Current Archaeol 4

[SU 314863]. The south entrance to the inner enclosure proved unexpectedly complex, with five modifications of the original entrance. 14C dates mostly lie near 1000 BC (uncorrected). Two phases of the entrance incorporated foundation burials of animals. Further work will focus on economic aspects.

[TL 8316]. Stripping of decayed rendering from a church believed rebuilt in 1839 revealed a Saxon structure still intact to a height of over 6m. Simultaneously, excavations round the church on three sides in advance of drainage works permitted its complete building history to be outlined from a previously unsuspected Saxon timber church through six more phases. Inside the church, a "minor alteration" - removing a monument - proceeded under archaeological supervision and was rewarded by the discovery of medieval painted wall-plaster. Work in the churchyard further elucidated the Flavian villa of high quality. See also authors' pamphlet 4000 years of Rivenhall, privately published, 12 pp, £0.15.

SJ 211691. Excavations so far have revealed a meandering embanked palisade, 36 round houses (some stake-walled, some post-built and porched), and 14 rectilinear structures. At first relatively unplanned, the settlement later showed "zoned" planning, and later still had rectilinear patches of hard-standing for ?timber-framed structures. Among artefacts only stone and pottery survive, including scatters of Late Neo-BA material. Also examined was a Napoleonic beacon-emplacement.

Outline of work in progress ahead of commercial peat extraction. Trackways ranging in date from 1st to 4th millennium BC are known and are adding much to knowledge of prehistoric wood-working practices; artefacts dropped along the tracks are also highly informative. Settlements which formed the goals of these trackways are being sought, and the whole project is being placed on a permanent footing. See also abstract 74/2418.

SX 035556. Interim report on the first complete excavation of a round, one of Cornwall's commonest field monuments. Although much eroded, the enclosure was found to contain five oval huts, each of family size, in use c 350-400 AD. The total occupation may have lasted from 3rd to 6th centuries AD. Other structures included a byre, a four-post ?watch-tower and a ?shrine. Of the few surviving small finds, the pottery includes imported Mediterranean wares, and stone bowls were made on site. Piracy seems to have been no problem since defences were not refurbished.

[SU 314863]. Further work (see abstract 73/2146) showed that a flat-bottomed ditch was superseded by successive palisades and that three phases of activity could be distinguished within the enclosure. Structures include small square and round buildings. Seasonal grazing of cattle and some sheep is suggested by the environmental evidence; 14C date lies mostly in 11th century bc.

[NS 5472]. Rescue excavation at New Kilpatrick, Bearsden revealed a well-preserved bath-house, including a sudatorium, in the fort-annexe. Two cavalry blocks of the 1.1ha, single-period fort were located, together with a ?stable-drain. Pottery is of about AD 142-58, and finds include a stone head of ?Fortuna, a gaming-board and a stone fountain head.

Interim report on three years' work at a priory with many interesting features. The first structure of AD 1134 was for a small Augustinian priory of 13 members, but this was extensively rebuilt at end of 12th century for ?double the complement. An arcaded passage was revealed under late brickwork in the W range, and evidence of a fire was confirmed by a previously unnoticed document of 1236. A large area of line-impressed tile floor of c 1300 was uncovered, together with the kiln where the tiles were made.

Describes the setting-up and working of the unit founded in April 1973 (see abstract 74/2379). Sites recorded so far may well represent only 6% of the eventual total; and only 35% of even scheduled barrows are relatively safe since acknowledgement payments to farmers are totally inadequate. Some 200 field monuments are to be recommended for permanent preservation.

[TL 215994]. Summary report of recent campaigns aiming at "total archaeology". An area containing a Late Neo-EBA ring-ditch feature was rich in finds and associated with rectilinear fields. 14C dates ranged from c 2030 bc to c 1050 bc, and an accurately laid out MBA-LBA field system was investigated. Hypotheses on the seasonality and location of various activities were set up for testing, and several field techniques were developed.

The first non-redundant church to be totally excavated during improvements has been shown to have a long and complex history starting with a major burial (?St Botolph, 7th century). Furnace-pits and a bell-founder's pit were in the church floor. Stripped of plaster, the walls revealed a very complex structural sequence in what had been assumed was a Late Saxon church; plans of eight phases are shown, including a vanished Late Saxon tower.