SECTION 2.1.3: CLAYDON PIKE WARRENS FIELD ISLAND 2

INDRODUCTION

TRENCH 8
Enclosure 4/ Structure 11
Enclosure 3
Post-medieval features

TRENCH 12
Structure 10
Structure 9
Rectangular Structure S 23
Structure 7
Miscellaneous features in the south of Trench 12
Central Enclosure Complex
Salvage South of Trench 12
Central enclosure complex: summary

SALVAGE AREA EAST OF TRENCH 12
Structure 4
Structure 5
Structure 6
Structure 8
Structure 12

LINEAR BOUNDARIES

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Introduction (Fig. 2.1.10: Plan of island 2)

Island 2 was situated approximately 100 m to the south-east of Island 3 (Fig. 2.1.1: Location of Warrens Field settlement in relation to Longdoles Field ). Two conjoining trenches, 8 and 12, were excavated. In Trench 8, evidence of two enclosures, E 3 and E 4, was exposed. No obvious structural features were recognised within E3 but postholes and gullies within E 4 probably represented a structure of some description. These features have been collectively designated S 11 although some may not have been contemporary with the enclosure. Three enclosures, E 5 - E 7, and four structures, S 7, S 9, S 10 and S 23, were identified in Trench 12 along with a number of linear ditches. Salvage operations carried out to the south, west and east of Trenches 8 and 12 exposed an additional enclosure, E9, several penannular gullies, S 4, S 5, S 6, S 8 and S 12, and a four post structure, S 22, along with a number of ditches and curvilinear gullies.

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Trench 8 SU 19200 / 99750

Enclosure 4 / Structure 11 (Fig. 2.1.11: Enclosure 4 / structure 11)

Enclosure 4 was the earlier of two circular enclosures recognised as cropmarks within the southern part of Island 2. The enclosure was represented by penannular ditch, 155, defining an area c 15 m in diameter with an east-facing 2 m wide entrance gap. A post-medieval field system comprising ditches 154, 163 and 2944 and a large post-medieval pit, 156 / 188, cut the enclosure.
Sections excavated across the enclosure ditch demonstrated that the original feature had been recut at least twice. The ditch was 1.4 m at its widest and at most 1.1 m deep, but the depth was more commonly 0.8 m. In the latest phase the entrance was widened to c 6 m by positioning the southern enclosure ditch terminal 4 m short of the original terminal. The latest ditch had been backfilled with gravel, perhaps to level the area, and this deposit was particularly evident on the north and east sides. Gravelly fills were also found in the middle layers of the ditch on the west side. The gravel component of the fills contributed to the variable visibility of the enclosure cropmark. Finds of animal bone and pottery were relatively common throughout the fill of ditch 155. A middle Iron Age pottery assemblage of 98 sherds (1 kg), and an animal bone assemblage of 141 fragments, of which only 108 were identifiable, were recovered. Additional finds included eight pieces of fired clay, including a loomweight, and a fragment of a saddle quern rubber .
A scatter of postholes within the enclosed area, 178, 182-3, 186, 187, 193 and 195, formed no obvious coherent pattern. These features ranged in diameter from 0.18 to 0.58 m, and 0.17 to 0.25 m in depth. A small clay-lined pit, 177, measuring 0.44 by 0.26 m, contained five sherds (32g) of middle Iron Age pottery. Three separate fills of greenish-brown clay with charcoal flecking sealed the primary gravel fill of this pit. In the centre of the enclosed area a large post-medieval feature, 156, cut a shallow sub-rectangular pit, 184. Another shallow pit, 181, measuring 0.98m in diameter and 0.32 m. in depth had been dug near the entrance of the enclosure. Gully 165 terminated immediately to the south of this pit. This feature was 0.56 m wide and 0.34 m deep and was traced for a length of 5.5 m to the point that it was cut by ditch 155. The top fill of the feature was not uniform, but changed from a dark loam containing occupation debris near the terminal at the centre of the enclosure to a clean, gravel fill near the intersection with ditch 155. Middle Iron Age pottery (331g), fired clay, including an oven fragment, and burnt limestone were recovered from the occupation rich fill near the terminal.
The northern edge of the enclosure ditch was cut by curvilinear gully 164 / 179. This feature was 0.7 to 1 m wide and 0.46 m deep but its full extent was no clear as it was truncated by post-medieval ditch 220 as it ran northwards. A group of 55 sherds (693 g) of middle Iron Age pottery, 38 animal bone fragments (mostly indeterminate) and three pieces of fired clay, including an oven fragment, were recovered from the gully fill. Recut ditch 180 / 192 ran west from Enclosure 4. It was traced c 40 m beyond the western limit of Trench 8 but lost in the marshy area between Islands 2 and 3. The early ditch, 192, was clearly cut by ditch 155, but ditch 155 and ditch 180 shared a common gravel fill, indicating that the two had been open at the same time and were, therefore, contemporary features at some point. A middle Iron Age sherd came from ditch 180.
Enclosure 4 may have been associated with a building, S 11. A number of pits and postholes were exposed within the enclosed area, but these formed no obvious pattern and it is possible that other features were removed by later activity. There were no obvious entrance posts but the post-medieval boundary ditch, 2944, could have removed all trace of one at least. The position of clay pit 177 resembled that of other such pits in more clearly recognisable structures at Claydon Pike. Gully 165 may have served as a drain originating within a structure, where it collected occupation refuse, and draining into the enclosure ditch. But the internal features could not be positively associated with the enclosure ditch, and may have belonged to a different phase. The presence of debris in ditch 155 and the scatter of internal features contrasts with some of the other enclosures at the Warren's Field site, notably E 1 and E 3. The arrangement more closely resembles E2 in Trench 6 despite the absence of an internal penannular gully (see below).

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Enclosure 3 (Fig. 2.1.10: Plan of island 2)

Enclosure 3 was bounded by penannular ditch 153, and had an internal diameter of c 16 m. The entrance was represented by a 3 m gap on the north-east side. The ditch had been recut to varying depths at least three times. The maximum width was 2 m and the maximum depth recorded was 0.9 m. Three sherds (34 g) of middle Iron Age pottery and a few horse and cattle bones were recovered from the ditch. A tree throw was located in the central area. The dearth of occupation debris and an interior devoid of archaeological features suggests the enclosure was not utilized for domestic occupation. The ditch fills did not show signs of deliberate infilling and had silted naturally prior to being sealed by alluvial deposits. Animal bone from the lower layers produced a radiocarbon date (HAR 5409) of AD 310 (1640+70).
A shallow gully, 152, cut the enclosure ditch. A Roman date for the gully obtained from animal bone submitted for radiocarbon dating may be misleading in that the bone may have originated from the ditch fill, disturbed where the two features intersected. This, however, would provide a Roman date for the ditch, which is unlikely. Enclosure 3 clearly cut middle Iron Age Enclosure 4 to the north and probably belongs to the Phase 2 occupation at Claydon Pike.

A post-medieval field system, represented by linear ditches 84, 154, 163 and 220, transacted the enclosures. A wide linear feature, 157 / 161, associated with this field system proved to be a complex of animal burials containing a young cow, a foal and a dog.

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Trench 12 SU 19220 / 99785

Structure 10 (Fig. 2.1.12: Structure 10)

Structure 10 (S 10), represented by penannular gully 218, was situated c 20 m north of Enclosure 4. It had a maximum internal diameter of 11.75 m, and a south-east facing entrance gap c 4.0 m across. Several phases of recutting of the gully were reflected in the expanded width of its northern stretch. At least four separate cuts were identified, but these were poorly represented on the south side, some visible only as shallow stains. A recut of the northern and western circuit of the gully had ditch-like proportions, at c 0.8 m deep and 1.2 m wide. Its fill contained an abundance of domestic debris, including 319 sherds (c 4 kg) of middle Iron Age pottery, 156 animal bone fragments, most of indeterminate species, six fragments of fired clay and two of briquetage.
The two large, stone-packed entrance posts, 224 and 225, were set back just over a metre from the entrance gap. They appear to have been double posts and the evidence indicated that both posts of 224 had been replaced in contrast to those of posthole 225.
A further ten postholes were identified within the enclosed area. Three were double post features, 243, 248, 247, with dimensions varying from 0.49 - 0.6 m in length, 0.2 - 0.45 m wide and 0.07 - 0.28 m deep. Postholes 261 and 263, at the back of the structure, appeared to be aligned with the entrance posts but were not morphologically similar. wide and 0.12 m deep with steep sides. Posthole 263, by contrast, was circular in plan with sloping sides and measured 0.28 m in diameter and 0.07 m in depth. These features may have held posts that formed part of the structure, or functioned as support posts. A shallow clay lined pit, 223, measuring 0.62 in diameter and 0.24 m deep, produced quantities of burnt limestone, part of a May Hill sandstone saddle quern and 30 sherds (551g) of middle Iron Age pottery.

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Structure 9 (Fig. 2.1.13; Structure 9)

Structure 9 (S 9) lay about 5 m to the north-east of S 10. It was represented by penannular gully 228 and, with an internal diameter of c 9 m, was smaller than the other house sites. At least three phases of gully 228 were recognised and their varying termini produced a south-east facing entrance gap of between 2.0 and 2.5 m. The gully contained 155 sherds (1.6 kg) of middle Iron Age pottery, 59, mostly indeterminate, animal bone fragments and five pieces of fired clay including briquetage and an oven fragment. No finds were recovered from the internal features.
The double post entrance postholes, 253 and 254, were set back c 2 m from the entrance gap and contained much burnt limestone packing. Both were oval in plan with similar dimensions of 0.7 length, 0.4 width and 0.2 m depth. In both cases a small post had been set forward of a larger, main post.
Postholes 255, 258, 259 and 280 lay within the enclosed area but did not form a coherent pattern. They ranged in width from 0.15 to 0.6 m, and in depth from 0.1 to 0.24 m. A complex of three pits, 250, 251 and 252, had been dug close to the back of the structure. Pit 250 was clay-lined and measured 0.74 m wide and 0.36 m deep. It cut pit 251, which was of similar size. The relationship between pit 250 and with a third shallow pit, 252, was obscured by a modern pipe trench, 190, which cut through the complex. A 2.5 m long shallow linear gully, 314, obtruded from the north-west side of gully 228. It was 0.29 m wide and 0.21 m deep. It was cut by the latest recut of 228 but may have been contemporary with one of the earlier phases.
Gully 228 and clay-lined pit 250 were cut by features belonging to a rectangular structure, S 23 (see below).

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Rectangular Structure S 23 ( Fig. 2.1.14: Structures 22 and 23, and four post structure in S 20)

Structure 23 (S 23) was represented by a trapezoidal arrangement of seven postholes, 256, 290 - 294 and 296. The postholes were between 0.36 and 0.45 m wide, and 0.14 and 0.26 m deep. They appeared to form a double linear arrangement, 17 m long and 2 m to 2.5 m wide. The postholes were packed with limestone fragments that originated from the Cornbrash Formation, in contrast to other features on the site, which contained Forest Marble. Because the postholes produced no finds, the structure could not be precisely dated, but it clearly post-dated S 9.

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Structure 7 (Fig. 2.1.15: Structure 7)

Structure 7 (S 7) was positioned to the south-east of S 9. The dense arrangement of features suggested the presence of a structure in this position despite the absence of a penannular gully.
Two short lengths of gully, 226 and 227, appeared to represent features belonging to a south-east facing entrance 3.5 m wide. Gully 227 was 1.8 m long and 226 was 2.1 m long. Both were 0.6 m wide and 0.35 m deep. Gully 226 contained 18 sherds (92 g) of middle Iron Age pottery, ten animal bone fragments and a fired clay fragment. Two double post settings, 229 and 230, positioned c 2 m apart, were set back c 2.0 m from the gullies. They shared a similar profile and dimensions, 0.95 to 1 m long, 0.65 to 0.7 m wide and 0.35 m deep. There was evidence of a shallower post at the front of each feature in both cases.
Two clay-lined pits, 234 and 236, lay on the north-eastern side of the feature complex. Pit 234, at 0.75 m in diameter and 0.15 m deep, was the smaller of the two. It cut a natural hollow, 239. A quartzitic sandstone cobble that had probably been used as a quern rubber was recovered from its fill. Pit 236 was oval in plan, measuring 1.1 m long, 0.6 m wide and 0.24 m deep. It contained 16 sherds (67 g) of middle Iron Age pottery and two fired clay pieces, including a possible tuyere fragment. Four postholes, 231-233 and 235, lay within the interior of the presumed structure but their relationship to it was unclear. They varied from 0.3 to 0.65 m in diameter and 0.1 to 0.28 m in depth. Feature 231 contained three sherds (7g) of middle Iron Age pottery. Four oval-shaped hollows, 237-239 and 249, were apparently natural hollows that pre-dated the structure.

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Miscellaneous features in the south of Trench 12 (Fig. 2.1.10: Plan of island 2)

Several curvilinear gullies that did not represent obvious structures were located between E 4 and S 10. Penannular gully 198 enclosed an area c 8.0 m in diameter. It had a 7 m long gap along its western stretch and a narrower gap at the east, of uncertain size because the eastern terminals were cut by post-medieval field boundaries, 214 and 220. Gully 198 had a distinctive V-shaped basal slot containing a fill with a higher gravel content than the main fill. The slot measured 0.15 m across at the top and was 0.07 m deep. The gully produced seven sherds (114 g) of middle Iron Age pottery.
Two intercutting curvilinear gullies, 199 and 200, had surviving lengths of 8 m and 5 m respectively. Both were shallow, between 0.15 and 0.2 m deep, and were partly removed by post-medieval ditch 214. Gully 199 contained 16 sherds (87 g) of middle Iron Age pottery, one piece of fired clay and one animal bone fragment.
A north-east to south-west aligned ditch-like feature, 196, lay immediately to the south of gully 198. It was 1 to 1.5 m wide and 0.4 m deep with no evidence of recutting. The fill produced a relatively large finds assemblage, including 54 sherds (418 g) of middle Iron Age pottery and 161 animal bone fragments, the majority unidentifiable to species. The feature may have been a gravel quarry.

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Central Enclosure Complex (Fig. 2.1.10 and 2.1.16: Central enclosure complex)

A complex of linear ditches and ditched enclosures extended southwards from the eastern part of Trench 12 into the salvage area, located to the east of Trench 8. Stratigraphically the latest feature was V-profile linear boundary ditch 322, which ran north-east to south-west for c 35 m, cutting the western edge of Enclosure 6. This ditch was the latest recut of gullies 268 and 221, both of which were shallower features. The only finds from its fill were two sherds (33 g) of middle Iron Age pottery.
Gully 268 continued the boundary line north-eastwards out of Trench 12 and was traced across the salvage area. It contained 32 animal bone fragments, one piece of fired clay, and 75 sherds (1070 g) of middle Iron Age pottery. Gully 221 continued 30 m to the south, cutting Enclosures 5, 7 and 9 before terminating. It produced only three sherds (2 g) of middle Iron Age pottery and 38 fragments of animal bone.

Enclosure 7 (Fig. 2.1.16: Central enclosure complex)

Enclosure 7 (E 7), represented by ditch 275, was approximately concentric with Enclosure 5. It was stratigraphically earlier than E 5 and E 6 but it cut gullies 277 and 278 to the north and gully 315 to the south.
The ditch defined a rectangular area c 15 m by 12 m with an unbounded south-east side. It was approximately 0.66 m wide and 0.6 m deep. The finds assemblage from the ditch comprised 91 sherds (880 g) of middle Iron Age pottery and 41 animal bone fragments (two each of cattle, horse and pig, nine sheep and 26 indeterminate). Its southern terminal, 282, would logically mark an entrance, but the other terminal had been removed by post-medieval field gully 220.
Five postholes, 284-288, and a clay-lined pit, 283, lay within the enclosed area, but could, on the same basis, have belonged to E 5. None appeared to represent entrance features. Four postholes, 284, 285, 287 and 288, may have belonged to a four-post structure but the plan would have been trapezoidal rather than square or rectangular and there was no evidence to demonstrate that they were contemporary. The postholes measured between 0.24 m and 0.38 m in diameter and were 0.12 to 0.27 m deep. A single sheep bone and four middle Iron Age sherds (23 g) were recovered from posthole 288. The profile of posthole 286, to the west of the main group, suggested that it held two posts or that the post had been replaced at some point.
The northern part of E 7 cut two curvilinear gullies, 277 and 278, and a clay-lined pit, 276 (not shown on plan), located 3 m to the south-east of pit 266. Gully 277 was 0.6 m wide and 0.23 m deep and contained three fills, one of which produced a single sherd (34 g) of middle Iron Age pottery. Gully 278 was c 0.5 m wide and up to 0.52 m deep with two fills, and produced a single sheep bone fragment and three sherds (27 g) of middle Iron Age pottery. Pit 276 had been truncated by ditch 275 and only the lower third of the feature survived. It was circular in plan with an estimated diameter of 0.8 m and depth of over 0.33 m. The basal fill, which contained burnt limestone and clay, produced a flint blade.

Enclosure 6 (Fig. 2.1.16: Central enclosure complex)

Enclosure 6 (E 6) was represented by ditch 264, which enclosed a D-shaped area c 11 m across with the east side unbounded. The southern terminal, truncated by recent gravel pit 265 (not shown in plan), shelved into a deep sump c 1.0 m deep containing large quantities of occupation material. The finds assemblage included 194 sherds (3.8 kg) of middle Iron Age pottery, including 5 g of Malvernian A type, two pieces of fired clay, and 105 animal bone fragments (29 cattle, nine horse, eight sheep, one each of dog and pig and 57 indeterminate). The ditch had been recut on the west side and the later feature had been backfilled with gravel.
Several features lay within the enclosed area and beyond, extending north-eastwards towards boundary gully 271. Three short lengths of gully, 267, 269 and 270, were examined. Gully 267 formed an arc open to the south-west. It 0.5 m wide and 0.18 m deep, and contained nine sherds (52 g) of middle Iron Age pottery, one piece of fired clay and two cattle bone fragments. North-east to south-west aligned gully 270 was only 3.4 m long, 0.4 m wide and 0.18 m deep. It contained 33 sherds (119 g) of pottery, two pieces of fired clay and an unidentifiable animal bone fragment. Another short gully, 269, lay a short distance to the south-east. It appeared to continue the line of the southern terminal of E 6 but the possible relationship was destroyed by gravel pit 265. The gully contained 26 sherds (150 g) of middle Iron Age pottery, and five animal bone fragments.
Amongst the complex of features were three clay-lined pits, 266, 274 and 318. Pit 266, 0.95 in diameter and 0.3 m deep, and pit 274, 0.55 in diameter and 0.12 m deep, lay within the area bounded by E 6, and pit 274 may have been associated with gully 267. Pit 318, 0.9 by 0.6 and 0.2 m deep, lay to the north-east, beyond the enclosed area. Eight postholes were excavated, 301-306, 319 and 320, but only 303 had a double profile suggestive of an entrance feature. Their diameters ranged from 0.24 to 0.58 m and their depths from 0.12 to 0.33 m.
Enclosure 6 was truncated by modern pit 265, E 5 and LB 322 and it cut E 7 and gullies 275, 277 and 278.

Enclosure 5 (Fig. 2.1.16: Central enclosure complex)

The latest of the three main enclosures in the central enclosure complex was represented by ditch 219,which enclosed a triangular area c 12 m by 9 m. The dimensions of the ditch were variable but it was 0.5 to 0.7 m deep and had been recut at least once. An entrance gap 8 m wide on the eastern side had been decreased to 2.5 m by the extension created by ditch 272 at the northern terminal. Gully 272 was c 0.4 m wide and 0.45 m deep. The relationship between the two gullies was uncertain, but 272 cut an earlier length of gully, 273, on a similar alignment. Gully 273 was narrower and shallower than 272, measuring 0.2 m wide and 0.2 m deep. The remnant of fill surviving on its northern edge contained a high density of gravel. Five postholes and a clay-lined pit within the enclosed are were not necessarily contemporary with the ditch (see Enclosure 7 above).
Finds of pottery and bone were relatively common, but markedly less so than from the structures on Island 2, particularly considering the volume of soil excavated from the ditches. Sixty seven animal bone fragments, mostly indeterminate, and 39 sherds (382 g) of middle Iron Age pottery were recovered from ditch 219, including 13 g of Malvernian A ware from the northern section. A further 23 animal bone fragments, including eight sheep bones and 33 sherds (261 g) of pottery were recovered from gully 272. Gully 273 contained 16 sherds (94 g) of pottery.
E 5 was cut by LB 322 and by post-medieval ditches, 220, 163 and 2994. It cut E 6 and E 7, and gullies 277 and 278.

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Salvage area to the south of Trench 12 (Fig. 2.1.16: Central enclosure complex)

The central enclosure complex in Trench 12 continued south and was observed and recorded during stripping of the site by the developers. Ditch 221 continued the line of LB 322, cutting E 5. The southern end of LB 322 cut curvilinear gully 212, which formed enclosure9 (E 9). E9 enclosed an area c 12 m in diameter and was 0.7 m wide and 0.5 m deep, open on the north and east sides. The northern terminal was obscured by later features at the junction of 221 and E 5 and 7. The southern stretch of gully 212 truncated a small curving gully, 201. This gully was steep-sided and flat-bottomed, measuring 0.7 m wide and 0.45 m deep. Gully 201 intersected another, possibly contemporary, curving gully, 202. Several postholes were observed within this area but it was not possible to record them.
An irregular stretch of gully, 315, lay within the area defined by E9. Its northern end was cut by was cut by E 7 to the north. The southern extent was not defined due to the depth of topsoil removal. A single salvage section through this gully produced no finds. Gully 337 may have represented an eastern continuation of 315 and, if so, the two would have formed an enclosure c 14 m in diameter. Two shallow gullies, 336 and 338, intersected 337 but the relationships were not observed. An oval pit, 222, measuring 0.4 m wide and 0.2 m deep, cut the southern ends of gullies 336 and 338.

Four post Structure 22 (Fig. 2.1.14: Structures 22 and 23, and four post structure in S 20 and 2.1.16: Central enclosure complex)

A short distance from the southern terminal of LB 322, two hourglass shaped features, 210 and 211, had been cut into the natural gravel. They were 2.8 m long approximately 0.8 m wide and set 2 m apart. They were interpreted following excavation as pairs of postholes joined by a slack V-shaped gully. The bowl shaped ends of the features were packed with gravel and limestone, and were c 0.3 m in diameter, and 0.45 m deep. If they represented a four post structure, it would have been c 2.75 m by 2.25 m in size. An alternative interpretation, however, is that the features were oven bases. Morphologically and in terms of size they resemble these well-recognised and extensively recorded structures found on late Iron Age and Romano-British rural sites, often found in pairs or groups, sometimes in association with corndriers and, therefore, interpreted as bread ovens. There is no mention in the site records of the usual burning around the edges of the features or burnt material in the fills, often associated with oven bases, but this does not preclude the interpretation. An iron nail was found in feature 211 and three sherds of middle Iron Age pottery recovered from feature 210 could be residual.

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Central enclosure complex: summary

In contrast to the recognisable house sites at Claydon Pike no definite structures could be identified within the central enclosure complex, despite the incidence of structural features such as postholes and curvilinear gullies and evidence for domestic activity such as clay-lined pits. The enclosures, whilst generally larger than the penannular gullies of the house sites, compare with E 4 in Trench 8, which appeared to enclose a structure. Occupation debris was by no means abundant in this area, apart from the assemblage from the southern terminal of E 6.
The stratigraphic sequence of the area indicates a series of reorganisation phases involving shifting the positions of three or four enclosures and the linear boundary. It was unclear if E 9 represented a separate phase or was associated with another enclosure. Two enclosures at most would have been in use at any one time. Indications of backfilling in E 5 and E 6 suggest complex reasons for re-siting the enclosures. The succeeding phases all shifted to new ground, and location overlap was marginal.
Throughout the period of use in this area settlement appears to have been constrained in the western sector, and the axis of the enclosures remained static. The space between the apparent boundary represented by LB 322 and the nearest features, those belonging to S 7, is c 7 m. It is possible that the blank area was a path or small trackway. The layout of the site elements was similar to the east of the enclosure complex where a gap of c 20 m existed between it and the eastern group of structures. This open area may have been a yard associated with the enclosures or with the paddocks to the north.

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Salvage area east of Trench 12 SU 19280 / 99765

Five penannular gullies and a series of linear boundaries were recorded during the commercial stripping of the site east of Trench 12. These were recorded in plan, relationships established where possible and some sections were excavated, principally at the gully terminals in order to retrieve finds. Very shallow or isolated features such as postholes may have been lost during the stripping operation.

Structure 4 (Fig. 2.1.17a: Structure 4)

Structure 4 (S 4), represented by penannular gully 326, was the most northerly of a row of five structures. The enclosed area had a diameter of 9.5 m with a south-east facing entrance gap c 2.5 m wide. The northern terminal of the gully had been removed by Roman field ditch 331. Nine sherds (85 g) of middle Iron Age pottery were recovered from the gully fill. No features were recognised within the interior of the enclosure.

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Structure 5 (Fig. 2.1.17b: Structure 5)

Structure 5 (S 5), represented by gully 324, was located immediately to the south of S 4. The gully had a north-east facing entrance gap but the northern terminal was removed by Roman boundary ditch LB 331. The enclosed area was 11 m in diameter and contained three postholes, 352-354. One hundred and five (906 g) sherds of middle Iron Age pottery and 22 animal bone fragments, most of indeterminate species, were recovered from the gully, a large proportion from the southern terminal. Their positions suggest that postholes 352 and 353 supported an entrance structure, atypically orientated north-east. A small linear gully, 325 (Fig. 2.1.10), appeared to originate at this entrance, but it may not have been contemporary with the structure. It was traced for c 28 m but appeared to terminate in the marshy area between Islands 1 and 2. A gully of similar size, 271 (Fig. 2.1.10), ran eastwards from Trench 12, linked to S 5 by a short length of gully, 355. The fills of the gully sections were identical, suggesting that the two features were contemporary. The relationship between S 5 and S 6 was not established.

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Structure 6 (Fig. 2.1.15: Structure 6)

Structure 6 (S 6) intersected the southern side of S 5 but their stratigraphic relationship was not tested. Its enclosure gully, 216, was c 0.7 m wide and 0.32 m deep, and enclosed an internal area 10.5 m in diameter with an east facing entrance gap 4.5 m across. A single piece of fired clay, and a near complete expanded rim jar weighing 4.6 kg (Fig. 3.1.2, no. 8) were recovered from the northern terminal. Set back from the entrance gap were two oval postholes, 349 and 350, both measuring 1 m long by 0.5 m wide and 0.25 m deep. A clay-lined pit, 351, with a 1.5 m diameter, lay within the enclosure. Gully 216 impinged on Structure 8 to the south-west but, although no relationship was determined, it is unlikely that the two structures were contemporary.

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Structure 8 (Fig. 2.1.13: Structure 8)

Structure 8 (S 8) was represented by penannular gully 213 / 217. The preservation of the northern and western stretches of the gully was good but the remainder of the circuit was visible only as a stain. The gully enclosed an area 11.5 m in diameter with a south-east facing entrance gap c 4 m wide. Six postholes, 343-348, lay adjacent to the northern side of the entrance, and there may have been other, unrecorded, postholes in the vicinity. Some of the postholes may have supported entrance posts, but they were left unexcavated. Three sherds of middle Iron Age pottery were recovered from the gully.

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Structure 12 (Fig. 2.1.12: Structure 12)

Structure 12 (S 12), represented by penannular gully 207, was situated 3 m to the south of S 8. 207 (S 12). It had a diameter of 10.5 m and an east facing entrance gap 7 m wide. A 2.3 m long slot, 209, measuring 0.4 m wide and 0.3 m deep, lay across the gap, creating a double entrance of 2.5 m and 3.5 m. Two postholes, 339 and 340, set c 2 m back from the entrance probably supported an entrance structure. Two other postholes, 341 and 342, lay within the southern part of the structure, possibly aligned with posthole 340. Gully 207 contained 64 sherds (798 g) of middle Iron Age pottery, a fragment of fired clay, a single retouched flint flake, and a small quantity of animal bone. Seven sherds (33 g) of middle Iron Age pottery, a fired clay fragment, and 19 animal bone fragments were recorded from feature 209.
Approximately 2.0 m south-east of S 12 lay a gully arc, 204. Its northern terminal was bifurcated, possibly indicating that it had been recut 5 m off the original line. Where sectioned, the gully was 0.4 m wide and 0.42 m deep, steep-sided with a flat base and a fill that suggested it had originally held timbers. Burnt limestone, a single middle Iron Age pottery sherd and four animal bone fragments were recovered from the gully.
Three unexcavated features lay to the south of gully 204, a pair of oval postholes, 206 and 215, and a pit, 205, measuring 2 m in diameter. The pit showed evidence of burning in situ burning and fragments of burnt stone were visible in the top fill. It may have been an oven or hearth.

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Linear boundaries (Figs 2.1.2:Trench plan of Warrens Field and 2.1.10: Plan of island 2 )

The central enclosure group formed the main axis of a north-east to south-west aligned system field system on Island 2. A series of small plots were sited adjacent to the settlement nucleus. One plot was extended northwards from Trench 12, defined by ditches 333, 334 and 268, the northern continuation of LB 322. This enclosure was 30 by 25 m in size. A larger plot was located to the east, defined by ditches 268 and 271. The existence of another plot was suggested by east to west ditch 180, located in the south-west corner of Trench 12 but no relationships with the other ditches were identified. Gully 325, which originated close to S 5, may have also defined a boundary associated with the enclosure complex.
Ditches 330 and 208, which appeared to link Island 2 with Island 1, may have been contemporary with the Phase 2 occupation in Longdoles Field to the south. Ditch 330 contained fragments of burnt limestone and was cut by the Roman field ditch 329. Ditch 208 was stratigraphically later than the phase 1 gully 325 and appeared to make for the Roman road, following a similar alignment to Roman ditch 329. But its fill differed from that of the well-dated Roman field ditches in its higher gravel content and, in any case, it produced only Iron Age pottery (six sherds, 71 g).

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