Land at Oak Lane, Bredon, Worcestershire. Excavation
Cotswold Archaeology, 2019. https://doi.org/10.5284/1058991. How to cite using this DOI
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- ADS Collection: 3633
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1058991
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
An archaeological excavation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in October and November 2016 at Land at Oak Lane, Bredon, Worcestershire. The excavation was targeted on Roman features identified during a preceding evaluation.
Enclosures, a well and a possible structure were found, all dateable to the Early to Mid Roman period. The well contained a rich assemblage of artefacts and ecofacts, including preserved plants, insects and pollen. It had been deliberately backfilled during the 3rd century AD with a range of finds suggestive of ritual deposition, including the skull of a young woman, the skeletons of skinned dogs, animal skulls, a raven, the remains of leather shoes and two almost intact pottery vessels.
The environmental indicators suggest that the environs of the site were largely pastoral, with some arable elements and with occasional stands of trees and hedgerows. Following closure of the well, a rectilinear system of paddocks replaced the enclosures. These were dateable to the Mid to Late Roman period and may have been abandoned before the 4th century. In addition, a single prehistoric flint was found as a residual item. Post-Roman activity was limited to a few pits of uncertain date, and to modern quarries.
