NHER 65169 (Monument record) - Late Iron Age to Roman remains and dump of Roman kiln furniture

March-April 2016. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The fourteen trenches excavated revealed numerous linear and discrete features, most of which lay in the eastern half of the site. It appears that the majority of these features produced pottery, although unfortunately none of the final had been catalogued or properly examined when the interim report on this work was issued. All we know at present is that c.7kg of pottery was recovered, which is believed to be of Late Iron Age/Early Roman date. The largest assemblage (c.2.5kg) came from an apparently relatively isolated north-east to south-west aligned linear feature which also produced a number of probable kiln bars. It is potentially notable that the orientation of this feature is markedly different from the majority of the other ditches, most of which fall into two groups – those aligned north-to-south and east-to-west, and those aligned north-north-west to south-south-east and west-south-west to east-north-east. The orientations of the latter are similar to the surrounding extant boundaries suggesting that they have been associated with a more recent phase of activity.
The discrete features included a dense group of at least seven pits in the north-east corner of the site, all of which are recorded as having produced pottery. Also present in this part of the site was a large hollow that produced the bulk of the animal bone recovered.
Other remains of note included two fairly small curvi-linear features of uncertain nature.
See interim report (S1) for further details. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 21 July 2021.

January-February 2017. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development area.
Although it had been hoped that this survey would identify the source of the Roman kiln furniture recovered during the preceding trial trenching, it recorded no responses that were regarded as archaeologically significance. Given the extensive nature of the remains recorded by the preceding trial trenching it is therefore clear that conditions were not conducive to magnetic survey. The one anomaly of note was an area of strong magnetic disturbance at TF 8858 0499. This was seen as potentially thermoremanent, although it is also suggested that this is similar to the kind of response often given by features like infilled ponds. It did though coincide with two of the previously excavated ditches and subsequent investigations (see below) found it to have been caused by iron fencing pins that had been discarded when the trenches were backfilled.
Although several other discrete anomalies were identified these were probably the result of variations in the underlying natural geology.
Scattered small ferrous anomalies are likely to have been caused by ferrous debris or ceramic building material within the topsoil (most likely modern rubbish).
Information from report uploaded to OASIS. HER copy awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 21 July 2021.

August 2017. Excavation and Watching Brief.
This final phase of work saw the excavation of four new house plots adjacent to Hale Road and the monitoring of groundworks within an additional three plots to the north.
An additional area was also excavated at the location of the potentially thermoremanent anomaly identified by the geophysical survey. As noted above this was found to have been caused by iron fencing pins that had been discarded in the trench excavated at this location.
The house plots revealed a range of additional ditches, pits and post-holes.
The finds from this phase of work have also yet to be fully catalogued but it appears that the bulk of the pottery was again of Late Iron Age to Roman date. It is though noted that the assemblage includes a sherd from an unusual sandy red ware imitation of a metal cauldron.
No additional kiln furniture was discovered during this phase of work.
Information from draft assessment report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 21 July 2021.