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Cotswold Archaeology
Building 11
Cotswold Business Park
Cirencester
GL7 6BQ
UK
Tel: 01285 771022
Fax: 01285 771033
Between January and April 2003 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological excavation funded by the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) at Hartshill Copse, Upper Bucklebury, West Berkshire (centred on NGR: SU 5310 6850). The work followed previous excavations conducted in 2002 prior to gravel extraction elsewhere within the quarry.
The excavation identified evidence for late Bronze Age (c. 10th century BC) and Early Iron Age (c. 5th century BC) settlement, including a large ditched enclosure, three post alignments, three roundhouses and a single urned cremation, as well as numerous other postholes and pits. In addition a number of features have been dated to the Roman and post-medieval periods. The late Bronze Age contexts have yielded substantial amounts of iron working residue - evidence of the earliest ironworking yet known in Britain.