South Midlands Archaeology (43)

Archaeological excavation was undertaken in advance of construction work at a site located on the southern part of the Biddenham Loop in Bedfordshire. The results are described and discussed in the context of other recent development-related work in the area, which has produced evidence for human occupation dating from about 10,000 years ago to the early Saxon period. The present site was located on the periphery of a Neolithic--early Bronze Age ceremonial and funerary cluster. Discoveries included an early Bronze Age ring ditch and burial, two cremation burials, a possible mortuary enclosure of uncertain date, a middle Bronze Age ditch, middle Iron Age pits and an intersection between two Romano-British trackways. LD

This article presents highlights from work that staff of the Historic Environment Planning Services for Bedford Borough have undertaken or had some involvement with in 2012. This includes the excavation of a Beaker burial and further work on a high-status Saxon burial discovered in 2011; the scanning of hard-copy documentation held within the Bedford Borough Historic Environment Record; and extensive work in conjunction with Marston Vale Trust towards making a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the design and implementation of a heritage interpretation strategy within Bedford River Valley Park. An appendix summarises a number of development-related fieldwork projects recently undertaken by various contractors. LD

Brief report mentioning: highlights from development-related archaeological work undertaken in Milton Keynes during 2012, comprising the recovery of two Iron Age notched log ladders from excavations on the Western Expansion Area in Calverton and the chance discovery of Neolithic burials during construction work at Stantonbury Park; the completion of an action plan for the development of the Historic Environment Record over the next three years; and events for the public, namely the sixth annual Milton Keynes Archaeology Day, and a magnetometry and contour survey of an area of Bury Field Common, Newport Pagnell, which demonstrated the presence of a previously unknown Iron Age and Romano-British rural settlement. LD

In 2012 the North Oxon Archaeology Group extended the excavation area at Swalcliffe Lea Roman settlement where it has been digging since September 2010. This short report describes and discusses the findings regarding the late Roman building at this location, which has now been identified as a corridor house. Overall the Group now have excavation records for over ten buildings at the settlement and records for a similar number of structures revealed by farming operations over the last fifty years. A picture is emerging of a relatively prosperous village or small town where all the buildings were of stone or at least had stone foundations, with paved streets and stone- and timber-lined wells, and where metalworking was carried out through all the Roman occupation. LD

The Stanford in the Vale Archaeological Research Project is an ongoing project which commenced in 2008, aiming to prove or disprove the hypothesis that Stanford in the Vale was planned as a medieval market town which had failed by the end of the medieval period and subsequently became a village. During the 2011 season the project expanded from looking at one field in the village to examining the settlement and its surrounding fields as a whole. In 2012 a large amount of further work was carried out, including geophysical surveys, excavations investigating results from the previous year's geophysics, and test-pitting at seven sites in the village. The findings are discussed in this article, which also presents a summary of the project to date and outlines the work proposed for the 2013 season. The data collected during 2012 has increased knowledge of Stanford in the Vale in the Saxon period, and indicated that more Roman activity took place within the main village settlement than was previously thought. A large amount of undisturbed and important medieval archaeology has also been found. LD

The Wallingford Burh to Borough project is shortly to produce its final report on full-scale excavations at key areas of this Oxfordshire town. However, exploring more fully questions relating to which parts of the town were settled earliest and for longest, whether indications of trading or social structures survive, and how much archaeological stratigraphy differs in depth over the town requires an alternative to large-scale excavation. This article reports on an ongoing urban test-pitting programme which is being undertaken on behalf of the project by the Wallingford Historical and Archaeological Society. To date 91,542 items have been recovered, including 12,001 pot sherds. Plotting the densities of pottery and other finds for different periods is revealing valuable information, including evidence for the contraction of the town from the late 13th century. Other significant discoveries have included remains of the medieval priory and the Hospital of St John. LD