Somerset Archaeol Natur Hist 143

Reports four previously unknown Iron Age and Romano-British sites recorded during an archaeological watching brief along the route of a water pipeline. Excavation at Encie Farm, Penselwood, found five storage pits, two of classic beehive shape, which were dated by pottery to the fourth or third century BC. A large Iron Age ditch of probable first century BC date was found near Templecombe. Two Romano-British sites were also identified near Templecombe, the pits and ditches probably indicating settlement nearby. Includes reports on:

a single, incomplete, saddle quern is reported

notes a range of cereal crops being utilised, including emmer, spelt, bread wheats, barley and oats

Documents the history of the medieval castle and reports on a series of excavations begun in 1975 and evolving into a formal training excavation. Large quantities of twelfth- and thirteenth-century artefacts (including pottery, iron, copper-alloy, and building materials) imply a residence of some description in the area. It is suggested that the earliest nucleus of the manor lay to the east on an unexplored promontory. The visible remains of the castle seem to date to the decades either side of 1400 and conform to the tradition of late fourteenth- to early fifteenth-century castle building: towers at the corners of a quadrangle with connecting ranges. The castle is suggested to have had defensive pretensions although some sacrifices were made for the sake of comfort. In c. 1760 the majority of the medieval buildings were demolished and the park was landscaped.

Discusses the dovecote (columbarium) in the roof above the chancel vault of the church, claimed to be the only surviving example in Somerset.

Reports excavations at three sites, which examine Roman activity including a fortlet and an area of mineral mining. Pottery indicates that the main period of mineral extraction occurred during the mid- to late- first century AD. The fortlet appears to have been occupied between c. AD 50 to c. AD 65, with an interruption before a brief second phase of occupation in the early 70s AD.

Documents the archaeological fieldwork undertaken in the county during the year. Reports are listed chronologically by period then alphabetically by location. Features separately authored reports including:

summarising various excavations at the site and noting a Romano-British farmstead, a Bronze Age shield, a Middle Iron Age roundhouse and two Early Neolithic pits

Accession list featuring a large variety of artefacts spanning different periods.