NHER 40913 (Monument record) - Roman settlement and Late Saxon buildings, The Old School

October-November 2004. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation in advance of proposed residential development. Contexts 1-1156.
Revealed numerous archaeological features in all seven trenches. The features comprise principally pits and ditches. The remains of three undated walls were also recorded. Finds were not numerous, but consistently date to the Roman period, principally 3rd to 4th century. The archaeological remains are probably contemporary with a local Roman site, which may represent a villa.
See report (S1) for further details.
J. Allen (NLA), 25 May 2005.

August-October 2006. Excavation.
Five separate areas opened. Contexts 2000-99999.
The majority of features encountered during the excavation date to the Roman period, probably from the late 2nd or early 3rd century AD. This period saw the establishment of boundaries, the creation and modification of several rectilinear enclosures and the construction of at least one large building of uncertain form. The earliest feature on the site was a large boundary ditch which defined the eastern extent of the settlement throughout the Roman period. Two clusters of pits and ditches may have been contemporary with the establishment of this boundary. The second phase of Roman activity saw the development of a rectilinear field system, probably in the early 3rd century. This had fallen out of use by the end of the 3rd century. A substantial structure was erected on the site, probably in the early to mid 4th century, but only part of the structure was within the excavated area, and the function of this building could not be determined.
The second major phase of activity on this site dates from the 10th or early 11th century. A short-lived and relatively small-scale settlement was established here, and its form is very unusual. Three structures have been identified, two of which were sunken-featured buildings. The first was a shallow rectangular pit measuring 6m by 3.5m with a rammed chalk floor. A small hearth was set on this floor surface, and two sherds of Thetford ware pottery and a single sherd of St Neots ware pottery were recovered from its fill. The second structure was smaller, measuring approximately 3m by 2m with two deep centrally-placed postholes in its shorter sides, presumably supports for a ridge-pole. No evidence for a floor surface or hearth was present but finds from the fill of the building included two sherds of Thetford ware pottery and a single sherd of St Neots ware pottery, as well as the tip of an iron sickle or scythe blade. The third structure was rectilinear, measuring 5m by 4m+ and composed of two beamslots and five postholes. A sunken floor was recorded within the building, about 1m inside of the wall trenches. No parallels have been found for structures of this type in this period on rural sites. This phase of occupation was short-lived, with no evidence for its continuation beyond the early 12th century at the latest. The site appears to have reverted to agricultural use in the later medieval and post-medieval periods.
See assessment report (S2) and initial summary (S3) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S4).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 22 October 2008.