Bedfordshire Archaeology Volume 23 1999

Archaeological recording of a crop mark ring ditch and enclosure on the outskirts of Bedford uncovered a ritual complex of later Neolithic to Early Bronze Age date and evidence of Early/Middle Iron Age domestic and ritual activity. The remains of an oval barrow covering a crouched inhumation surrounded by a U-shape ditch were discovered in the south of the site. Traces of a former gravel mound were preserved within the ditch. The barrow was partially destroyed by a hengiform monument with an entrance to the west and a concentric internal gully. Two inhumations were discovered within the internal ring, one of which was accompanied by an almost complete Beaker vessel. In its final phase the outer ring was re-excavated and the entrance was causewayed. Important environmental information was recovered from the fills of the graves including, possibly, the earliest occurrence of peas in this country. The Iron Age occupation in the north of the site appears to have originated as an unenclosed settlement comprising post-built structures and a well or watering hole. A rectangular ditched enclosure with a south facing entrance partially encroached on the silted up well.

Evaluation and subsequent excavation, as part of a mitigation strategy under PPG16, in advance of a housing development on the outskirts of Flitwick revealed settlement activity from the Iron Age through to the Saxon period. The earliest settlement, originally unenclosed but subsequently enclosed, was established during the middle Iron Age on a low ridge in the upper Flit valley The available evidence suggests the enclosed farmstead may have been based on a largely pastoralist economy. The study area was devoid of late Iron Age/early Roman activity with a new settlement established in the 2nd century AD. Traces of Early to Middle Saxon occupation were also recorded.

The discovery of several sherds of Roman pottery in a garden at Keeley Lane, Wootton an area with little known evidence of Roman activity led to a small test excavation. This produced a substantial assemblage of 1st century pottery in association with contemporary features.

Several inhumations, excavated at Brook Drive, Kempston, probably form part of a larger 10th/11th century cemetery. The location of the graves suggests the cemetery may relate to a settlement pattern, influenced by the Danelaw predating the establishment of the late Saxon estate seized by Edward the Confessor from Earl Tostig.

Archaeological recording to the rear of 29-41 High St. recovered evidence of Late Saxon industrial activity and occupation prior to the construction of the outer bailey ditch and rampart of Bedford castle. Several episodes of pre-castle activity, including evidence for a Late Saxon smithy, were discovered beneath the outer bailey rampart in the east of the site. The line of the outer bailey ditch was established during piling for foundations. Little evidence of post-castle activity, with the exception of a post-medieval horn-working deposit, had survived to the rear of the High Street. The upper storeys of two timber-framed buildings dating to the late 16th and early 17th centuries have been retained within the present development.