Oxoniensia 60

Excavations at Tuckwell's gravel pit yielded evidence of settlement and land division on the first terrace in the late second to early first millennium BC. Finds were few and suggested light or intermittent occupation. Environmental evidence from two water holes indicated open scrub vegetation succeeded by cattle pasture. Field boundaries of the first/second centuries AD were also recorded. There are specialist reports on: `Prehistoric pottery' by Alistair Barclay (35--8); `Roman pottery' by Paul Booth (38--40); `The worked wood' by Maisie Taylor (40--1); `Plant and invertebrate remains' by Mark Robinson (41--50); `Pollen analysis' by Adrian Parker (50--3); and `The animal bones' by Sheila Hamilton-Dyer (53--5).

Reports excavations undertaken in 1988--89 in advance of gravel extraction, on a site lying on the north bank of the Thames 2km up from its confluence with the river Windrush. A LIA and early RB farmstead lay on the first gravel terrace on the edge of the floodplain. The site had a mainly pastoral economy, though fields were apparently cultivated from the settlement. Imports were few and there was little evidence of Romanisation before the site was abandoned at the end of the first or very early-second century AD. Finds of second- and third-century AD pottery suggest that the area may have been used as arable fields, manured from a nearby site, but there is no evidence of occupation until a small settlement was established at the end of the third century AD, to the north of its predecessor. This site lay on the north side of a trackway, part of an extensive drove and trackway system linking late Roman sites along the north bank of the Thames, and associated with ditched fields and paddocks. Only the eastern periphery of the occupation area was examined, together with the trackway and field systems north and south of it. It appears to have been an agricultural community probably still mainly engaged in pastoralism. It was of low status, although Roman wares were acquired. There are specialist reports on: `The Late Iron Age/Early Roman occupation' by Gill Hey & Alistair Barclay (102--12); `Late Roman occupation' by Gill Hey & Ric Tyler (112--24); `Pottery' by Jane R Timby (124--36) including `Appendix 1: description of fabrics' (134--6); `Pottery small finds' by Jane R Timby (136); `Neolithic sherd' by Alistair Barclay (136); `Fired clay' by Alistair Barclay, Helen Glass & Gill Hey (136--8); `Metalworking' by Chris Salter (139); `Roman coins' by Cathy King (139); `Copper alloy small finds' (139--42), `Iron small finds' (142--4), `Lead small finds' (144--5), and `Glass small finds' all by Leigh Allen & Helen Glass (145); `Stone objects' by Fiona Roe & Helen Glass (145--6); `Bone small finds' by Leigh Allen & Helen Glass (146); `The worked flint' by Philippa Bradley (147); `Animal bones' by Priscilla Lange (148--58); and finally, `Plant and invertebrate remains' by Mark Robinson (158--67).

Small-scale excavation revealed an earthwork rampart on the south side of the wall and predating it. This may have been a Late Saxon eastern extension of the tenth-century burghal defences of Oxford, on a line subsequently followed by the thirteenth-century city wall. Some details of the wall construction were noted. The thirteenth-century ditch and the later outer city wall were not seen owing to the limited extent of the excavation. There was some evidence for a structure built against the external wall face adjacent to the kitchen yard gate. This may have been of late medieval date, but most other features excavated on the north side of the wall were post-medieval and modern in date. There is a note on `The buried soil beneath the Saxon rampart' by Mark Robinson (220).

An excavation located traces of five buildings on the east side of the former School Street. All the walls associated with these buildings had been robbed. The pottery assemblage from the excavations ranged in date from the early-thirteenth century to the sixteenth century. There are notes on the `Pottery' by Lucy Bown (252--4) and `Medieval metal small finds' by Leigh Allen (254).

Churches in these three sites all within a four-mile radius of Banbury, share in common a very unusual collection of fourteenth-century sculpture representing animals, monsters, men, symbols, and foliage. This study attempts to consider the sculpture in its architectural context, and to provide grounds for attributing, dating, accounting for, and interpreting it. The work is divided into five sections: the first three constitute a detailed study of the fourteenth-century parts of the three respective buildings, including attempts at dating the fabric, ascertaining the names of patrons and proving that the sculpture was executed by local masons, active elsewhere, over a period of at least forty years. The fourth section seeks to trace possible origins for this kind of sculptural display in local architectural models, in particular in shrine architecture and Merton College chapel in Oxford. A fifth and final section considers the possible importance and meaning of the sculpture to its patrons and its contemporary audience. There is an `Appendix' providing brief descriptions of the sculpture (330--2).

Reports an axehead of looped socketed form, conforming to Rainbow's Type A.

Reports the results of evaluation work at an area south of SMV earthworks. Well-preserved remains of two buildings were discovered, with cobbled and mortar flooring. The only dating evidence came in the form of two sherds of eleventh- to twelfth-century pottery in separate contexts, one of which cannot be relied on.

Following an earlier article which attempted to situate the lost shrine, the present authors think they have done so. The shrine is here thought to be underwater near present day gravel workings to the east of Deans Farm.

Presents observations and conclusions concerning this medieval--post-medieval timber-framed building, drawn from recording necessitated by alteration and repair-work.

A brief consideration of the Almanack's craftspeople and craftswork.