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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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 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 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 (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 (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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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 (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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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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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 (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 (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.
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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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.
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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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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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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