likely that some, but not all, ofthe features attributed to phase 3 date to the civilian period).While the second phase starts early (c AD 45?), thisobservation nevertheless supports the assumption thatmilitary occupation continued well into the AD 50s if notbeyond. The finds spectrum suggests that militaryoccupation ce,ased by or before the mid AD 60s at the verylatest.) Civilian period use of the building, however,interestingly appears to continue into the late first or earlysecond century. Beam slots of military buildings in trench28 reinforce the impression of a dense occupationthroughout the annexe; it was not a storage area, but willhave housed a garrison of presumably c 1,000 men on itsown (plus c 2,500 to 3,000 soldiers in the main fortress).Evidence for artillery and slingers and the type ofgarrisonThe discovery of a catapult bolt and a clay slingshot in theannexe provides evidence for artillery and slingers, of whosepresence we had previously no Imowledge. These new findsand a large number of other pieces of military equipmentsuggest that the garrison comprised specialists in allcategories of warfare, including also archers and bothcavalry and infantry. Both slings (Voelling 1990,44-6) andcatapults were in use by legionaries and auxiliaries alike; thefrequent discovery of pieces of artillery equipment insmaller forts and in bases in provinces without legionarygarrison disproves that they were in exclusive use bylegionaries as some believe. The circular argument that all,except some very rare forms of objects traditionallyregarded as catapult bolts, were in fact javelin heads becausethey occur in amiliary forts (Baatz 1966) equally fails toconvince. Whether the troops stationed in the main fortresswere as versatile as those in the annexe is as yet unknown,and we do not know whether the separation of the base intomain fortress and annexe had purely chronological reasonsor whether we might be dealing with troops of differentstatus (legionaries and auxiliaries?). Much betterdocumentation exists for the later fort of Osterburken inRoman Germany which may form a useful analogy. The fortof Ostelturken was built in the later AD 150s, and theannexe over 25, and possibly as much as 35 years later. Thefort housed a cohort and the annexe a numerus, a unit oflower status (Schallmayer 1986). While we cannot be surewhether the situation was necessarily similar at Alchester,this analogy may offer some support for an earlier date ofthe main fortress (AD 43?) and, possibly, a higher statusgarrison. The Alchester garrison was in any case anumerically strong force capable of defending itself and ofoperating independently if necessary.Further waterlogged remainsThe completion of the excavation of a section of the innerannexe ditch in trench 24 yielded further fragile woodenartefacts and waterlogged archaeobotanic evidence. Theformer included three further thin wooden plaques or tabletswhich were lifted en bloc. While so far none of the woodentablets has yielded any traces of writing, the survivalconditions would be perfect for writing tablets. The tabletsare made of oak and some of them might even be largeenough to furnish tree-ring dates. Trenches 28 and 31equally yielded wooden objects and waterlogged plantremains.The 'TrenchesThe Annexe Ditches in Trench 24Because of the density and fragility of wooden artefacts, weexcavated very carefully and slowly and therefore did notfinish the excavation of the inner fortress ditch in 2000. Wecontinued with the excavation of this trench in 2001 (andcompleted it) for the following reasons:In order to be able to produce a complete profile,including the bottom of the inner fortress ditch.In the light of the decreasing water table it seemed usefulto recover a representative sample of artefacts from a sectionof the ditch, including some from the very bottom. Thetrench had already in the 2000 season yielded a rich

Oxfordshire..... ..........................................ANNEXEq...30..water basintrench 26ALCHESTERporticustrench 29gullyIcsmtiontrench 2_.5 _man roaddrainagetrenchwater supply(?) ntrench 23 27-nitie,' rn:JuPPI--4post pit?hearthP"prxst pitextent ofgeophysicalsurveyRoman drainaditchtimbergmund silltimber groursdsilltrenchtrench 2ft21magnetic anom.: ovens.em cm 0....... ............................MAIN FORTRESSextent ofgeophysicalsurveyE. trench 4E. trench 3Alchester Roman vexillation fortress 1998-2001569 570Fig. 24: The Alchester fortress and annexe (1998-2001)assemblage of wooden artefacts, including thin tablets,double-pointed notched stakes (4 tent pegs') and a woodenbowl (examined by Paola Pugsley who indicated [pers.comm. 2001] that it was one of only a small number [20-25?]wooden vessels in Roman Britain).(3.) In order to be able to take samples for archaeobotanicanalysis from the bottom of the inner fortress ditch likely toshed light on the environment and diet of soldiers in themilitary phase.The excavations have been successful on all three accounts.(1.) Interestingly, we found that within trench 24 a deeperand a shallower V-shaped ditch join; the northern 3.1m arec 0.28m deeper than the southern 2.4m. This might simply85

Oxfordshireindicate that hvo worldng parties met here. However, itseems more nicely to me that the corner, always a weak pointin any rectangular fortification, was more heavily defended.The presence of the middle fortress ditch in trench 24,observed in the previous season, could be interpreted in thesame way considering that no such obstacle existed in thearea of trench 21.The further wooden artefacts recovered in 2001included three additional thin wooden tablets recovered enbloc for excavation in the laboratory as well as various otherworked pieces of wood. No traces of writing are visible onany of the tablets recovered in 2000 and 2001 with the nakedeye nor did infrared photographs of the pieces so farconserved by Dr Graham Morgan reveal any such traces.Parallels from Roman Switzerland (Schoch 1979) maysuggest an identification as thin wooden shingles, though ifthis interpretation should be correct (despite their fragility)the absence of nail holes or dear traces of weatheringsuggest that they were discarded without ever having beenused. An interpretation as raw material to be cut into writingtablets (see Bowman/Thomas 1994,90-8 no. 154; pl. V fora particularly large writing tablet made equally of oak) orlamellas of a shield similar to the Fayum shield (ICimmig1940; Bishop/ Coulston 1993, 58-9) are alternativepossibilities.Interestingly some local combrash stone (identified byPhilip Powell) was found sealed beneath wooden artifactsof the military period. This suggests that local stone formedpart of the military period rampart, perhaps of its facing.The examination of a wide range of soil samples fromthis trench and others by Dr Mark Robinson is ongoing andhas already yielded interesting results, such as the earliestevidence in Britain for imported millett in a sample from thebottom fill of the outer fortress ditch (Mark Robinson, pers.comm. 2001).The Probable Fabrics: Trenches 25, 26, 29 And 30The remains of Roman military buildings were betterpreserved in the area of these four adjoining trenches thanobserved anywhere else so far within the annexe. Despiteclear plough marks which, considering the absence ofpost-fourth century material in the disturbed layer above,must be of late Roman or early post-Roman date, beam slotssurvived to a depth of up to 0.40m.Phase 1 (AD 44/45)The earliest phase is represented by a gully of varying width(c 1.70m; depth c 0.97m below the modern surface, bottomat 62.45m above sea-level). The fact that this belongs indeedto the earliest phase is shown by the fact that varioussecond-phase beam slots overlie it (Fig 25). Snails from thebottom fill provide evidence, according to a preliminaryanalysis by Dr Mark Robinson, that the gully indeed heldwater. It was deliberately filled in before the construction ofthe second phase building. This is shown by the fact thatthere are no traces of a timber cover between the upper andlower fill and no signs of soil collapse which one would haveexpected had it been covered by timber and had it continuedto ftmction underneath the military building. The absence offinds from its fill equally points to an early date for itsconstruction and abandonment However, it could onlyfunction after the construction of the water supply gully. If,of course, the main fortress pre-dates the annexe, then thewater supply ditch may already have been in existence bythe time construction works in the annexe started in autumnAD 44. Even if not, it is hard to imagine that Phase 1 is laterthan AD 45.The gully must have fed a shallow water-basin which wasentirely destroyed at a later date and was within the area ofthe rectangular pit at its northern end. This rectangular pitshowed no signs of any timber of clay lining, though thebottom fill (context 2630) consisted of silty clay and wassampled in the hope that these samples might provide cluesof its use prior to abandonment. It contained civilian-periodobjects, such as roof tiles, right down to its bottom fill(26.50). The original water-basin must have been smaller asthe fourth-phase pit is cutting a second-phase beam slot inthe north (Fig 25). There is no doubt that the water-basinwas in the area of the rectangular pit as the gully is clearlyorientated towards its central axis and as it does not continuein any direction beyond the pit.In Oberstimm there was equally a water-basin supplied bya gully whose earliest phase also predates the constructionof the fabrica. Schoenberger (1978, 35; cf. 1976) suggestsplausibly that this basin served for mixing the clay for theconstruction of wattle and daub buildings. The Oberstinunbasin, in contrast to the Alchester basin, was integrated intothe fabrica and continued to be used after its completion.Nevertheless, the original basins may well have served thesame purpose. If so, the Alchester basin lost its function oncethe clay for the timber-frame building had been mixed, whilea new industrial purpose was assigned to its equivalent atOberstinun.Surprisingly, the bottom of the rectangular pit is c 0.05mhigher than the bottom of the supply gully, and it did notreach below the present water table. Test pits into the gravelunderneath the pit confirmed that titis was the raturai graveland not the sterile fill of the original basin (of which notraces survived underneath the pit). The original water-basinthus cannot have been deeper than the later pit and it is hardto imagine that it could have been much more shallow. Thebottom of the pit is at 6230m above sea-level, ie 0.10mbelow the bottom of the water supply gully underneath thewest-east road (surviving depth in the northern extension oftrench 20: 0.44m; bottom 62.60m above sea-level, 0.79mbelow the modem surface).The way the water-supply gully curves from south-southeastto north-northeast (Fig 25) make one wonder whether thewater-basin was indeed fed via a water-lifting device andsupply gully underneath the west-east roati which channeledwater from the western section of the Gagle Brook into theannexe or whether the water supply might have come fromthe south or east. Both, the Gagle Brook and a stream whose86

Alchesterfabric aOxfordshire4 \v.0 ,. :5 :fka.tanattrast\-L._eas,====D'Nphase 1rectangularpit in placeof earlierwater basinphase 2phase 3phase 4courtyardwith timberporticusphase 5unknown,04,zuanImmmmc1====1115171-41t,.)curvingwatersupplygullyFle1 0 mmodern course is some 250 to 500m east of the east side ofthe Roman town and earlier fortress, carried, at least inrecent years, water throughout the year. If an undiscoveredwooden aqueduct was used, the Gagle Brook would havebeen more suitable since it has a steeper gradient (the pointwhere it crosses the 70m contour is just 1.8km from thecentre of Alchester as opposed to 4.91cm in case of theeastern stream (though only 2km in case of one of itstr en ch25Fig. 25: The probable military workshops (fabrica) at Alchester.tributaries just south of modern Bicester if this providedsufficient water). While we do not yet know the preciselocation of the ancient stream bed of the Gagle Brook in thevicinity of Alchester at the beginning of the Roman era, itseems likely that it was close to its latex :and present artificialstream bed. If so, it was much closer than the eastem stream.Perhaps a water-lifting device was used to channel waterfrom the Gagle Brook into the fortress, but not (as we had87

Oxfordshirethought previously) from the west, but from the,presumably, even closer section of the sheam in the south.This need not imply that the interpretation of the shallowgully underneath the west-east road in the annexe as awater-supply gully was wrong, but the direction of flow ofthe fairly level gully is open to debate; it might have suppliedbuildings in the west of the annexe with water coming froma channel leading out of the main fortress.It seems in any case likely that the water-table in the curvinggully was high enough to ensure that sufficient waterreached the shallower basin. Despite the fact that it seemscurions why the curving water-supply gully should havebeen, at least marginally, deeper than the basin, it is hard toimagine that we are dealing with a drain. If the gully was adrain leading away from the pit one would have to expect aseparate water supply. However, there is no second gullyleading towards the pit from any direction. Considering thatthe water-supply gully underneath the west-east road in thenorthern extension to trench 20 survives to a depth of 0.44m,it seems unlikely that there would have been a separate watersupply system at such an elevated level that no traces of itsurvive today. Needles to say, such a massive drain wouldhave made no sense for an impluvium (ie a decorative basinwhich received rainwater from the roof in aMediterranean-style atrium).When Phase 1 ended is a matter of interpretation. The sheercontrast between the sterile fill of the gully and theabundance of military finds elsewhere in Alchester, suggeststhat the installation was filled in soon, perhaps only a fewweeks after it had been constructed. Even on the assumptionthat it had a timber cover which was removed prior to fillingin, it still would be difficult to explain why the re-depositedmaterial used to fill it was sterile as well, had it been filledin even after only a few years. Even though it is well !mownthat the construction of some internal buildings in Romanforts or fortresses tended to take several years (somebuildings in Inchtuthil were still missing after c three yearsof occupation: Pitts/St Joseph 1985), I am tempted to thinkthat Phase 1 in Alchester came to an end as early as AD 45or even still in AD 44.11 this assumption is correct, then thedaub for later buildings (including the second-phasebuilding [ie the probable fabrica] on top of the curving gully)must have been mixed elsewhere.Phase 2 (from c AD 45 onwards)After the gully had been filled in, a large timber buildingwas constructed, presumably still in the mid AD 40s. It willhave extended to the main west-east road in the south,though its southern-most parts were destroyed bycivilian-period roadside ditches (extending in the north to0.20m north of the south side of trench 25). Its limits in thewest, east and north have not yet been found. The mainsection explored consisted of several rooms grouped arounda courtyard with a timber porticus. The precise dimensionsof this courtyard are still a matter of conjecture, but therewas a line of three post holes in a north-south direction andat least four in a west-east direction (see hypotheticalreconstruction on Fig 25)Whether there was a second courtyard in the area of thewater-basin is unknown. This was no longer fed withflowing water as the water gully had been filled in, but thearchitecture of the surrounding rooms renders it conceivablethat it could have been transformed into an impluvium fedby rain water. Alternatively it might already have beentransformed into a pit (for storage purposes?). In either caseit cannot yet have been as big as its civilian period successor,considering that the latter is cutting a beam slot of phase 2.We can in any case presume that a stmken feat= continuedto exist in the area, given its survival into the civilian periodwhen it was enlarged. The western and eastern beam slotsalso appear to respect its position.Phase 3 (AD 50s/60s to late lst/early 2nd century)A neat separation between Phase 2, 3 and 4 features is,unfortunately, not always possible, and some featurestentatively attributed to Phase 3, might belong to Phase 2and others to Phase 4. The plan of the fabrica (Fig 25) is afirst attetnpt at attributing features to phases, but may haveto be modified in the light of the full finds analysis and theresults of future seasons.The post-holes cutting Phase 2 beam slots in trenches 25 and26 post-date Phase 2 undoubtedly, but it is hard to establishby how much. There are too few of them to assume that weare dealing with entirely new buildings. The fact that theycut existing beam slots might suggest that we are dealingwith repairs when the timber of the original building beganto rot, but when it had not yet been entirely abandoned. Theyhave been attributed to Phase 3 but it is not yet knownwhether they pre- or post-date the end of militaryoccupation. Nevertheless, it is tempting to assume that thetwo post-holes north of the rectangular pit in trench 26 arecontemporary with the post-holes in the northwest andsouthwest corners of the rectangular pit and carried a tiledroof of a restored porticus around the pit. Thus they mightbelong to Phase 4.'Whether the post-holes of shnilar size encountered in trench30, the north-western extension, date to Phase 2, 3 or 4 isequally uncertain since none of them cuts or is cut by anotherfeature. However, they make little constructional sense inPhase 2 and have therefore been attributed to Phase 3.Equally in Phase 3 large parts of the interior were paved withbumt stones which, according to Dr Graham Morgan (pers.comm. 2001), may be by-products of lime burning. Acharcoal-rich layer built up on top of titis paving. Smallhearths were encountered, in the south of trench 25 and inthe south of trench 26 above the gully. It is hoped that theanalysis of soil samples will clarify the ftmction of thesehearths and will show what kind of (industrial?) activity ledto the accumulation of charcoal. According to Dr ChrisSalter's examination on site there are no traces ofmetal-working anywhere within the trenches.Some beam slots appear to have been replaced after sometime by more shallow beam slots. Other beam slotsattributed to Phase 3 are those which are so close to Phase88

2 beam slots that it seems doubtful that they could haveexisted contemporaneously. While some Phase 3 featuresmay date to the early civilian period, it seems likely that atleast the beam slots pre-date the end of military occupation.If so, they attest structural repairs and alterations whichsuggest that military occupation continued at least well intothe AD 50s, if not into the early to mid AD 60s. Thisconclusion is supported by the large number of militaryobjects lost. The absence of late Neronian coins, broochesor samian ware, however, suggests that the military phasecame to an end at latest by the mid AD 60s, if not before.The function of the buildingThe range of buildings in Roman forts and fortresses withcourtyards is limited: the headquarters building, thehospital, an officer's house or a military workshop. Theground plan of the Alchester building rules out aninterpretation as a headquarters building or a hospital. Thusit has to be either an officer's house or a military workshop(fabrica). The main arguments for either interpretation areas follows.Arguments for an interpretation as an officer's house- There are as yet no clear traces of major industrial activitiesin Phase 2.- Trench 26 yielded four Republican denarii, the highestconcentration of silver coins so far anywhere in the annexe.Arguments for an interpretation as a military workshop(fabrica)- The terrain was in Phase 1 used for industrial activities andthere was often a continuity of fimction of a specific areawithin a military compound.- The paving with burnt stone and the accumulation ofcharcoal in Phase 3 is more appropriate for a fabrica than foran officer's house.- The silver coins are a weak counter-argument as theycorrespond to less than one week's pay of a legionary.- The area explored is as yet quite small and the absence ofindustrial installations thus not a strong counter-argument.The arguments for an interpretation as a fabrics seem morepersuasive, but the examination of the soil samples shouldbe awaited before a final decision is made. Interestingly,there was a far lower concentration of body armourfragments in this area in comparison with trench 20. It seemspossible that there were barrack blocks in the area of trench20, largely destroyed by late Roman or early post-Romanploughing. The comparative scarcity of body armour in thearea of trenches 25, 26, 29 and 30 may thus suggest that thispart of the fabrica or officer's house was less frequentlyentered by persons wearing uncomfortable body armour andwas not used for the storage or production of body armour.It is unclear how we should interpret an isolated catapulthead in trench 29.Phase 4 (late lst/early 2nd century)The bottom fill (26.50) of the rectangular pit contained rooftiles, the second layer (26.49) burnt chaff of spelt wheat (Dr.Mark Robinson, pers. comm. 2001) and early secondOxfordshirecentury samian ware (Geoffrey Dannell, pers. comm. 2001).The enlarged pit is, of course, stratigraphically older than itsfill, but it seems likely that the roof tiles fell from a roofresting on posts in the pit, supported by stone post packings.Me stones are depicted in black on Fig 25, but should notbe confused with phase 5 structures.) Therefore it seemslikely that the latest phase during which the sunken featureremained open dates to the later first or even early 2ndcentury. At least parts of the building thus appear to havebeen used well into the civilian period. Whether the buildingor whatever remained of it had by then passed into privatehands or whether it continued to be used by state officials isimpossible to establish.Phase 5 (late lst/3rd century)Phase 5 could be contemporary with Phase 4, but is morelikely to be later. It is represented by a stone wall which cutsphase 3 paving. Geophysical survey suggests that itcontinued in the west to the southeast corner of the 'CastleMound' bath-house. It probably marked a propertyboundary at a time when the military building (or at least theadjacent sections of it) no longer existed.Water Supply and Drainage: Trenches 27 And 31In trench 27 we found the northern and southern drainagegully of the main west east road. The main aim of trench 27had been to test whether we could find the water supply ditchfound in 1999 in the northern extension to trench 20 and in2000 in trench 23. There were indeed traces of a possiblegully whose bottom at 62.56m above sea-level would 1:eperfectly compatible with its interpretation as a part of thewater supply ditch underneath the road (62.56m abovesea-level in trench 23 and 62.55m above sea-level in thenorthern extension of trench 20). Unfortunately, however,the remains of this possible gully were so disturbed by a laterfeature, presumably a tree-root, that it is impossible to becertain about its interpretation. Trench 27 also yielded theonly evidence for the presence of slingers, a clay slingshot,so far.Trench 31 had been excavated across a long ditch (Fig 24)in orderto confirm whether the ditch dates to the military periodas suggested on the basis of the excavation of another sectionin trench 22 in 1999.to explore the drainage system of this low-lying fortress.Was it indeed a drainage or perhaps a water-supply ditch?andto examine the potential for the survival of waterloggedremains.The excavation answered all three questions.(1.) As in trench 22 the bottom fill of the ditch contained nocivilian period artefacts, but a rich assemblage ofmilitary-period objects. This observation in conjunctionwith the fact that a ditch in this wet environment must havesilted up very quickly excludes the possibility of a civilianperiod ditch filled with re-deposited earlier finds. It musthave been constructed during the military period.89

OxfordshireA second parallel ditch in the northern half of the fortress(Fig 24) surely dates to the same period considering that itis similarly placed (about half way between the centralwest-east road and the outer defences).The bottom of the ditch in trench 31 was encountered at61.77m above sea-level as opposed to 61.98m abovesea-level in trench 22. Identification of this feature as a ditchdraining westwards is thus correct.The bottom 0.49m were found to be under water. Adeposit 0.09m thick (31.10), 0.08-0.17m above the bottomof the ditch proved to be especially rich in organic remainsincluding pieces of thin wooden plaques or tablets. In orderto minimise any risk of damage to wooden artefacts acomplete sample of this deposit was taken for excavation inthe laboratory.Trench 28, the Western Defences of the Main Fortressand the Inner Occupation in the Southern Part of theAnnexeThe main aim of the excavation of trench 28 had been toreveal the function of four linear anomalies shown by thegeophysical survey of Patrick Erwin (Fig 26, nos. 1-4) aswell as to test whether or not the present field boundary ditch(Fig 26, no. 5) follows an ancient ditch. I had assumed thatsome of these ditches could be associated with thepostulated fortress underneath the tovnt or the via principalisof the western compound of AD 44. The excavation revealedthat the westernmost linear feature (no. 1.) was ameasurement anomaly, a possibility Patrick Erwin and! hadconsidered before excavation, but thought to be less likely.Nos. 2. and 3. proved to be Roman civilian drainage ditches,no. 2. 0.75m wide (bottom at 62.16m above sea level) andno. 3. 3.71m wide (bottom at 61.82m above sea level). Thepottery analysis has to be awaited for a more precise dating.No. 4. was the westernmost part of a ditch 14.44m wide,32.80-47.24m east of the western trench end (bottom at6130m above sea level), undoubtedly the ditch associatedwith late 2nd century town wall; it stretched well beyond themodern field boundary ditch (no. 5). This is exceptionallywide; on the east side of the town, interestingly, the townwall ditch appears to have been only half as wide: c 7m(Young 1975, 140-1).The berm between the outer edge of the probable town wallrobber trench and the inner edge of the ditch was merely0.6m as opposed to 5.00 to 5.8m in the east of the town. Thissuggests strongly that, unlike on the east side of the town,this wide ditch incorporates an earlier military ditch, thusdoubling its width and substantially reducing the width ofthe berm. The probable bottom fill of this ditch (28.82) wasfound undemeath the town wall ditch and appears to havebeen cut by this shallower later ditch. It contained Iron Ageand mid first-centtuy pottery (Nicholas Cooper, pers. comm.2002). It should be stressed that conditions for observationwere far from ideal since, for safety reasons, all except thebottom parts of the deep section had to be covered withtrench sheets, thus only allowing examination of thinsegments of the sections at any one time. Furthermore, theconstantly infiltrating groundwater transformed the bottomdeposits into liquid mud. Nevertheless, I am fairly confidentabout the following observations. The probable bottom fill(28.82) of the ditch cut by the town wall ditch survived to amaximum depth of 0.30-0.35m (bottom at c 6131m abovesea-level); it was thus about 0.19m deeper than the latter. Itappears to survive for a width of c 3m (41.70 to 44.70 eastof western trench end. While some caution is advisable inthe interpretation of the results, it appears likely that this isthe surviving bottom of the outer fortress ditch, the upperparts of which were integrated into an exceptionally widetown wall ditch.To stunmarise, the arguments for this theory are as follows:(1.) If it was rightly observed that tovnt wall ditch is cuttingthe earlier and de,eper ditch, the latter must predate theformer.If there was just a single-phase town wall ditch, it wouldbe exceptionally wide: 14.44m as opposed to c 7m in theeast. The amalgamation, however, of a town wall ditch andan earlier outer fortress ditch could easily result in such awide ditch.It is interesting to note that c 55m north of trench 28there is a kink in the field boundary ditch; north of this kinkit continues in a similar alignment, but c 4m further west.This might offer further support for the theory that, perhapsfor drainage purposes, the southern section of the outerfortress ditch was kept open and formed in this area togetherwith the new ditch an exceptionally wide town wall ditch.Firm evidence for the western defences emerged from ageophysical survey of the area of the presumed west gate ofthe main fortress: a c 4m wide very distinctive negativeanomaly is clearly visible (Fig 24) crossed by the mainwest-east road, presumably on a causeway. An area of veryhigh resistance to the west must, as in trench 28, correspondto the stone tumble of the collapsed town wall. Many largestones are visible near the surface. It seems likely that, asappears to be the case in trench 28, the stone tumble overliesthe outer fortress ditch. Any ditch under a thick layer of stonetumble is undetectable by geophysical survey. Only theupper parts of what must be the town wall robber trench havebeen exposed in the eastenunost section of trench 28. As inE. trench 4 it is filled with gravel. The band of mediumresistance, c 2-3m wide, between the linear longlow-resistance feature (the presumable inner fortress ditch)and the area of high resistance (the probable stone tumblefrom the town wall) must be the town wall robber trench. Itappears thus that, as in the e,ast of the town, the western townwall was situated between two mid first century ditches. Inopposition to Young (1975) who thought they were drainageditches I would consider these ditches to represent thedefences of the fortress underneath the town.Trench 28 and the geophysical survey have thus led to thelocation of the western defences of the fortress underneaththe town. In order to confirm this interpretation, it is plannedto section also the inner fortress ditch and to excavate thesouthern half of the western gate of the main fortress in2002/03.90

OxfordshireArguments for interpreting the western compound as anannexeThe results of the excavation of trench 28 have also majorimplications for the interpretation of the compound of AD44. I consider it now to be an annexe to the (presumablyearlier) fortress underneath the town.The following indications point towards this interpretation:(1.) The southern ditches of the western compound intersectwith the north-south linear low resistance features (Fig 26).Had any of the low resistance features proven to be ditchesof the fortress underneath the town, then the intersection ofUtFig. 26: Resistivity survey by Patrick Erwin with the linear anomalies investigated in trench 28. For the intetpretation ofthe other features see Erwin and Sauer 2000.the ditches would have provided evidence that we aredealing with two compounds which did not exist at the sametime. Now that we know that the north-south linearlow-resistance features visible of the geophysical survey areof Roman civilian date, they do not exclude an interpretationof the western compound as an annexe to a fortress whosewestern defences are beyond the limits of the geophysicalsurvey (cf. Fig 26).(2.) If the western compound was the western part of afortress, one would expect the via principalis of such ahypothetical fortress to run at a right angle to the west-east91

Oxfordshireroad. Considering that the length-width ratio of forts andfortresses does not normally exceed 3 : 2, one would expectthis via principalis to be within the area covered bygeophysical survey. One would equally expect this viaprincipalis to be flanked by drainage gullies. As no drainagegully was observed during our excavation and as ditches 2.and 3. would not have destroyed more than one drainagegully considering their width, it seems clear that no viaprincipalis existed (tmless it was indeed in the area of thelater town wall ditch or further east).The fact that there is no sign of a causeway over thesouthern fortress ditches (Figs 24 and 26) provides a furtherargument against the existence of a north-south running viaprincipalis within the western compound (even though atimber bridge, undetectable by geophysical survey, cannotbe excluded).The fact that the west-east road forms an axis ofsymmetry was taken to indicate that it was the via praetoriaof the western compound. However, it is by no meansinconceivable that it would have been convenient to buildan annexe split symmetrically into two halves by apre-existing road. Each half, for example, could haveaccommodated an equivalent number of soldiers whether ofone unit of c 500 men each or whether consisting ofdetachments from different units. In the light of the 2001season it is clear that both halves were densely occupied.Large annexes, while otherwise scarce, are typical forthe invasion period of Britain: the fortresses of bothColchester and Wroxeter have very large annexes (Wacher1995, 118-19 figs. 48-9; White/ Barker 1998,40 fig. 16).New evidence for the military occupation of the southhalf of the annexeTrench 28 has also revealed a series of beam slots. In viewof the narrowness of the trench it is a matter of speculationwhat type of military building they belonged to (the distanceof the beam slots would be consistent with north-southrunning barrack blocks as one possible, yet by no meanscertain interpretation). It is in any case clear that there wasdense military occupation in the area of trench 28 where notdisturbed by later ditches.Ancient plough damage reaches deeper than in the area oftrenches 25, 26, 29 and 30. In conjunction with what hadalready been observed in 1999 and 2000 in the area oftrenches 20, 21 and 22 it appears that, in general, thepreservation of shallower features such as beam slots isworse in the southern half of the annexe than it is in itsnorthern half. By contrast, as a result of the terrain, the watertable tends to be closer to the surface in the southem halfthan it is in the north and thus the potential for thepreservation of organic remains is particularly good in thesouth (while, however, particularly rich deposits wereencountered in the north in trench 24).Geophysical survey by Adrian Butler and Dr Patrick Erwinalso revealed a series of four high magnetic anomalies closebehind the rampart (fig 1). In this position hearths and ovens,in particular bread ovens, are often found in Roman fortsand fortresses (Drexel 1910; Jacobi 1930; Johnson 1983,200-2; Hogg 1968). Such installations were plac,ed awayfrom the internal buildings next to the rampart in order toreduce the fire risk. If this hypothetical interpretation iscorrect (and it is as yet unconfirmed by excavations), thenthe mass production of bread as well as the high density ofmilitary buildings and pieces of equipment indicates that theannexe was densely occupied by troops and was not merelyan annexe for storage purposes.E. Trench 4: The Granary in the Main Fortress and theSouthern DefencesThe most surprising result of the 2001 season came from thistrench. Christopher Young (1975, 139 figs. 2-3) had foundin 1974 mid 1st century ditche,s in the area of the later townwalls on the east side of the later town. The remarkablyrectangular ground plan of the area surrounded by townwalls in the later second century suggested anyway thepossibility of a military predecessor to the town. Thereforeit had been our aim with this trench to establish whether ornot the southern section of the town walls equally followedmid first century ditches. Instead we found what were theremains of a raised floor of a military granary (or even twosuccessive buildings), cut by the later town wall and sealedbeneath plough soil under its rampart.Apart from the town wall rampart and other associatedfeatures no structures of the Roman civilian period survived.However, a piece of re-deposited marble may suggest thatmarble floors existed in the small town. The impression ofreasonably high living standards is reinforced by thediscovery of a discarded lead stopper for a water pipe fromthe town wall ditch fill in trench 28 (see Duchatel 1970, 310;315 fig. 35; 318 fig. 36 for a close parallel) which suggestthat not only the fortress, but also the civilian town had aflowing water supply.The town wall itself had been robbed out to the bottom ofits foundations; a thick layer of stone tumble on its southside suggests that this happened only some time after itspartial collapse. The town wall robber trench was 2.53mwide and was adjoined by the town wall rampart in the north.Anglo-Saxon pottery (c AD 650-850, identified by NicholasCooper) suggests the existence of some sort of dwelling ontop of the wall or rampart. While we cannot exclude that thiswas a temporary re-occupation of a small area, it is temptingto think that the town of Alchester mig,ht have continued toexist until at least the 7th century (considering how difficultit is to prove archaeologically continuity of settlementthrough the 5th and 6th centuries even for towns where thereis written testimony for continuity).Underneath the town wall we encountered 19 parallelfoundation trenches (or beam slots?) over a distance of16.40m. The town wall robber trench and a Roman civilianperiod ditch reached deeper than the level of these narrowtrenches thus destroying their remains in these areas.Assuming an equal spacing (c 0.67m centre to centre), there92

would originally have been 25 parallel foundation trenches.There can be no doubt that these narrow foundation trenchesmust form part of a military building:They are separated from the rampart of the town wallby a cultivation layer 0.22m thick and thus cannot form partof the foundation of the late second-ntury town wallrampart.The stratigraphy [cf. (1.)] point towards an early datewhile the type of architecture rules out a prehistoric feature.The width (c 0.25m on average) and tegularity excludesan interpretation as plough marks or features associated withthe cultivation of any domestic plant.No civilian period parallels are known.If the building is of military date there are merely twopossible interpretations:A timber granary ora titnber bath-house.Since only one building, at Vindonissa, vtith a foundationconsisting of parallel foundation trenches has beeninterpreted as a bath-house (Simonett 1934 and 1936;Hartmann 1986,39 map 1.9; cf. Bosmann 1999 on a possibletimber bath-house of different construction), theinterpretation as a granary seems more likely than that as abath-house.If it was a granary, however, the narrow spacing of thefoundation trenches is very unusual (Johnson 1983, 145-6;Manning 1975); the spacing of foundation trenches oftimber granaries tends to be on average twice as wide asobserved in Alchester. Whether we are dealing with twosuccessive buildings or an unusual construction, perhapsdesigned to carry more weight (a more narrow spacingwould still have allowed protection of the grain fromhumidity and rodents), catmot yet be said on the basis of oursmall trench. It is hoped that the 2002 season will answerthese questions. We will also hopefully be able to establishwhether traces of posts in the foundation trenches survive.It appears that we may have found the northern limit of thebuilding; a foundation trench 0.64m long at a right angle tothe other foundation trenches might conceivably havefunctioned as part of the foundation of a loading platform.Neither the location of the west nor of the east side of thebuilding are yet known. Whether the southern side has beendestroyed by the later town wall ditch (which appears tohave been lined with stones to form a bed for the GagleBrook) or whether it extends beyond it is not yet lcnown.We have to assume that the granary would not have beenallowed to encroach on the intervallum (the empty spacebetween rampart and internal buildings) as this would haveimpeded troop movements in case of an enemy attack andas it would have broug,ht the granary within easier reach ofbunting or glowing enemy missiles. This implies that in thisarea the southern fortress defences were well beyond themodern course of the Gagle Brook. A geophysical surveyhas revealed the traces of two possible ditches, the inner sideof the inner one some 15m south of the south end of theOxfordshiretrench (Fig 24). Their alignment is similar to that of thefoundation trenches. However, it ought to be stressed thatthe traces of these potential ditches on the geophysicalsurvey are far less clear than the very distinctive linearanomaly in the area of the postulated west gate of the mainfortress which must be the inner fortress ditch. Furthersurvey and excavation is needed to test whether or not theseslight negative anomalies might indeed be the southerndefences of the fortress.AcknowledgementsI would like to thank the landowners, Mr and Mrs Miller,Paul and Katie warmly for allowing us to excavate on theirland and for their interest and support in many ways. I wouldalso like to thank Mr Deeley, the tenant for all his help.I am indebted to our sponsoring bodies, The RoyalArchaeological Institute, the British Academy, theHaverfleld Bequest, the Roman Research Trust, the Societyof Antiquaries of London and the Roman Society for theirgenerous support without which the excavations could nothave taken place.All sponsotship would have been in vain without theexceptional dedication of all participants, of which spaceallows me only to mention the supervisors: Steve Boscott(tr. 24), Bernard Jones (tr. 25) Tim Bryars, Becky Peacockand Jackie Potts (tr. 26, 29 & 30); Steve Baker, ICatherineMartin, Paul Sorowka and Dr John Watterson (tr. 28); DavidParker and Roderick Scott (tr. 31) and Chris Green (E. tr. 4).The geophysical survey was directed by Adrian Butler andDr Patrick Erwin.Most crucial in the post-excavation were Dr GrahamMorgan (conservation), Nicholas Cooper (pottery), DrAnnie Grant and Professor Graeme Barker (animal bones),Dr Mark Robinson (environmental archaeology), VandaMorton (drawings), Jenny De Bono and Chris Green (findsprocessing) and others that there is no space to name.I am grateful to Professor Shepherd Frere for reading anearlier draft of this paper and many helpful comments andto Dr Andrew Wilson for his thoughts on the water supplysystem. For their support I would also like to thank JudithLee, Matthew Bodley, Dr Dominique De Moulins and PaulSmith.ReferencesBaatz D 1966: Zur Geschuetzbewaffnung roemischerAuxiliartruppen in der fruehen und mittleren ICaiserzeit.Bonner Jahrbuecher 166, 194-207. (or in id. 1994, Bautenund Katapube des roemischen Heeres. Mayors XI, Stuttart,113-26).Bishop M C and Coulston J N C 1993: Roman MilitaryEquipment from the Punic Wars to the fall of Rome, London.Bosman A V AJ 1999: Possible baths at the fort of Velsen1: a provisional interpretation, in De Laine J and JohnstonD E (eds.), Roman Baths and Bathing. Proceedings of theFirst International Conference on Roman Baths held atBaths, England, 30 March -4 April 1992. JRA Suppl. 37,93

OxfordshirePortsmouth, Rhode Island, 245-50.Bowman A K and Thomas J D with Adams J N 1994: TheVindolanda Writing-Tablets (Tabulae Vindolandenses II),London.Drexel F 1910: Kastell Stockstadt. DerObergermanisch-Raetische Limes des Roemerreiches B33,Heidelberg.Duchatel J 1970: Llablissement gallo-romain des RochesLa Chapelle-Vaulpelteigne (Yonne). Revue Archologiquede l'Est et du Centre-Est 21,261-326.Erwin P and Sauer E 2000: Wendlebury, The geophysicalsurvey at Alchester (SP 570 203). SMA 30, 2000, 77-9.Hartmann M 1986: Vindonissa, Oppidum - Legionslager -Castrum, Windisch.Hogg A H A 1968: Pen Llysten: a Roman fort and otherremains. The Archaeological Journal 125, 101-92.Jacobi H 1930: Die Ausgrabungen der Jere 1925-1928. 1.Kasten Saalburg, Die Backoefen. Saalburg Jahrbuch 7,10-16; pls. I-II.Johnson A 1983: Roman Forts of the 1st and 2nd centuriesAD in Britain and the German Provinces, London.Kimmig W 1940: Ein Keltenschild aus Aegypten.Gertnania 24, 106-11.Manning W H 1975: Roman military timber granaries inBritain. Saalburg Jahrbuch 32, 105-29.Pitts L F and St Joseph J K 1985: Inchtuthil. The RomanLegionary Fortress (Britarmia Monogr. 6), London.Schallmayer E 1986: Osterburken, in Filtzinger P, Planck,and Caemmerer B (eds.), Die Roemer inBaden-Wuerttemberg, 2nd cd., Stuttgart, 468-76.Schoch W 1979: Holderbank, Bez. Balsthal-Tal, SO.Jahrbuch der Schweizerischen Gesellschaft fuer Ur- undFruehgeschichte 62, 143; 144 fig. 49.Schoenberger H 1976: Die Wasserversorgung des KastellsOberstimm. Germania 54.2,403-8.Schoenberger H 1978: Kasten Oberstimm. Die Grabungenvon 1968 bis 1971 (Limesforschtmgen 18), Berlin.Simonett C 1934: Grabungen der Gesellschaft ProVindonissa im Jahre 1933. Anzeiger fr SchweizerischeAltertumslaatde 36.2,73-94.Simonett C 1936: Grabungen der Gesellschaft ProVindonissa in den Jahren 1934 und 1935 auf der Breite.Anzeiger fuer Schweizerische Altertumskunde 38.3,161-74.Voelling T1990: Funditores im roemischen Heer. SaalburgJahrbuch 45, 24-58.Wacher J 1995: The Towns of Roman Britain (2nd cd.),London.White R and Barker P1998: Wroxeter. Life & Death of aRoman City, Stroud.Young C J with Lambrick G, Marples B J, Powell H P andRobinson M 1975: The Defences of Roman Alchester.Oxoniensia 40, 136-70.WESSEX ARCHAEOLOGYJulie GardinerOwnership of the watercress beds at Ewelme (SU 463950191820), near Wallingford, in south Oxfordshire hasrecently transferred to The Chiltern Society. The bedsextend for c 700m on a north-west to south-east orientationthrough the centre of the village south of the High Street.They ceased commercial production in 1988.In February 2001 the Society commissioned WessexArchaeology to carry out an archaeological survey of thebeds and adjoining land. The overall aim of thearchaeological survey was to provide a large-scale plan andsummary condition survey.The survey programme comprised the three-dimensionalrecording of a c 600m stretch of the beds, from ManorCottage in the south-east of the village, to the eastern faceof the lower weir, west of the Benson Road bridge using aTotal Station Theodolite. The survey area also included asmall field of c 0.07ha, which flanks the southern banks ofthe beds, to the south-west of Manor Cottage.A large-scale photographic survey of the east and westfacing elevations of the Benson Road bridge was also made,to illustrate culverts at the base of the structure and a digitalphotographic record made to illustrate the detail and generalcontext of the principal features of the watercress beds. Thewatercress beds comprise a series of partitions each definedby a wooden partition or dam. Where the stream issufficiently wide, a concrete 'walkway' separates the bedsinto pairs, prestunably to enable different water levels to bemaintained in individual beds at different times, dependingon the condition of the crop. A narrow channel nuts alongthe southern side of the beds to facilitate the management ofwater levels to the beds.Eight main features were recorded in the survey area. Thesecomprise: the banks of the watercress beds, which compriseboth earth and grass and a variety of other material types; aconcrete walkway which runs up the centre of the watercressbeds; wooden dams; wooden stakes; a canalised stream;buildings thought to be associated with the production ofwatercress; a road-bridge which crosses the beds;earthworks in adjoining land. A small World War H pillboxis also in the field to the south-west of Manor Cottage. Thestructure was not visible at the time of the survey, hidden byvegetation.94

IndexNOTE: reference,s in italics denote illustrations.A6Rothwell and Desborough Bypass, Nhants; Iron Agesettlement, Roman enclosures 26Rushden and Fligham Ferrets Bypass, Nhants;Roman ditches 26A43, Towcester to M40 dualfing 25-6,26see also Tusmore, OxonA338, Roman road 79A428 Bypass, Crick, Nhants 27Abingdon, OxonAbbey House, Abbey Close 67Abingdon County Police Station 64-5Barton Lane; Neolithic/Bronze Age and /ron Agetrackways 36, 37, 38Morlands Brewery, Ock Street; medieval, withMesolithic, Roman and Saxon 53, 66-7Punmey Farm see under Radley 67St Nicholas School 53South Abingdcm Community Centre, Drayton Road67The Vineyard, former Makings site; medieval 40Akeley, Bucks; fieldwalking 23Alchester, OxonRoman military base 84-94annexecourtyard building, identified as fabrica 84,85, 86-9, 87ditches of compound 84-6, 85hearths and ovens close to rampart 85, 92inner fortress ditch 84-6, 85inner occupation in southern half 85, 90-2, 91interpretation as annexe 91-2type of troops occupying 84, 92water supply and drainage 85, 86-8, 87, 89-90artillery and slingers 84civilian phase 84, 89drainage ditches 90, 91defences of main fortresss 84-6, 85, 90-2, 91, 92-3dendrochronology 84early fortress tmder town, AD43-44 84, 85, 90,91granary 84, 85,92-3environmental material 84, 85, 86Gagle Brook 86-8,93garrison 84, 92geophysical survey 84, 85, 90, 91, 92plough marks, late/sub-Roman 86, 92water supply and drainage 85, 88, 92, to annexe85, 86-8, 87, 89-90waterlogged remains 84-5, 86, 90thin wooden tablets 84, 85, 86, 90Roman town wall 90, 91, 92Saxon occupation 92Amersham, Bucks (see also Old Amersham)Amersham Museum, 49 High Street; pre-C19 21amphitheatres, Roman: Caerleon 73; Calleva Atrebatum(Silchester) 73; Marcham/Frilford, Oxon 70, 71-2,73, 74; Silchester 73; stone structures in banks 73Indexanimal burials, deliberate(see. also bone, animal; -skulls).mid/late Iron Age sheep, Pitsford, Nhants 31animal products, processing of (see also tanning)medieval and later, Abingdon, Oxon 66-7antler working and worked antlerIron Age; Earls Barton, Nhants 28Roman bracelet; Denham, Bucks 14architectural fragmentsmedieval: Dorchester, Oxon 45; Northampton 30medieval or C16; Rotherfield Greys, Oxon 55Arlesey, Beds; Letchworth Cemetery Extension;Bronze/Iron Age and medieval 1armour, Roman body; A/chester, Oxon 89arrowheads, flintbarbed and tanged; Abingdon, Oxon 38leaf-shaped; Denham, Bucks 14artillery, Roman; Alchester, Oxon 84Ashridge, Bucks; Ilfracombe Farm 17Aston, Oxon; Barry House, Back Lane, Roman andmedieval 41Aston-le-Walls, Nhants; Appletree Farm 24Atldnson, Robert (architect) 18,18aviary, C19; Swiss Garden, Old Warden, Beds 3axes, polished stone: Abingdon, Chcon (re-workedfragment) 38; Radley, Om:al (fragments) 38Aylesbury, BucksAylesbury High School, Walton Road; Iron Age,Roman and post-medieval 12-13Weedon Hill; dispersed RB features 15Banbury, OxonGrimsbury Manor, Grimsbury Green; prehistoricsettlement, Roman activity, DMV 41Hanwell Fields; undated cut features 40, 6724 High Street; C19 cobbled surface 53hollow ways, odd features beside 52Oxford Canal Corridor, Industrial Archaeology of38Thorpe Pluic, Thorpe Way 53Tudor Hall School, Wykham Park 53Barford St Michael, Oxon; Manor Farm, the ManorHouse 52-3barnscob; Guilsborough, Nhttnts 29medieval: Drayton St Leonard, Oxon 54; GreatCoxwell, Oxon 49; Irthlingborough, Nhants 29, 30C16/17; Kehnscott, Oxon 55C17/18; Kensworth, Beds 5barrow cemeteries, Bronze Age: Biddenham, Beds 5;Eynsham, Oxon 54; South Stoke, Oxon 43Barton, Oxon; Bemwood School, North Way, Romaninhumation 41bath houses, Roman: Alchester, Oxon, possible 93;Vinctonissa 93beads, Roman glass and jet; Denham, Bucks 14-15Bedford; Howard Chapel; C11/12 pits 5Bedfordshire 1-9Begbrook to Yamton Mains Replacement, Oxon.,Roman, Saxon and post-medieval 39Biddenham, Bedschurch of St James; medieval wall 195

indexTL 025 508; settlement, round baffows, windmill 5-6Biggleswade, Beds (see also Stratton)Dunton Lane; early medieval expansion of StrattonDMV 1Biggleswade Reinforcement Main, BedsLangford Road; early Roman 5Merlin Farm; late Iron Age/early Roman-5Old Warden; late Iron Age/early Roman 5Billington, BedsBillington Hill; iron Age 8Choakes Yard; undated features 2bit, C12 curb; Hanslope, 13ucks 15Blackthorn, Oxon; Elm Tree Farm, Station Road, lateSaxon and medieval 67blades and bladelets, Mesolithic flint: Cogges, Oxon 42;Denham, Bucks 14Blatherwycke Boundary Cross, Monts 26Blisworth Tunnel, Nhants 25Boars Hill, Oxon; Roman pottery kiln 39,39Boarstall Tower, Bucks 17; gardens 17bone, animalIron Age: Abingdon, Oxon 38; Earls Barton, Nhants28; Marcham/Frilford, Oxon 76; Salford, Beds 3-4Roman: Chalton, Btxis 7; Dorchester-on-Thames 68;Sa/ford, Beds 4; Shefford, Beds 4; Syresham,-Nhants 26medieval: Bedford 5; Blackthorn, Oxon 67;Wantage, Oxon 69C17; Old Amersham, Bucks 22undated: Oxford 69; RadIey, (Non 67; Wigginton,Oxon 66bone, human (see also cemeteries; charnel pit;churchyards; crematitms; inhumations)middle Iron Age or earlier; Abingdon, Oxon 38bone objects see bracelets; pinsBoteier, William, of Biddenham, Beds (fi. C15) 1bowls, woodenRoman; Alchester, Oxon 85C14-16; Stratton, Beds 1Bozeat Quarry, Nhants; Roman enclosures, kilns andburials 26-7bracelets, Romanantler, and.bone; -Dentram, Bucks 14copper alloy: Denham, Bucks 14; Marcham/Frilford,Oxon 73breweries and brew-houses: Abingdon, Oxon.53;Garsington Manor, Oxon 54-5; Henley-on-Thames,Oxon (C16 malthouse) 68brick-cased timber-framed building; Duncombe Farm,Ashridge, Bucks 17bricksRoman; Sheffbrd, Beds 4C16/17; Tattenhoe, Bucks 22bridge, Norman; Grandpont, Oxford 58Bridges, J.; history of Nhants 34Brigstock, Nhants; Hall Hill, undated well 27Brill, BucksHighland Close; undated features 20The Lawns 20Bromham Mill, Beds; walls and pit, medieval or later 2brooches, Romanfibula with embossed decoration; Marchatn/Frilford,Oxon 73iron; Aylesbury, Bucics 12unspecified; Elstow, Beds 3Broughton Barns Quarry, Bucks; Bronze Age, Iron Ageand Roman 19, 20Buckingham; Prebend House Lodge, palaeochannel andC18119 10Buckinghamshire 10-23Bucknet Oxon; St Peter's Church, Bainton Road4Ibuilding materials (see also individual types)Roman ceramic; Dorchester-on-Thames 68post-medieval ceramic; Newport Pagnell, Bucks 11buildingsRoman: Earls Barton, Nhants (high status stone) 28;Higham Ferrers, Nhants 32medieval: Oxford (stone) 43; Weldon, Nhants(stone) 31-2post-medieval; Cotswold vernacular, Kelmscott,Oxon 55Burford, Oxon174 The Hill; medieval 41medieval settlement, extent of 41Muffety Cottage, Tanners Lane; medieval 41Old Ropery; medieval 41Rose Cottage, Church Lane; undated trenches 53burhsWallingford, Oxon 43Whittlebury, Nhants, possible 23burnt deposits.(see also flint, burnt)prehistoric/Roman; Eistow, Beds 3Iron Age/RB transition; Milton Keynes, Bucks 11butchery marks, undated; Wigginton, Oxon 66Caddington, BedsFolly Wood/Folly Lane; Roman road 7Manor Farm; Roman, medieval and C19 6, 6-7Caerleon, Gwent; Roman amphitheatre 73Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester); Roman amphitheatre 73Canons Ashby House, Nhants 32carpentry, C16/17 roof and window; Garsington Manor,Oxon 54catapult parts, Roman; Alchester, Oxon 84, 89cemeteries (see also barrow cemeteries; churchyards)late Roman/Saxon; Marcharn/Frilford, Oxon 70, 82medieval; Northampton, St James's Abbey 30-census (1871) 65ceramic materials (see also individual types)Roman: Dorchester-on-Thames (building) 68;Marcharn/Frilford, Oxon (powdered) 73post-medieval; Newport Pagnell, Bucks (building)11cess pit, medieval; Hanslope, Bucks 15Chadlington, Oxon; St Nicholas' Church 53chaff burnt; Roman, Alchester, Oxon 89Chalfont St Giles, Bucics; St Giles church 17Chatton, Beds; Manor Farm, Roman and medieval 7, 8chapels, medieval mortuary; Northampton 30charcoal, Roman: Alchester, Oxon 88, 89; Chalton,Beds 7Charlbury, Oxon; The Lawn, Market Street 54charnel pits96

Saxon or medieval; Wallingford, Oxon 62medieval; Dorchester, Oxon 44Chess river, Bucks 10Chihern Chalk Streams Project 10, 19Chilton, Oxon; Chilton School, Downside 41Chipping Norton, Oxon; Chipping Norton School, lateNeolithic/Bronze Age and medieval 41chisel-like instrument, Neolithic/Bronze Age stone;Abingdon, Oxon 38Cholsey, Oxon; 10 Amwell Place and Paternoster Lane,potential medieval enclosure 54Church Brampton, Nhants; Fox Covert, medieval andlater 25churchesSaxon sec under Ivermedieval sec under Biddenham; Cuddington;Stotfold; Watlington; Wing; Yieldenpost-medieval, and post-medieval work see underHartwell; Mentmore; Stotfold; Watlingtonundated see unckr Chalfont St Giles; Cogenhoe;Edgcott; Finedon; Greens Norton; North Crawley;Wingchurchyards see unckr Cuddington; Great Nfissenden;Mentmore; PavenhamCivil War period see under OxfordClapham, Beds; Oaldey Road, Bronze Age to medieval,with Iron Age/Roman and Saxon settlements 2clay, firedRoman; Shefford, Beds 4undated; Banbury, Oxon 40clay slingshot, Roman; Alchester, Oxon 89Clerke, John, of Northampton; will of 1500 35Cleveley, Oxon; C17 stable 50, 50Cliveden, BucksCanadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital, World War11 17-18, 18World War I hospital 17-18Clopton, Nhants; Home Farm, C19 features 27cob building; Guilsborough, Nhants 29cobbling waste, medieval/post-medieval: Abingdon,Oxon 67; Stratton, Beds 1coffin fittings, C18/19; Oxford 59coffin nails, Roman; Denham, Bucks 14coffins, medievalstone: Dorchester, Oxon 44, 45; Northampton 30wooden; Northampton 30Cogenhoe, Nhants; St Peters church 24Cogges, OxonCogges Manor Farm; fishpond /eat 41-2Eton Close; Mesolithic, Neolithic and medieval 424 Meadow View 64coin blank, late Roman; Marcham/Frilford, Oxon 76coin hoard, dispersed late Roman; Marcham/Frilford,Oxon 76coins, Roman: Alchester, Oxon 89; Denham, Bucks(Cl) 14, (late C3) 14; Great Bourton/Cropredy,Oxon(Maximinus Daza) 52; Higham Ferrers, Nhants 32;Marcham/Frilford, Oxon (late) 73, 76, 78, (FelTemp Reparatio copies) 76; Swalcliffe, Oxon (C3)51, 52Colchester, Essex; Roman fort annexe 92Cold Brayfield, Bucks; Olney-Lavendon and ColdIndexBrayfield Water Main 11Cole, John; 'History of the Antiquities afWellingborough' (1837) 35Coleshill, Oxon; Mill Cottage, Middle Leave Farm, henhouses at Coleshill Walled Gardens 45combsbone; Saxon double-sided, Wollaston, Nhants 25wooden; C14-16, Stratton, Beds 1copper alloy objects see under bracelets; pinscopper alloy smelting waste, Iron Age; Milton Keynes,Bucks 10copse system, medieval; Whittlewood Forest, Nhants 23Corby, NhamsOalcley Vale; flints and medieval pottery 24cores, flintNeolithic flake core; Cogges, Oxon 42Bronze Age; Risingltursi and Sandhills, Oxon 43corn dryers/malting ovensRoman T-shaped; Earls Barton, Nhants 28Ferrers, Nhants 32,33costrel, C14-16 leather; Stratton, Beds 1Cotswold vernacular style buildings; KeImscott, Oxon55Cowley, Oxon; Garden House, Hollow Way 67cremationsprehistoric; Broughton Barns Quarry, Bucks(unurned) 19Bronze Age: Broughton Barns Quarry, Bucks (earlyBronze Age umed, with complex depositionsequence) 19, 20; Denham, Bucks 13, 14;Marcharn/Frilford, Oxon (urned) 78-9late Iron Age/early Roman; Moxhill Farm, Beds 5Roman: Rozeat, Nhants 27; Den ham, Bucks 13, 14,15; Higham Ferrers, Nhants 32Saxon: Clapfram, Beds (unurned) 2;Marcham/Frilford, Oxon 79Crick, Nhants; A428 Bypass, medieval and Roman 27crop processing, Iron Age; Earls Barton, Nhants 28Cropredy, Oxon; Claydon Road, undated 67cross, medieval stone boundary; BlatherwyckeBoundary Cross, Nhants 26crypt, C18 church; Hartwell, Bucks 10Cuddington, Bucks; St Nicholas' Church 17culvert, C19 stone; Stoke Bruerne, Nhants 25curb bit, C12; Hanslope, Bucks 15Dadford, Bucks; Grooms Cottage, Main Street 21dark earth deposit, late/sub-Roman; Towcester, Nhants31Daventry, NhantsBorough Hill defences 34Burnt Walls; ridge and furrow, quarry structures 34decoration, external; Hughenden Manor, Bucks 18-19defences, townRoman: Alchester, Oxon 90, 91; Towcester, Nhants31Saxon; Wallingford, Oxon 43medieval: Northampton 36; Wallingford, Oxon 43C17: Oxford (Civil War) 59; Towcester, Nhants 31deliberate deposits, Romanpottery vessel; Swalcliffe, Oxon 50, 50sheep slculls; Wilstead, Beds 497

Indexdendrochronology: Alchester, Oxon, Roman 84;Steventon, Oxon, post-medieval 48,49Denham, Bucks; The Lea, Mesolithic to Romanoccupation, Roman rich buria/ 13, 13-15Desborough, Nhants see A6 Rothwell and DesboroughBypassDidcot, OxonAbingdon Road, Roman features 40Didcot Girls' School, Sherwood Road 68Digital Terrain Modelling; Hanslope, Bucks 15ditched feature, late Bronze Age segmented doubleditched;Denham, Bucks 13, 14ditchesprehistoric: Elstow, Beds 3; Hanslope, Bucks(enclosure) 15; Higham Ferrers, Nhants 32, 34;Milton Keynes, Bucks 10Neolithic/early Bronze Age; South Stoke, Oxon 43Bronze Age; Grove, Oxon (drainage) 40Iron Age: Billington Hill, Beds 8; Grove, Oxon(drainage) 40; Milton Keynes, Bucks 10; Radley,Oxon 67; Shefford, Beds (boundary) 4;Witstead, Beds 4late Iron Age/early Roman; Aylesbury, Bucks (lateBelgic boundary) 12-13; Dunstable, Beds 9; OldWarden, Beds 5; Wilstead, Beds 4Roman: Begbrook to Yarnton Mains Replacement,Oxon 39; Bozeat, Nhants (system) 26-7;Broughton Barns Quarry, Bucks 19; Denham,Bucks 13, 14, 15; Didcot, Oxon 40; Dunstable,Beds 9; Elstow, Beds 3; Penny Stratford, Bucks(boundary) 21; Higham Ferrers, Nhants 32, 32,33; Irthlingborough, Nhants 29; Langford Road,Fleds 5; Milton Keynes, Rucks 10; Radley, Oxon(field boundary) 67; Shefford, Beds 4;Tottemhoe, Beds 9; Towcester, Nhants 31;Whitfield, Nhants 26Saxon: Blackthorn, Oxon 67; Fyfield and Tubney,Oxon 60; Wallingford, Oxon (defensive) 43medieval: Biggleswade, Beds 1; Cogges, Oxon 42;Elstow, Beds 3; Fyfie/c/ and Tubney, Oxon 60;Hanslope, Bucks 15; Hemington, Nhants 29;Irthlingborough, Nhants 29; Leighton Blizzard,Beds 5; Northampton 24; Oxford 59; Paton,Nhants 31; Stratton, Beds 1; Tattenhoe, Bucks22; Wallingtbrd, Oxon (defensive) 43; Wantage,Oxon 69; Watchfield, Oxon 39-40; Welford,Nhants 32post-tnedieval: Begbrook to Yarnton MainsReplacement, Oxon 39; Denham, Bucks 13, 15;Elstow, Beds 3; Ludgershall, Bucks 16;Risinghurst and Sandhills, Oxon 43; Towcester,Nhants (defensive) 31undated: Ariesey, Beds (botmdary) 1; Banbury,Oxon 40; Cropredy, Oxon 67; Olney, Bucks 21;Wantage, Oxon 69Domesday Book, on ltotherfield Greys, Oxon 55Dorchester-on-Thames, OxonAbbey; Saxon and medieval ecciesiastica/ buildings44-5High Street, former Filling Station; early Romansettlement, Saxon graves 67-8Manor Farm Road, undated wall 68Plumtree Cottage 54Watling Lane 54dovecote, medieval; Irthlingborough, Nhants 29,30Downs Barn, Milton Keynes, Bucics; Mullen Avenue,Iron Age/Roman transition 11drainsBronze/Iron Age; Grove, Oxon 40medieval vaulted stone; Northampton 30post-tnedieval: Mendie, Bucks (land) 21;Northampton 24undated; Drayton, Oxon 54Drayton, OxonDrayton Mill 54Drayton St Leonard, Oxon; The Barn (C15) 54drying cupboards, CI8 sah or herb; Coleshill, Oxon 45Dunstable, Bedsiron Ageleady Roman; 88 Union Street 9Roman; Queensway Hall, Asda site 9medieval; Priory acquires Totternhoe stone quarries(1131) 9Durocobrivis Roman town (Dunstable, Beds): 9Earls Barton, NhantsBerry Mount; possible motte 35Bury Close; bailey or defended couttyard 34-5Mallard Close; Iron Ale/Roman enclosure systemand high-ststus finds 27-8, 28earthworks (see also individual opes)prehistoric; Hanslope, Bucks 15oval, predating motte; Old Wolverton, Bucks 22Eaton Bray, Beds: Harting Road Nursery, Iron Age,Roman, medieval and later pottery 7-8F.dgeott, Rucks; church of St Michael and All Angels 21Elstow, Beds; Progress Park; prehistoric./Romanoccupation, medieval/post-medieval ditches 2-3enclosuresmiddle Bronze Age see under Marcham/Frilford,OxonIron Age: Clapham, Beds 2; Earls Barton, Nhants27- 8, 28; Irthiingborough, Nhants 29; Pitsford,Nhants 31; Silverstone, Nhants 25, 26, 26;Wigginton, Oxon 66; see also underMarcham/Frilford, Oxonlate Iron Age/early Roman: Broughton BarnsQuarry, Bucks 19; Clapham, Beds 2Roman: A6 Rothwell and Desborough Bypass,Nhants 26; Bozeat, Nhants 27; Chalton, Beds 7;Denham, Bucks (rectilinear) 13, 14, 15; EarlsBarton, Nhants 27-8, 28; Irthlingborough,Nhants 29; Wilstead, Beds (system) 4Saxon: Higham Ferrers, Nhants 32, 33; Stratton,Beds 1; Whittlebury, Nhants (oval, possibleburh) 23medieval: Biggleswade, Beds (small) 1; Cholsey,Oxon 54; Stratton, Beds 1undated: Great Barford, Beds 9; Milton Keynes,Bucks 10environmental archaeo/ogy (see also bones, animal;plant remains; waterlogged remains)Chiltern Chalk Streams Project 10, 19Epwell, Oxon; supposed house platforms foundspurious 52Ewelme, Oxon98

illbox, World War 11 94watercress- beds 94Eynsham, -OxonCassington Road 39Foxley Farm; Bronze Age ring ditch 54fahrica (Roman military workshop) see underAlchester, OxonFarmer, Hatton, of Northampton (fi. C17) 35farms and farmsteadslate Iron Age/early Roman; Clapham, Beds 2Roman; Whittlewood area, Bucks/Nhants 23medieval: Littlemore, Oxon 42; Wantage, Oxon 69Victorian High Farming period planned farm;Appletree Farm, Aston-le-Walls, Nhants 24Fayum shield 86fenceline, medieval; Abingdon, Oxon 40Fenny Stratford, Bucks; Belvedere Nurseries, Romanfield system 21field systems (see also ridge and furrow)late Bronze Age; Denham, Bucks 14, 15late Iron Age/Roman: Salford, Beds 4; TotternhoeCastle, Beds 9Roman: Aylesbury, Bucks 15; Fenny Stratford,Bucks 21medieval: Church Brampton, Nhants 25; Crick,Nhants 27Finedon, Nhantschurch of St Mary the Virgin 29Quaker Meeting House 29fireplace niches, C18; Coleshill, Oxon 45fires, urban Northampton (including 1675)24fishpond leat, medieval; Cogges, Oxon 41-2flakes, flintNeolithic flake core; Cogges, Oxon 42undated: Cropredy, Oxon 67; Wigginton, Oxon 66flint, burnt: Caddington, Beds 6, 7; Corby, Nhants 24;Oxford 68flint artefacts and worked flint (see also arrowheads;blades; cores; flakes)prehistoric: Amersham, Bucks 21; Caddington, Beds7; Elstow, Beds 3; Hanslope, Bucks 15; MiltonKeynes, Bucks (debitage) 10; Oxford 69late Palaeolithic; Hanslope, Bucks 15Mesolithic: Abingdon, Oxon 67; Fyfield andTubney, Oxon 60; Radley, Oxon 38Neolithic: Chipping Norton, Oxon 41; Fyfield andTubney, Oxon 60; Hanslope, Bucks 15; Radley,Oxon 38Neolithic/early Bronze Age: Fyfield and Tubney,Oxon 60; Shefford, Beds 4; South Stoke, Oxon43Bronze Age: Chipping Norton, Oxon 41; Denham,Bucks 14; Hanslope, Bucks 15undated: Arlesey, Beds 1; Chalion, Beds 7; Corby,Nhants 24; Great Mssenden, Bucks 22;Whittlewood Area 23 floor surfaces, Roman:lesbury, Bucks 12; Swalcliffe Lea, Oxonworking) 49-50, 50, 51forts, Roman (see also under Alchester; Inchtuthil)with annexes 84, 92Frideswide, St; Shrine, Christ Church Cathedral,Oxford, 57Frilford, Oxon sec Marcham/FrilfordindexFringford, Oxon; The Close, Church Lane 42furnacesWiate Iron Age; "Syresham,'Nhants 26, 27Roman: Marcham/Frilford, Oxon 79,81; Syresharn,Nthants 26furrows, medieval (see also ridge and furrow)- Arlesey,Beds 1; Aylesbury, Bucks 15; Clapham, Beds 2;Wilstead, Beds 4Fyfield and Tubney, Oxon; Tubney Wood, prehistoricand medieval 60Gagle Brook, Alchester, Oxon 86-8,93gaming counters, Roman glass; Denham, Bucks 14gardens and garden features: Boarstall Tower, Bucks17; Olney, Bucks 21; Stowe, Bucks 19Garsington, Oxon; Garsington Manor brewhouse 54-5gate, Roman wooden; Alchester, Oxon 84Gayton, Nhants; tramway to Northampton 25geophysical survey: Alchester, Oxon 84, 85, 91, 90, 92;Arlesey, Beds 1; Boarstall Tower, Bucks 17; Elstow,Beds 2-3; Great Barford, Beds 9; Hanslope, Bucks15; Ffigh Wycombe, Bucks 19; Marcham/Frilford,Oxon 70, 71; Silverstone, Nhants 25-6; StoweSchool, Bucics 23; Thame Park, Oxon 60Gill Mill House, Stanton Harcourt, Oxon; Romanfeatures 60glassbeads, Roman; Denham, Bucks 14-15gaining counters, Roman; Denham, Bucks 14vessel, post-medieval; bottles, Dorchester, Oxon 44window, medieval; Northampton 30Goring-on-Thames, OxonAugustinian Nunne,ry of St Mary 42Augustinian Priory 55church of St Thomas of Canterbury 55Mill Cottage, Church Approach 42smithy, C28 55&radiometer survey; Milton Keynes, Bucks 10Grafton Estate, Hartwell, Nhants 24-5granary, Roman timber; Alchester, Oxon 84, 85, 92-3graves, medieval: Dorchester, Oxon 44; Northampton30Greye sur Mer, Anchetil de 55Great Bourton/Cropredy parish, Oxon; Roman finds atundisclosed location 52Great Barford, Beds; Bypass, prehistoric to medieval 9Great Cox-well Barn, Oxon 49Great Missenden, Bucks; churchyard of SS Peter andPaul 21-2Great Horwood, Bucks; Singleborough to GreatHorwood sewer, ridge and furrow 11Great Ouse palaeochannels, Buckingham 10Greens Norton, Nhants; St Bartholomew's Church 29Greys Court, Rotherfield Greys, Oxon 45-6, 46, 47, 55Grim's Ditch, at High Wycombe, Bucks 20Grove, Oxon; Monks Fan», Bronze and Iron Age 40-1grtlbenhauser see sunken-featured buildingsGuilsborough, Nhants; Cob Coal Barn 29gulliesNeolithic/early Bronze Age; South Stoke, Oxon 43Iron Age/Roman transition; Milton Keynes, Bucks1199