T H A M E S V A L L E Y ARCHAEOLOGICAL S E R V I C E S
A Late Bronze Age Inhumation, an Early Saxon Building and Medieval Occupation at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire
An archaeological excavation
By Luís Esteves
SRD15/98 (SP 3604 0737)
A Late Bronze Age Inhumation, an Early Saxon Building and Medieval Occupation at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire
An Archaeological Excavation
for Deanfield Homes
by Luís Esteves
Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd
Site Code SRD15/98
December 2017 Summary
Site name: Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire
Grid reference: SP 3604 0737
Site activity: Excavation
Date and duration of project: 12th June – 26th July 2017
Project manager: Steve Ford
Site supervisor: Luís Esteves
Site code: SRD15/98
Area of site: c.0.59ha
Summary of results: Features dating from Late Bronze Age, Saxon, Early Medieval and Post-Medieval periods were recorded over the course of this excavation. The most significant features investigated were a sunken featured building (SFB) with associated post holes and a Late Bronze Age grave.
Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited with Oxfordshire Museum Service in due course.
This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. All TVAS unpublished fieldwork reports are available on our website: www.tvas.co.uk/reports/reports.asp.
Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford 19.01.18 Steve Preston 15.01.18
i
Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47–49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading RG1 5NR
Tel. (0118) 926 0552; Fax (0118) 926 0553; email [email protected]; website: www.tvas.co.uk A Late Bronze Age Inhumation, an Early Saxon Building and Medieval Occupation at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire
by Luís Esteves with contributions by Barry Ager, Paul Blinkhorn, Steven Crabb, Danielle Milbank, Ceri Falys, Matilda Homes and Lizzi Lewins Report 15/98c Introduction
This report documents the results of an archaeological excavation carried out on land at Standlake Road,
Ducklington, Oxfordshire, centred at NGR SP 3604 0737 (Fig. 1). The project was commissioned by Mr Peter
Blades of Deanfield Homes Limited, 8 Packhorse Rd, Gerrards Cross SL9 7QE.
Planning permission has been gained (appln: 16/00758/OUT) from West Oxfordshire District Council to erect new housing on the site with associated works. A recent evaluation (Beaverstock 2016) confirmed the presence of deposits of several periods spanning later Saxon and Medieval times. The consent is subject to a condition requiring a programme of archaeological mitigation
This is in accordance with the Department for Communities and Local Government’s National Planning
Policy Framework (NPPF 2012), and the District Council’s policies on archaeology. The field investigation was carried out to a specification approved by Mr Hugh Coddington of Oxfordshire County Archaeological Service, the archaeological adviser to the District, and based on a design brief prepared by him (Coddington 2016).
The fieldwork was undertaken by Luís Esteves, Becky Constable, Jesse Coxey, Cosmo Bacon, Steve Ford,
Daniel Haddad and Ashley Kruger and Jamie Williams between 12th June and 26th July 2017 and the site code is SRD15/98. The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited with Oxfordshire Museum Service in due course. Human remains were excavated under the terms of
Ministry of Justice Licence 17-0179.
Location, topography and geology
The overall development site is an irregular parcel of land covering an area of approximately 1.35 hectares, south-east of Ducklington, and 2.5km south of Witney, Oxfordshire (Fig. 1). The north, north-east and north- western edges of the site are bounded by an open, dry ditch, with Standlake Road forming the western boundary and adjoining residential buildings to the south (Fig. 2). To the east there is largely open land with intermittent trees stretching down to the River Windrush. The underlying geology is mapped (BGS 1982) as being partly
First Terrace river gravel towards the south-west and alluvium in the east. The site is at a height of 1 approximately 77m above Ordnance Datum (aOD) in the west and dips to 75.5m aOD in the north-east. The area selected for excavation covered just under half of the full site (c. 0.52 ha).
Archaeological background
A summary of the archaeological background has been highlighted in the brief for the project prepared by
Oxfordshire County Archaeological Service (Coddington 2016) drawing on a desk-based assessment (Baljkas
2015) and field evaluation (Beaverstock 2016). To summarize for the general area, the gravel terraces of the
Windrush valley are rich in archaeological deposits. Around Ducklington several sites are known dating to the
Roman and Saxon periods including a rescue excavation at the Ducklington bypass (Chambers 1975a and b) to the west of the current site which when combined with cropmarks seen in aerial photography suggests the possibility of a substantial Roman settlement such as a farmstead or a villa.
To the east, extensive excavations in advance of mineral extraction at Gill Mill Quarry have provided large scale and significant evidence for occupation from the middle Iron Age and Roman period, with what appears to be less dense occupation in the late Iron Age to early Roman period. The main Roman occupation may have included some high-status buildings. Both cremation and inhumation burials were present, with one rare example in a wooden chamber; and the site provided important waterlogged deposits allowing detailed environmental reconstruction, as well as exceptional preservation of waterlogged wooden artefacts. The provisional analysis suggests that occupation may have ceased around AD370, well before the traditional ‘end’ of the Roman period
(Booth and Simmonds 2011).
More specifically relevant, a recent evaluation on the site itself (Beaverstock 2016) located a range of deposits of several periods spanning later Saxon and Medieval times. These features include ditches and gullies, pits, post-holes and a human burial and appeared to represent occupation areas and adjacent areas of paddocks/enclosure.
Objectives and methodology
As a result of the evaluation, excavation was required over most of the eastern part of the overall development site. The purpose of the excavation was to excavate and record all archaeological deposits and features within the area threatened by the development.
The general research aims of this project were: to produce relative and absolute dating and phasing for deposits and features recorded on the site; to establish the character of these deposits in attempt to define functional areas on the site such as industrial, domestic, etc; and
2 to produce information on the economy and local environment and compare and contrast this with the results of other excavations in the region;
Specific research objectives aimed to provide evidence to address the following questions:
When was the site first utilised and when was it abandoned? What is the nature and origin of the features previously recorded on the site? What is the palaeoenvironmental setting of the area?
The full area intended for excavation covered c. 0.52ha corresponding with the area to be occupied by new buildings and their access roads. The area was stripped of topsoil and overburden using a 3600 type machine fitted with a toothless ditching bucket under constant archaeological supervision (Fig. 2).
Discrete features such as pits and postholes not belonging to structures were to be half-sectioned as a minimum with the intention to fully dig all such features. Full excavation was to take place if either insufficient or no dating evidence was recovered from a half-section or if the deposit was unusually rich, special or contained placed deposits.
Results
The area was stripped as intended (Fig. 2), and a moderate number of archaeological deposits were observed, mainly concentrated in the north (Fig. 3) and north-west of the site. Based on artefacts recovered the periods identified range from the Late Bronze Age, Roman, Early-Middle Saxon, Medieval to post-Medieval (only one sherd of Iron Age pottery was recovered).
The most significant features investigated were a Late Bronze Age grave and a Saxon sunken featured building (SFB) with associated post holes, and irregular ditches and pits from the early Medieval period. All the other deposits observed and recorded were post-Medieval or undated. The excavated features are summarized in
Appendix 1.
Late Bronze Age
A grave was observed in the evaluation trial trench (13) and investigated during this excavation (grave 228) (Fig.
9). It had a oval shape in plan, measuring 0.65m wide, 1.15m long and 0.16m deep, filled with a dark grey brown sandy silt (371). One small sherd of Roman pottery and one from the Late Saxon period were recovered from the fill, but must be intrusive from later disturbance which had also removed approximately half of the skeleton.
Skeleton SK370 was investigated and recorded (see Falys below). Radiocarbon dating of a fragment of cranium places this burial in the range 1236–1007 cal BC (UBA35725), a rare Late Bronze Age inhumation..
3 Roman
The Roman period is represented by a small collection of pottery (10 sherds) and a single piece of tile, all residual in later deposits. A possible exception in the case of ditch 501 (slot 226) on the south of the site (which contained 7 sherds in two different fills and is discussed in the Late Saxon/Medieval phase below.
Early-Middle Saxon
The datable Anglo-Saxon phase comprises a Sunken Featured Building (SFB) that was identified in the trial trenching (5) and fully investigated during this excavation (500) (Fig. 4; Pls 1 and 2). Radiocarbon dating pon a fragment of bone places this SFB in the range 535–649 cal AD (98% confidence) (1480 + 33 BP).
The building comprised a hollow of sub circular shape, measuring 4.5m in diameter and 0.25m in depth.
The hollow was excavated in quadrants and each quadrant given a separate cut number in order to separate finds
(137, 142-144) but these were all filled with a single deposit of friable mid grey brown silt with gravel with a moderate number of animal bones (cattle, pig and sheep), and 87 sherds of Early-Middle Saxon pottery and 10 sherds of Late Saxon/Early Medieval pottery (all in fabric OXAC) which must be intrusive, or possibly indicate that the hollow remained as a depression long after the use of the building.
Associated with the SFB nine postholes were investigated, seven inside the feature (138-141, 145, 147 and
211) and two outside (148, 149). These displayed a range of different sections (see Fig. 3) though all were filled with a similar friable mid grey brown silt gravel, They might not all be associated with the original building and if not, might account for the intrusive pottery. Four sherds of Early-Middle Saxon pottery were recovered from postholes 140 and 141, and two little comb teeth from posthole 140 (see Worked Bone below). Postholes 139 and
140 (both with 0.4m in diameter and 0.5m deep) on the north-west side of the hollow, and postholes 147 (0.4m in diameter, 0.3m deep) and 211 (0.4m in diameter, 0.35m deep) on the south-east side are probably the main load-bearing postholes of the SFB and it is likely that one of each pair was a repair or replacement for the other.
Late Saxon/Medieval
The major feature on the site in ditch 501, SE-NW aligned, crossing the full site with a slight curve, 110m long,
3m wide and with a depth varying between 0.4m and 0.75m. This ditch did not produce many finds, however, considering its size. Where investigated in the evaluation (slots 11 and 12), it yielded two sherds of Iron Age pottery. The pottery assemblage from two upper fills of slot 226 includes two different Roman wares, so although the evidence is slight, a Roman date is possible. However,slot 226 also contained four sherds in two
4 different medieval fabrics (OXAC and OXAM). It is unfortunate that slot 226 was also where the ditch was
disturbed by a modern pipe trench (the pipe trench itself contained a piece of Roman box flue tile) but there is no
obvious reason to discount the face value dating from the medieval pottery. It is also of some note that all the
other early medieval features lie north or east of this ditch (on the ‘outside’ of the curve) with no contemporary
features ‘inside’.
Ten pits (Table 1), two gullies, three spreads and five ditches represent rest of the Late Saxon/Medieval
phase, from the 11th to the 13th/14th century, according to the pottery recovered from them (300 sherds).
Table 1 Dimensions of pits.
Cut Fill (s) Diameter (m) Depth (m) Comment 32 84 1.0 0.37 AD 975-1350 38 92 1.3 0.26 13th - 17th century 42 97, 98, 99 1.4 0.5 11th - 15th century 43 150 0.6 0.4 12th - 16th century 45 152, 153 1.2 0.41 AD 975- 1600 103 162 0.48 0.27 AD 975-1350 104 163 0.6 0.42 AD 975-1350 123 189 0.3 0.15 12th - 16th century 136 258 2.1 0.35 AD 975- 1600 210 286, 287 2.4 0.31 AD 975- 1600
The minor medieval linear features are all aligned (at least broadly) either parallel to or perpendicular to
ditch 501, which appears to be the dominant feature determining the layout in this phase. The pottery present
suggests this phase occupied a fairly short span in the 11th to 13th centuries, with almost all of the potential
early sherds (ie fabric OXAC) being present either as single sherds or associated with later wares.
The most relevant features from this phase was located in the northern area of the site (Fig. 4). Spread 36
with an oval shape, measuring 2.4m wide, 4.5m long and only 0.1m deep, was filled with a friable mid grey silty
sand from which five sherds of medieval pottery were recovered. Underneath this spread two features were
investigated (Figs 4 and 6), pit 38, described above, and one ditch (terminus slots 35 and 37) with the same
length as the spread. Both were filled with a mid grey silty sand/gravel and produced two sherds (pit) and four
sherds (ditch) of the same medieval pottery.
Slots (terminus 47, 49 and terminus 108) were dug in a ditch 18m long, SE-NW aligned, 1.5m wide and
0.95m deep, filled with similar fills of greyish silty sand/gravel and produced in total 33 sherds of medieval
pottery (11th to 15th centuries). On the same orientation two more ditches were investigated (three terminus slots
216, 222 and 223) with the same characteristics as just described, 1.4m/1.8m wide and 0.6m/0.7m deep with fills
of greyish silty sand/gravel and these produced in total 18 sherds of medieval pottery (11th to 15th centuries).
5 Minor gullies 204 and 212 possibly hint at a trackway leading towards ditch 501 from the north-east, and
there may be a small enclosure or animal pen defined along the eastern edge of the excavation (and extending
beyond it) but in general these features were too ephemeral to permit a more conclusive interpretation.
Post-Medieval
Five pits (Table 2) represent the Post-Medieval phase of the site. They combined to produce just 13 sherds of
pottery in total but pit 213 also contained most of the site’s other finds (metal and glass) and seems to indicate
some smithing nearby.
Table 2 Dimensions of pits.
Cut Fill (s) Diameter (m) Depth (m) Comment 30 82 1 0.5 Post-Medieval 213 290, 291 1.2 0.46 Post-Medieval 214 292, 293 1.75 0.75 Post-Medieval 243 396 1.1 0.15 Post-Medieval 244 397 2 0.4 Post-Medieval A moderate amount of undated features were investigated and full excavated (see Appendix 1). Despite the
absence of pottery some of the features need to be described. At the south of the site a group of 13 postholes
(502) were recorded and in ten of them form an alignment parallel with the modern site boundary. These
probably mark a relatively recent fence. The measurements in general are similar, 0.3m/0.4m in diameter and
0.2m/0.35m in depth, filled with the same silty sand/gravel very particular from this site. Not far from these
postholes, to the north-east, the remains of a drystone wall (457) were observed and recorded, 6m long, 0.7m
wide and 0.2m deep (just two courses of stones) and a shallow foundation (300). The stones were of varied sizes
and shapes, unworked, although where possible, those with flat faces had been used on the external wall face,
with rougher rubble in the core, and unbonded. There is no reason to suppose this is of any great antiquity.
Finds
Pottery by Paul Blinkhorn
The assemblage comprised a mixture of Iron Age, Roman, early/middle Anglo-Saxon, Saxo-Norman, medieval
and post-medieval material. The pottery occurrence by number and weight of sherds per context by fabric type is
shown in Appendix 3 (all totals include material from the evaluation).
Iron Age Three sherds in single fabric of Iron Age pottery were noted, as follows:
F1: Sandy Calcareous. Moderate to dense sub-angular quartz up to 0.5mm, sparse to moderate fine shell and limestone up to 1mm. 3 sherds, 15g. The fabric is typical of middle –late Iron Age sites in the region (eg. Timby 1995, 79). 6
Roman The Roman pottery assemblage comprised 11 sherds with a total weight of 78g. It was largely residual. It mostly comprised Grey Wares, although a single small fragment (1g) of an Oxfordshire mortarium was also noted.
Early/middle Anglo-Saxon The early/middle Anglo-Saxon assemblage comprised 93 sherds with a total weight of 747g. The estimated vessel equivalent (EVE), by summation of surviving rimsherd circumference was 0.58. The following fabric types were noted:
F10: Oolitic Limestone. Moderate to dense oolitic limestone fragments up to 1mm, many free ooliths, rare iron- rich fragments. 95 sherds, 889g, EVE = 0.58. F11: Sandstone. Moderate to dense sub-angular fragments up to 2mm, many free quartz grains, some iron-rich. 1 sherd, 4g, EVE = 0. F12: Fine Sandy. Moderate to dense sub-angular quartz < 0.2mm. 4 sherds, 18g, EVE = 0. F13: Sand and Organic. As F12, with sparse to moderate organic voids up to 4mm. 1 sherd, 12g, EVE = 0. F14: Coarse Quartz and Organic. Sparse to moderate sub-angular quartz up to 1mm, sparse to moderate organic voids up to 5mm. 5 sherds, 53g, EVE = 0.
The range of fabric types is fairly typical of contemporary sites in the region, such as at nearby Eynsham Abbey
(Blinkhorn 2003). Most of the pottery is undecorated. The dating of Early Anglo-Saxon hand-built pottery is mainly reliant on the presence of decorated sherds, which are largely of 5th – 6th century date, with 7th century and later material being largely plain (Myres 1977, 1). However, it cannot be said with certainty that an assemblage which produces only plain sherds is of 7th century or later date. Usually, decorated hand-built pottery comprises just 5% or less of domestic assemblages, as was the case at Mucking, Essex (Hamerow 1993,
51). Here, just one sherd, from the SFB quadrant 137 (context 259) is decorated, and has at least two different stamps separated by incised lines (Fig. SR1). The overall decorative scheme cannot be ascertained, but such decoration is typical of the 6th – early 7th century (Myres 1977).
Dating the assemblage is otherwise difficult. The bulk of the early/middle Anglo-Saxon hand-built pottery
(104 sherds, 967g) occurred in a single feature, the SFB. The feature produced the stamped sherd and fragments of globular jars (Fig. 6), but also ten sherds (64g) of OXAC, suggesting it was back-filled in the 10th century or later. The globular jar is very similar to examples in the same fabric from Eynsham Abbey (eg. Blinkhorn 2003, fig. 7.1 no. 3), where they occurred alongside stamped pottery of probable sixth century date (Blinkhorn 2003,
165). Mellor (1994, 36-7) noted that hand-built wares occur alongside OXAC at other sites in the region, particularly in West Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. For example, hand-built pottery was noted in association with a coin of Burgred dated to AD852-74 at Dorchester-on-Thames (Rowley and Brown 1981). Given the presence of a sherd of indisputably 6th/early 7th century date in the SFB and the lack of definite late Saxon
7 pottery in the form of OXR (see below), it would seem most likely that the OXAC sherds are intrusive due to consolidation and landscaping at the start of the medieval phase of activity which resulted in more recent material being used to fill in what was still a visible feature, ie the SFB hollow.
Late Anglo-Saxon and Later The late Anglo-Saxon and later assemblage comprised 300 sherds with a total weight of 3528g. The estimated vessel equivalent (EVE), by summation of surviving rimsherd circumference was 1.48. The late Anglo-Saxon and medieval material was recorded using the conventions of the Oxfordshire County type-series (Mellor 1984;
1994), as follows:
OXAC: Cotswold-type Ware, AD975–1350. 131 sherds, 978g, EVE = 0.12. OXAM: Brill/Boarstall Ware, AD1200–1600. 38 sherds, 606g, EVE = 0. OXBB: Minety-type Ware, 12th–16th century. 121 sherds, 18265g, EVE = 1.27. OXBF: North-East Wiltshire Ware, AD1050–1400. 59 sherds, 426g, EVE = 0. OXBX: Late Medieval Brill/Boarstall Ware, 15th–early 17th century. 1 sherd, 33g, EVE = 0.09 OXY: Medieval Oxford Ware, AD1075–1350. 3 sherds, 22g, EVE = 0.
The late medieval and early post-medieval wares were recorded using the conventions of the Museum of
London Type-Series (eg. Vince 1985), as follows:
PMBL: Post-medieval Black-glazed Redware, late 16th–17th century. 3 sherds, 26g. PMR: Post-medieval Redware, 1550 onwards. 11 sherds, 201g. REFW: Refined Whiteware, 1800–1900. 1 sherd, 1g. TGW: English Tin-Glazed Ware, 1600–1800, 1613–1800. 1 sherd, 30g.
The assemblage comprises entirely jars (EVE = 1.58), bowls (EVE = 0.08) and jugs (EVE = 0.4), which is very typical of earlier medieval assemblages in the region. The Brill-Boarstall ware assemblage consists of highly decorated glazed jugs which were the main products of the industry in the 13th/14th century (Mellor
1994). “Developed” late medieval vessels are entirely absent. Generally the assemblage is somewhat fragmented and scattered, with few re-fits and cross-fits, and appears to be entirely the product of secondary deposition.
Metalwork by Steven Crabb
A total of 26 metal objects were recovered from this site: of these 23 were ferrous and three were cuprous
(Appendix 3). Twenty of the 26 items are from post-medieval pit 213 and three more are from post-medieval features 242 and 243. Only catalogue nos 1–3 are from medieval contexts.
From medieval contexts Cat. No. 1 is a small iron blade. It measures 77mm long and 10mm wide and the widest point. Both the tang and the tip of the blade have been damaged but the shape is still visible with parallel edge and back and an upwards curving tip. The tang is rectangular and in line with the blade edge. This small triangular profile whittle tang knife is similar to examples found from contexts dating from the 11th to 13th centuries in Winchester (Goodall 2011, 106, 115). 8 Cat No. 2 is a nail shaft fragment. Cat. No. 3 is a disc headed pin measuring 37mm long with a oval disc shaped terminal. From post-medieval contexts Cat. No. 4 is an iron slicker, a leatherworking tool used for processing tanned hides (Goodall 2011, 67). It measures 77mm long with one end broken. The blade is 18mm wide and heavily corroded. Cat. No. 6 is a small iron implement consisting of a triangular shaped blade attached to a folded socket. Both the socket and the blade edge have been broken but otherwise it is very similar to a slice, a thin bladed woodworking chisel used with hand pressure rather than a hammer to remove thin shavings of wood. It measures 48mm long and 34mm wide at the blade and 18mm at the socket. Cat. No. 7 is an iron fitting, it is formed of a tapered bar which has two right angle corners to form a crank shape. It measures 100mm long and is 34mm across at the cross piece. It is not clear what the exact function of this object would have been. Cat. No. 8 is a small copper alloy pin, it consists of a straight shaft 44mm long and a spherical head 3.5mm in diameter. Cat. No. 10 is a copper alloy lace chape. It measures 25mm long and tapers from 3.5mm across to 2.5mm at the tip. It was formed by folding both side over to meet in the centre in a flattened oval shape. Cat. No. 11 is a ferrous bar measuring 66mm long and with a roughly rectangular cross section 15mm by 11mm. One end is tapered and appears to have been broken from a connecting mass. This may be a small piece of raw iron stock from a blacksmiths assemblage. Cat. No. 12 is described by Ager below and background to its chronology more fully explored in Appendix 5. Cat. No. 13 is an irregular sheet of iron with a single rectangular pierced hole and a rectangular fragment of iron, both were recovered from a modern feature and are not discussed further. Cat. No. 14 is a slightly tapered round iron rod, it measures 245mm long and tapers from 7.5mm to 4mm in thickness Cat. No. 15 is two iron links of square cross section figure-of-eight chain, both links are 35mm long Cat. No. 16 is a tapering cylinder of iron with an expanded rim at the wider end. It measures 22mm wide at the expanded end and 16mm at the narrow end and 33mm long. The role of this object is unclear. Cat. No. 17 is a flat ferrous plate with pierced holes along one side and one in-situ nail. It measures 70mm long and 30mm wide. The holes and nail suggest this plate covered a wooden object, any further function is not possible to determine. Cat. No. 18 is a curved iron handle measuring 84mm long, both ends are damaged so it is unclear how it would have attached or to what type of object. Cat. No. 20 is a ferrous bar measuring 85mm long with an expanded triangular tip at one end and a slightly expanded rectangular end at the other. Cat. No. 21 is a fragment of ferrous plate measuring 46mm by 34mm. Cat. No. 22 is a small flat backed whittle tanged knife. The blade has been broken and it measures 97mm long and 15mm wide Cat. No. 23 is a fragment of a curved blade, perhaps a sickle. It is 85mm long and 22mm wide. Cat. No. 24 is a rectangular fragment of iron plate which has been folded back on itself to form a double layered square piece of iron measuring 31mm across.
9 Cat. Nos 5, 9, 19 and 25 are all small nails or nail shafts. The metalwork indicates that there was small scale craft activity being carried out on this site. There are tools for both woodworking and leatherworking from pit 213. This pit also contained a small amount of iron smithing slag
(see below) indicating that metalworking was also carried out in the vicinity of this feature. As well as these practical objects there were also a small number of personal items, all three of these are copper alloy objects associated with clothing. Copper alloy pins are very commonly found on medieval sites with large numbers used to fasten clothing together. Lace chapes were used to protect the end of laces or threads.
A late Roman belt buckle (Cat no 12) by Barry Ager (and see Also Appendix 5)
The copper-alloy buckle from spread 242 that seals ditch 501 has a rectangular, hinged belt-plate decorated with two embossed ring-and-dot motifs and a tooled, beaded border, while the D-shaped loop bears a pair of projecting, outwards-facing horses' heads (Fig. 10; Pl. 9). These heads identify the buckle as an example of
Hawkes and Dunning's late, Romano-British type IB, or Vera Evison's British variant f of the broad, dolphin series of West Roman buckles (Hawkes and Dunning 1961, 21–34; Evison 1981, 129-130; Appels and Laycock
2007, 206–14).
The belt-plate is relatively short for buckles of both types IA and IB, although short plates do sometimes occur. The decoration of a pair of roundels may be compared with the three more elaborate examples interspersed with cross-hatched squares on the plates with geometric decoration from Duston, Northants, and probably from Catterick, North Yorks. (Hawkes and Dunning 1961, fig. 150; Hawkes 1972, fig. 1, 4).
The contexts of type I buckles are predominantly late Roman, although examples occur in early Anglo-
Saxon graves and sites. The distribution of the finds clearly demonstrates that buckles of Hawkes and Dunning's type I are of British manufacture, with a putative centre of production in the West Midlands mainly between
Silchester, the Upper Thames Valley and the region of Gloucester (Hawkes 1972, 147–8; updated maps in
Böhme 1986, Abb. 30, and Leahy 2007, fig. 4, particularly in area 10). Other recently published examples from that region, apart from the South Leigh piece, include a fragment of a probable type I buckle-plate from a late
Roman pit at Ducklington itself (from the nearby Red Lodge site); IB buckles with long plates from the dark earth at Dorchester-on-Thames (the second from the town); from a late 5th/early 6th-century Anglo-Saxon grave with female grave goods at Portway, Andover, gr. 48; and one decorated with the Christian motif of a fish and peacocks flanking a tree-of-life from the hillfort at Penycorddyn (Hawkes 1974, 386, fig. 3, 2; Booth et al. 2010, fig. 8; Cook and Dacre 1985, 95-96, pl. 17, fig. 61; Burnham 1993, 271, fig. 4). The Portable Antiquities Scheme adds at least fourteen finds from this region alone, from Bremhill, Ilminster, Rodley, Burford/Charlbury,
10 Heytesbury, Bishops Cannings, Crowmarsh, Honington, Coberly, "North Glos", Misterton (x2), Chapmanslade, and Sunningwell, and extending southwards into Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (www.finds.org.uk).
Hawkes and Dunning originally proposed a date of manufacture for type I starting towards the end of the
4th century and extending well into the 5th in sub-Roman and Anglo-Saxon contexts, but Hawkes subsequently revised the range to the last three decades of the 4th century, with abraded examples still being found in the 5th century, while Böhme laid stress on the Anglo-Saxon evidence for the main period of their use being even in the first half of that century (Hawkes and Dunning 1961, 26; Hawkes 1972, 150–1; 1974, 387; Böhme 1986, 507).
More recently, however, it has been argued that the type did indeed begin closer to the end of the 4th century
(Appels and Laycock 2007, 206). If it is accepted that the Spanish buckles (see Appendix 5) are to be associated with Constantine III's military campaign, they were still being worn by Roman troops in 407, and so probably at least until the end of Roman Britain only three years later.
Slag and industrial debris by Steven Crabb
A small quantity (90g) of iron smithing slag was recovered from pit 213. It is split into small irregular masses which have formed over and around fragments of charcoal in the hearth and moderately sized (c.10mm) globular pieces formed by the disturbance of the liquid pool of slag in a hearth. The undamaged surface of these fragments indicates the slag is likely to have been deposited close to where it was produced. This small isolated deposit indicates that a small-scale, likely single event of iron smithing took place close to pit 213.
Fired Clay by Danielle Milbank
Fired clay weighing 20g was hand collected from one context (posthole 140, within the SFB), and was examined under x10 magnification. The fabric was slightly soft and frequently friable clay with sparse burnt flint inclusions, and a dark brown black colour. Occasional strawmarks are present. None of the recovered fragments have wattle impressions identifying them as daub, however as they are generally highly fragmented and abraded, it is possible that they represent daub material. The material is not closely datable and no further categories of fired clay object (such as loomweights) were identified.
Ceramic Building Material by Danielle Milbank
Ceramic building material was recorded in one context, a drain cut (227, 369) which comprises a piece of tile weighing 27g. The fabric is hard, evenly-fired, with sparse sandy inclusions and an orange red colour and dark
11 grey core. The form of the piece is 15mm thick and represents a piece of Roman box tile, indicated by the shape of one of the edges and the combed lines (2mm wide and less than 1mm deep).
Glass by Danielle Milbank
Glass was recovered from two contexts during the excavation.
Post-medieval pit 213 (deposit 291) contained a single fragment of flat colourless glass, unlikely to be window glass as it has a fire rounded edge. It is 1mm, and is slightly patinated, and is likely to be of late medieval or early post-medieval date.
Spread 242 over the top of ditch 501 contained a small fragment of glass bottle neck weighing 9g. The glass is heavily patinated and the original colour is difficult to ascertain, though it is likely to be dark green. The piece comprises the rim which is 8mm thick, and although the form is a little irregular in shape, is broadly suggestive of a 17th-century date.
Human Bone by Ceri Falys
A single inhumation burial was excavated: skeleton SK370 was recovered from sub-circular shallow grave 228.
The grave was aligned west to east, and had a maximum depth of just 0.16m. Due to the shallowness of the burial, the left side of the skeleton displayed extensive damage at the time of excavation. Possibly the result of ploughing, significant portions of the left side of the cranium, pelvis and leg were all absent. SK370 was lying with the head to the west, feet to the east, and cranium facing south. The body was in a tightly crouched position, which can best be described as the foetal position. With the exception of two sherds of possibly residual pottery
(one Roman, the other late Anglo-Saxon), certainly accidental inclusions in the backfill, no grave goods or grave furniture were found within the grave.
Osteological analysis has been undertaken following guidelines by Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994) and
Brickley and McKinley (2004). The state of preservation, skeletal completeness, and an assessment of the minimum number of individuals present, in addition to estimates of age at death, the sex of the individual, and health status. Where possible, expressions of non-metric traits were investigated. The state of preservation hindered any metric analyses and much of the osteological and pathological analyses. A summary of the burial and osteological findings of SK370 can be found in Figure 9.
Preservation and Completeness The preservation of the remains is generally fair. Although the cortical bone surfaces are well preserved with few areas of etching or erosion, all elements display a moderate to severe degree of fragmentation. The cranium
12 (excluding the maxilla) and long bones are well represented when compared to the axial skeleton. Few fragments of rib and vertebrae are present. Areas of trabecular bone (eg vertebral bodies and ends of the long bones) are poorly preserved.
The completeness of SK370 is between 25-50%, based on the truncation of the left side of the body
(removing the left side of the cranium, pelvis, and leg), the poor preservation of the areas of trabecular bone
(poor representation of the vertebrae and ribs), and the absence of many of the small bones of the hands and feet.
Age and Sex The age-at-death of SK370 has been estimated to be 46+ years, based on the degree of degeneration of the auricular surface of the right ilium (phases 6-7, 45-59 years, based on Lovejoy et al. 1985) and the extent of wear observed on the occlusal surfaces of the molars (Brothwell 1981). All teeth, not just the molars, display severe and uneven wear. As detailed below, it is possible that the teeth may have been used in habitual cultural activities (eg. occupation or use of the teeth as a third hand), which may have altered the "normal" wear and tear recorded by the teeth during the ageing process. It is not possible to provide a more concise estimate of age beyond 46+ years.
Sex is estimated to be male, based on the morphology of the cranium (rounded right supraorbital rim, pronounced right supraorbital ridge). The mandible displays probable male characteristics (gonial flare, mental eminence). This designation is supported by the robustness of the elements of the upper limb.
Health Status Pathological alterations are primarily degenerative in origin. Osteoarthritis is evident in the upper neck vertebrae
(the left inferior facet of the second and left superior facet of the third cervical vertebrae both display eburnation). Too few vertebral articular facets and/or vertebral bodies are present for a thorough analysis of osteoarthitis or degenerative joint disease within the spine. A single fragment of vertebral body (of unidentified spinal region) displays osteophytic lipping.
The ventral surface of the right acromion of the scapula displays a patch of eburnation within an unusual cupped facet. The presence of a concave facet on the ventral surface of the acromion suggests the head of the humerus has come to rest against this portion of the shoulder, forming a new facet, instead of the expected articulation with the glenoid cavity (ie. possibly impingement or dislocation of the right shoulder). The presence of eburnation indicates the bone of the acromion and the head of the humerus were, atypically, in contact with each other, leaving a polished surface behind. The head of the right humerus was not sufficiently preserved to identify the matching patch of eburnation, but osteophytic lipping is present around the rim of the head. This possible impingement or dislocation of the right shoulder did not appear to affect the use of the arm, as no signs
13 of disuse atrophy are observed on the elements of the right arm (ie. the humerus, radius and ulna are all of similar robusticity as the left side). This injury was likely produced by a severe trauma, as posterior dislocations such as this are normally only seen in modern car accidents or violent assault (Resnick and Goergen 2002).
Dental disease The preservation of the teeth is good, however, the surrounding structures (the alveolar bone of the mandible and maxilla) and deposits of calculus are not as well preserved. The presence of calculus deposits is patchy, and frequent damage to the alveolar bone makes it impossible to assess the presence of resorption, indicating periodontal disease.
A total of 16 teeth are present, with just three in situ within the right side of the mandible (premolars and first molar). The rest of the maxilla and mandible are either damaged or absent. Of the 16 teeth, two are represented solely by roots. The crown of one tooth (possibly the left mandibular first premolar) has been worn down to the cemento-enamel junction. The second tooth, possibly the left second molar, has a distinct concavity to the superior root surface, suggesting the absence of the crown is due to a large carious lesion. These are tentative designations, as it has not been possible to confidently identify the roots in the absence of the crown morphology or the underlying alveolar bone.
Periodontal Disease As indicated above, it has not been possible to assess the presence or degree of alveolar resorption of the maxilla or mandible due to poor preservation and damage.
Calculus Evidence of calculus deposits are patchy on the dentition of SK370. Where preserved (e.g. the lingual surface of the left mandibular central incisor), the deposits of calculus are slight to medium in severity (Brothwell 1981).
Carious Lesions Five caries are present, affecting three teeth. Two carious lesions are located along the cemento-enamel junction
(CEJ) of the right mandibular second molar, one on the distal surface and one on the lingual surface, which extends across almost the entire width of the tooth. Two caries are also found along the CEJ of the left mandibular second premolar, one on each of the mesial and distal surfaces. The fifth lesion has removed the entire crown of the (likely) left second mandibular molar, leaving just the roots.
Dental Wear The occlusal surfaces of several crowns display severe or uneven wear that has been produced by factors other than the normal wear and tear of ageing. Such alterations suggest that the teeth were being frequently used in habitual activities other than chewing (eg. processes related to occupation, or use of the teeth as a third hand).
Five teeth display linear grooves, three run horizontally (ie. mesial to distal) across the midline of the occlusal 14 surface of the tooth (right mandibular lateral incisor, and the maxillary right central and left lateral incisors) and two run vertically down the entire thickness of the crown onto the root (the left mandibular central incisor and the right mandibular first molar). These vertical grooves both affect the back left-hand corner of the crowns, each removing the lingual corner of the distal surface of the tooth.
The right mandibular central incisor has slanted wear that slopes down from the mesial edge of the tooth towards the distal end, and ultimately removes the distal corner of the crown. With the right central and lateral incisors in anatomical position, the slanted wear of the central incisor and the worn crown of the lateral incisor form a surface that is roughly semi-circular in shape. Slanted wear is also present on the crown of the right maxillary first molar, which runs in a buccal to lingual plane (the most severe wear is located on the lingual
(back) surface of the crown.
Lastly, as already noted, severe isolated wear to a single tooth (likely the left mandibular first premolar) has worn the crown down to the cemento-enamel junction, removing the entire crown, and leaving only the root.
Summary In conclusion, SK370 was male, likely of advanced age (although his teeth might appear older than his true age).
He was buried in a crouched (foetal) position, on his right side in a W-E aligned shallow grave. Identified pathological alterations indicate a well used, dislocated right shoulder, that remained unreduced (sat outside of the normal shoulder joint). The arm was still in use, as indicated by the bone-on-bone contact (eburnation) and development of a new concave articular facet on the ventral surface of the acromion. Osteoarthritis was also present in the upper neck vertebrae, although it was not possible to gauge the occurrence throughout the spine, due to poor preservation of the vertebrae. Unusual patterns of dental wear suggest his teeth were frequently used in habitual activities other than chewing food. In the absence of complete dentition, patterns to this wear that might have permitted suggestions as to the behaviour(s) that caused such markers have not been identifiable.
Animal Bone by Matilda Homes
A small assemblage of animal bone was recovered from the early Saxon sunken-featured building (SFB), late
Saxon-early medieval and post-medieval deposits. The sample is too small to permit reliable comments regarding diet, status or economy though some observations on the nature of the assemblage will be made.
Bones were identified using the author’s reference collection. Details of methodology are in the archive, along with data not presented here.
15 Taphonomy and Condition Animal bones were generally in good condition, although preservation varied considerably within phases, which implies mixing of deposits or different taphonomic pathways for various contexts. This is emphasized by the relatively high number of fresh breaks and refitted fragments, suggesting that burial conditions rendered the bones friable and likely to break upon excavation. Gnaw marks on bones from all phases imply that not all were buried immediately following discard, but were available for dogs to chew. Butchery marks on cattle bones reflect processing of carcasses into joints of meat.
There were two sets of cross-context conjoins noted. Cattle humerus and radius fragments were refitted from contexts 364 and 365, both fills of ditch 501 slot 226, of late Saxon-early Medieval date. The identification of fragments of cattle pelvis and ulna from intercut late Saxon-early medieval contexts 166 and 167 also implies they were originally disposed of together, and the nature of the bones themselves is more consistent with a post- medieval date.
The Assemblage The early Saxon SFB contained bones typical of general rubbish disposal, as well as a cattle skull (Appendix 4:
Table 1). Such finds are not uncommon in SFBs, and the deliberate deposition of symbolic bones (skull) alongside backfilling with midden material, may mark the end of use of the feature (Morris and Jervis 2011).
The largest assemblage came from the late Saxon-early medieval phase, and was dominated by cattle, followed by pigs and sheep/ goats in similar numbers (Appendix 4). Despite the small sample size, a considerable number of taxa were recorded including equids (horse or donkey), hare, domestic fowl, micro- mammal and oyster. The sample is too small to be useful for detailed analysis, although bones from cattle, sheep/ goat and pig came from the head and upper limb bones, and a single porous cattle bone from a perinatal calf was also recovered.
The post-medieval assemblage included a few bones of cattle, sheep/goat, pig, equid, and hedgehog, and oyster shell.
Worked Bone by Lizzi Lewins
Two small comb teeth weighing 1g were recovered from early Saxon post hole 140 (262). They are 20mm in length and the maximum width is 3mm, tapering to a 2mm wide point. The bone is unidentifiable to species or size class. None of the body of the comb remains
16 Radiocarbon dating
A piece of cranium from SK370 in grave 228 and a piece of animal bone from cut 137 (in the SFB) were submitted to the Chrono Lab at Queen’s University, Belfast, for AMS radiocarbon dating (Appendix 5). Details of methodology are in the archive: in summary the laboratory considered both results reliable.
Conclusion
The excavation has revealed a moderate number of linear features, pits and spreads, and a Sunken Featured
Building (SFB), much of which was revealed in the earlier evaluation trenches.
The earliest phase dated to the Late Bronze Age and consisted of a human burial from a grave radiocarbon dated to 1236 - 1007 cal BC. Skeleton SK370 was male, likely of advanced age. He was buried in a crouched
(foetal) position, on his right side in an W-E aligned shallow grave. Human burial in the Late Bronze Age is very rare in contrast to numerous (cremation) burials in the preceding Middle Bronze Age (Bruck 1995). A modest volume of Later Bronze Age cremation burials are now recorded (eg Coles et al. 2003) but inhumation burials are still very infrequently encountered. Although slightly earlier than the burial here, a crouched inhumation burial has been recorded at Bowling Green Farm, Faringdon with a C14 date of 1413-1290 cal BC (Pine and
Weale forthcoming) and these two examples might indicate a small component of the burial rite at this time in this region which comprises inhumation.
Roman acitvity is not represented by any cut features on the site, but residual pottery and tile might suggest that settlement of this period lies not far away, or represent no more than manuring of fields from a more distant settlement, perhaps at Gill Mill to the east (Booth and Simmonds 2011) or the closer (but imperfectly understood) site at Red Lodge, less than 300m to the south-east, which is represented as possibly a villa based on finds (including building materials) although no building structure has been found (Chambers 1975a and b;
1976). The more persuasive evidence for late Roman activity is the belt buckle, albeit from a medieval context, which can also be paralleled at Red Lodge and appears to imply a high-ranking official (military or civilian) presence at the very end of the Roman period.
The SFB, and associated postholes, were investigated and produced 87 sherds of Early-Middle Saxon pottery and 10 sherds of Late Saxon/Early Medieval, however this presence of later pottery could be from a late backfilling since the radiocarbon dating places this SFB firmly in the early part of the period in the range 535 -
649 cal AD. This could imply a connection with the 7th-century burial recorded in the 1970s on the route of the bypass (Chambers 1975b).
17 The majority of the deposits appear to reflect the presence of early Medieval activity, this is accordance with the number of sherds collected (300). The range of fabric types is typical of sites in the region (Blinkhorn
2007), and indicates that the main period of activity at the site was from the 11th or 12th to the 13th or 14th centuries. There is little to suggest the site was occupied over a long span within this range.
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19 APPENDIX 1: Catalogue of excavated features (1–26 from the evaluation).
Group Cut Fill (s) Type Date Dating evidence 1 50 Ditch 13th century Pottery 2 51 Gully Terminus 3 52 Gully Terminus 4 59 Tree Bole 11th century Pottery 5 53 SFB Saxon Pottery 6 54 Post Hole 7 55 Post Hole 8 56 Post Hole 9 57 Post Hole 10 58 Gully Terminus 501 11 60 Ditch Iron Age Pottery residual 501 12 61 Ditch Iron Age Pottery residual 13 62-63 Grave 14 64-65 Ditch 15 71 Post Hole 16 72 Post Hole 17 73 Pit 18 66 Post Hole 19 67 Gully 12th century Pottery 20 68 Ditch Terminus 12th century Pottery 21 74 Ditch Terminus 13th century Pottery 22 75 Pit 23 69 Post Hole 11th century Pottery 24 70 Post Hole 11th century Pottery 25 76–77 Gully 12th century Pottery 26 78 Gully 12th century Pottery 30 82 Pit Post Medieval Pottery 31 83 Gully 32 84 Pit Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 33 85 Pit 34 86–8 Pit 35 89 Ditch 36 90 Spread 12th-16th Century Pottery 37 91, 95 Ditch Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 38 92 Pit 13th-17th Century Pottery 39 93 Post hole 40 94 Gully 41 96 Spread 12th-16th Century Pottery 42 97–9 Pit Medieval Pottery 43 150 Pit 12th-16th Century Pottery 44 151 Irregular feature 45 152, 153 Pit Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 46 154 Spread 47 155 Ditch terminus 12th-16th Century Pottery 48 156 Pit 49 157, 158 Ditch Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 100 159 Gully 101 160 Pit 102 161 Pit 103 162 Pit Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 104 163 Pit Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 105 164 Ditch Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 106 165 Spread 107 166, 168 Ditch Medieval Pottery 108 167–70 Ditch Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 109 171 Ditch 110 172, 173 Pit 111 174 Gully 112 175 Pit 113 176 Pit 114 177 Gully 12th-16th Century Pottery 115 178 Spread 12th-16th Century Pottery 116 179 Gully 117 180 Spread 118 181, 182 Spread 501 120 184–6 Ditch Possible Roman Association 121 187 Pit 122 188 Pit 123 189 Pit 12th-16th Century Pottery 124 190, 191 Post hole 1 Group Cut Fill (s) Type Date Dating evidence 125 192, 193 Post hole 126 194, 195 Post hole 127 196, 197 Post hole 128 198, 199 Post hole 129 250, 251 Post hole 130 252 Post hole 12th-16th Century Pottery 131 253 Pit 132 254 Ditch 133 255 Pit 134 256 Pit 135 257 Spread 136 258 Pit Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 500 137 259 SFB Early/Middle Anglo-Saxon Pottery and C14 (cal AD 535-649) 500 138 260 Post hole (SFB) Early/Middle Anglo-Saxon Association 500 139 261 Post hole (SFB) Early/Middle Anglo-Saxon Association 500 140 262 Post hole (SFB) Early/Middle Anglo-Saxon Pottery 500 141 263 Post hole (SFB) Early/Middle Anglo-Saxon Pottery 500 142 264 SFB Early/Middle Anglo-Saxon Pottery 500 143 265 SFB Early/Middle Anglo-Saxon Pottery 500 144 266 SFB Early/Middle Anglo-Saxon Pottery 500 145 267 Post hole (SFB) Early/Middle Anglo-Saxon Association 146 268 Gully terminus 500 147 269 Post hole (SFB) Early/Middle Anglo-Saxon Association 500 148 270 Post hole (SFB) Early/Middle Anglo-Saxon Association 500 149 271 Post hole (SFB) Early/Middle Anglo-Saxon Association 200 272, 273 Spread 201 274, 275 Ditch 12th-16th Century Pottery 202 276, 277 Gully terminus Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 203 278, 279 Pit 204 280 Gully terminus Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 205 281 Post hole 206 282 Post hole 207 283 Post hole 208 284 Pit 209 285 Gully terminus 210 286, 287 Pit Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 500 211 288 Post hole (SFB) Early/Middle Anglo-Saxon Association 212 289 = 25 linear feature 213 290, 291 Pit Post-Medieval Pottery 214 292, 293 Pit Post-Medieval Association 215 294 Spread Medieval Pottery 216 295–9 Ditch =222 Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 217 350, 354 Ditch 218 351, 354 Spread 219 352, 354 Ditch 220 353, 354 Spread 222 355, 356 Ditch = 216 Medieval Pottery 223 357, 358, 359 Ditch Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 224 360, 361 Ditch 225 362, 363 Pit 501 226 364–8 Ditch Possible Roman Pottery 228 Sk370, 371 Grave = 13 Late Bronze Age C14 502 229 372, 373 Post hole 502 230 374, 375 Post hole 502 231 376, 377 Post hole 502 232 378, 379 Post hole 502 233 380, 381 Post hole 502 234 382, 383 Post hole 502 235 384 Post hole 502 236 388, 389 Post hole 502 240 390, 391 Post hole 501 241 394, 395 Ditch Possible Roman Association 242 392, 393 Rectangular feature 12th-16th Century Pottery 243 396 Pit Post Medieval/Modern Pottery 244 397 Pit Modern Association 502 245 398, 399 Post hole 502 246 450, 451 Post hole 502 247 452, 453 Post hole 502 248 454, 455 Post hole 249 456 Rectangular feature Late Saxon / Medieval Pottery 300 457, 458 Wall foundation 301 359 Spread 2 APPENDIX 2: Pottery Catalogue
IA RB E/MSAX OXAC OXBF OXY OXBB OXAM OXBX PMR PMBL TGW REFW Cut Deposit No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt 1 50 1 13 4 59 2 21 5 53 13 229 9 67 11 60 1 5 12 61 1 3 19 67 13 79 20 68 1 34 21 74 2 13 2 17 1 14 23 69 1 9 24 70 1 5 25 76 2 21 26 78 1 5 3 23 1 14 1 85 30 82 2 8 32 84 1 4 36 90 5 123 37 91 2 23 1 5 1 96 38 92 1 67 1 33 41 96 2 12 1 13 42 99 1 10 43 150 1 10 2 25 3 92 45 152 26 191 2 51 21 394 6 64 45 153 4 39 7 146 47 155 1 16 49 158 3 32 1 5 9 158 1 5 103 162 1 5 104 163 3 20 1 16 105 164 1 1 1 6 107 166 1 5 12 58 4 65 2 24 108 167 1 7 8 79 5 30 2 11 1 91 108 171 2 19 114 177 2 55 115 178 1 15 123 189 2 9 2 67 130 252 1 2 136 55 5 28 4 55 137 259 1 27 47 175 4 19 140 262 2 10 141 263 2 9 142 264 12 276 2 22 143 265 11 150 3 19 144 266 17 118 1 4 1 2 2 4 201 275 1 13 1 IA RB E/MSAX OXAC OXBF OXY OXBB OXAM OXBX PMR PMBL TGW REFW Cut Deposit No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt 202 276 20 107 6 72 7 41 204 280 1 18 210 287 2 35 212 289 1 2 213 290 2 7 3 33 3 37 213 291 6 34 1 5 2 4 2 12 3 26 215 294 2 3 1 4 216 295 1 15 216 296 1 13 216 297 7 79 1 14 1 6 222 356 3 80 223 357 1 1 223 358 1 87 223 359 3 20 1 5 226 364 6 38 1 1 226 365 1 1 226 367 2 7 1 4 228 371 1 2 1 6 242 393 17 216 1 7 1 12 1 1 243 396 2 12 2 41 1 30 249 456 4 31 3 31 2 12 Total 3 15 11 78 106 976 131 978 30 220 3 22 121 1826 38 606 1 33 11 201 3 26 1 30 1 1
2 APPENDIX 3: Metalwork catalogue
Cut Deposit Type Cat No Material Object No Wt (g) 49 158 Ditch 1 Fe blade 1 7 105 164 Ditch 2 Fe nail 1 6 202 277 Gully terminus 3 Fe pin 1 6 213 290 Pit 4 Fe Slicker 1 22 213 290 Pit 5 Fe Nail 1 10 213 290 Pit 6 Fe Slice 1 39 213 290 Pit 7 Fe Wallhook 1 21 213 290 Pit 8 Cu Pin 1 1 213 290 Pit 9 Fe 1 7 213 290 Pit 10 Cu Chape 1 1 213 290 Pit 14 fe rod 1 60 213 290 Pit 15 fe chain 2 20 213 290 Pit 16 Fe stopper? 1 42 213 290 Pit 17 Fe plate 1 34 213 290 Pit 18 fe handle 1 25 213 290 Pit 19 fe Nail 1 9 213 290 Pit 20 Fe object 1 12 213 290 Pit 21 Fe plate 1 23 213 290 Pit 22 Fe knife 1 33 213 290 Pit 23 Fe blade 1 40 213 290 Pit 24 Fe plate 1 22 213 290 Pit 25 Fe Nail 1 6 226 365 Ditch 11 Fe 1 49 242 393 Rectangular feature 12 Cu alloy Buckle 1 24 243 396 Pit 13 Fe 2 103
1 APPENDIX 4: Animal bone: Species representation by anatomical element (fragment count). Hand collected
A> Saxon
Element Cattle Sheep/ goat Pig Skull 1 - - Mandible with teeth - 1 - Loose tooth 2 - - Radius - 1 - Pelvis - 1 - Femur 1 - - Tibia - 3 - Metacarpal 1 - - 3rd Metatarsal - - 1 Total 5 6 1 Unidentified 17
B> Medieval
Large Medium Domestic Element Cattle Sheep/ goat Pig Equus Hare mammal mammal fowl Bird Oyster Snail Partial skull - - 1 ------Occipital - - 1 ------Zygomatic - - 1 ------Maxilla with teeth - - 4 ------Mandible with teeth 1 - 2 ------Loose tooth 4 1 1 1 ------Cervical vertebra - - 1 ------Scapula 1 - 1 - - 2 1 - - - - Humerus 4 1 - - 1 ------Radius 6 2 - 1 ------Ulna 1 - 1 - - - - 1 - - - Pelvis 4 - 1 - - 2 - - - - - Femur 1 ------Tibia 1 5 ------1 - - Astragalus 1 ------Calcaneus 2 ------Metacarpal 1 1 ------Metapodial - 1 ------Metatarsal 1 ------1st phalanx - - - 1 ------Shell ------2 1 Total 28 11 14 3 1 4 1 1 1 2 1 Unidentified 103
C> Post-Medieval
Element Cattle Sheep/ goat Pig Equus Hedgehog Oyster Cervical vertebra 1 - - - - - Scapula 1 - - - - - Humerus - 2 - - - - Radius 1 1 - - - - Ulna 1 - - - 1 - Pelvis 1 - - - - - Femur - - 2 - - - 1st phalanx - - - 1 - - Shell - - - - - 1 Total 5 3 2 1 1 1 Unidentified 12
2 APPENDIX 4: Radiocarbon dates
Lab ID Context Material Radiocarbon Age Calibrated Age Area under curve at 2-sigma UBA-35696 SFB 137 (259) Animal bone BP1480 ± 33 Cal AD 474–485 1.3% Cal AD 535–649 98.7% UBA-35725 Grave 228 skeleton 370 Human cranium BP2929 ± 43 Cal BC 1260–1241 2.5% Cal BC 1236–1007 97.5%
3 APPENDIX 5: The wider background and chronology for the late Roman belt buckle (Cat no 12) by Barry Ager
The copper-alloy buckle from spread 242 that seals ditch 501 has a rectangular, hinged belt-plate decorated with two embossed ring-and-dot motifs and a tooled, beaded border, while the D-shaped loop bears a pair of projecting, outwards-facing horses' heads. These heads identify the buckle as an example of Hawkes and Dunning's late, Romano-
British type IB, or Vera Evison's British variant f of the broad, dolphin series of West Roman buckles, since the horse- heads usually stand like crests on top of the heads of dolphins flanking the point of the tongue and with their bodies extending round the sides of the loop (Hawkes and Dunning 1961, 21–34; Evison 1981, 129-130; Appels and Laycock
2007, 206-214). The horse-heads appear to have been inspired by continental, West Roman models and ideas, which were common even to parts of Germania Magna (Ager 2007, 142). The eyes of the horses are marked with punched annulets, which further indicate the manes and are interspersed with groups of diagonal incisions round the loop. But, corrosion obscures any potential dolphin heads on the new find, which it should be noted were not always present on this type of buckle (see below).
The belt-plate is relatively short for buckles of both types IA and IB, although short plates do sometimes occur, as on the IB buckles from Alveston, gr. 70, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks., unless it is a replacement, and South Leigh,
Oxon. (Hawkes and Dunning 1961, fig. 16a; Marzinzik 2003, 36, pl. 73, 3; Worrell 2005, 462–3, fig. 13). The decoration of a pair of roundels may be compared with the three more elaborate examples interspersed with cross- hatched squares on the plates with geometric decoration from Duston, Northants, and probably from Catterick, North
Yorks. (Hawkes and Dunning 1961, fig. 150; Hawkes 1972, fig. 1, 4).
The contexts of type I buckles are predominantly late Romano-British, although examples occur in early Anglo-
Saxon graves and sites. However, whilst the general pattern of distribution in Britain is rural and widely dispersed in the civilian zone, maps of the finds clearly demonstrate that buckles of Hawkes and Dunning's type I are of British manufacture, with a putative centre of production in the West Midlands mainly between Silchester, the Upper Thames
Valley and the region of Gloucester (Hawkes 1972, 147–8; updated maps in Böhme 1986, Abb. 30, and Leahy 2007, fig. 4, particularly in area 10). Other recently published examples from that region, apart from the South Leigh piece, include a fragment of a probable type I buckle-plate from a late Roman pit at Ducklington itself (from the nearby Red
Lodge site); IB buckles with long plates from the dark earth at Dorchester-on-Thames (the second from the town); from a late 5th/early 6th-century Anglo-Saxon grave with female grave goods at Portway, Andover, gr. 48; and one decorated with the Christian motif of a fish and peacocks flanking a tree-of-life from the hillfort at Penycorddyn, Clwyd (Hawkes
1974, 386, fig. 3, 2; Booth et al. 2010, fig. 8; Cook and Dacre 1985, 95-96, pl. 17, fig. 61; Burnham 1993, 271, fig. 4).
The picture continues to be augmented with the invaluable contributions from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, with the addition of at least fourteen finds from this region alone, from Bremhill, Ilminster, Rodley, Burford/Charlbury,
4 Heytesbury, Bishops Cannings, Crowmarsh, Honington, Coberly, "North Glos", Misterton (x2), Chapmanslade, and
Sunningwell, while the area is extended southwards into Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (PAS: www.finds.org.uk).
The horse-headed buckles may have been turned out by small, local workshops in slightly differing styles and, as on the Continent, these may have been private concerns leased to the state rather than state factories, or fabricae
(Appels and Laycock 2007, 209; Leahy 2007, 137; Ager 2007, 142). The late Roman settlement at Ickham, Kent, appears to have been such an independent production centre (Bennett et al. 2010, 159).
On the Continent a wide range of late Roman belt equipment, including the wider, chip-carved belt buckles and fittings, is generally accepted as having been produced as the obligatory insignia of office, or cingula militiae, both for military forces including the mainly Germanic foederati, and for civilian officials who were ranked as soldiers from the reign of Diocletian onwards and wore belts as part of a uniform after the reign of Valentinian. In Britain, however, debate continues as to whether the slighter type I buckles came from such cingula, or might reflect the disposition of military units in both town and country in the provinces under the civilian command of the vicarius, especially in light of Leahy's observation that they are more common on civil than on military sites (Hawkes 1974, 390; Leahy 1984, 23;
Ager 1987, 29-31; Bennett et al. 2010, 158). As he concludes more recently regarding the belt-fittings from
Lincolnshire, ‘they are perhaps best seen as part of the equipment of a militia, but there is nothing to suggest this was
Germanic’ and ‘suggest militarisation of the area in the 4th century’ (Leahy 2007, 140). The belts may have indicated the high status of their owners and the loop from Blagan Hill was found with rich jewellery, which it has been proposed could have belonged to an imperial official, possibly a tax-collector, or paymaster (Robinson and Swanton 1993). A further consideration is whether wealthier British landowners in the early 5th century, who may themselves have retired from military service, employed private armed retinues, or militias, to protect their families and estates, as in northern
Gaul (Nicolay 2007, 214–15). In the increasingly militarized society of the period it is conceivable that belts with other types of fittings were worn by civilians, and in one case even by a child; those with type I buckles may have been likewise (Ager 1987, 29–31; 2007, 141).
It is less certain if they were worn by Romano-British females, although in the 5th-6th centuries Gallo- and Italo-
Roman women and girls wore belts, albeit with rather more decorative buckles (Ager 1987, 29; Martin 1991). In the
Anglo-Saxon period, type I buckles occur only in female graves, perhaps as a sign of the status of the group from which the women came. But this may be just coincidental, since belts formed part and parcel of Germanic female fashion
(Hawkes 1974, 393; Leahy 2007, 134), while it should be noted that the example from Sannerville, France, came from a weapon grave (see below).
Only very isolated finds of the horse-headed type are recorded on the Continent, from Sannerville, gr. 48, and near
Dreux, France, from Westerwanna, urn grave 2096, Germany (a belt-plate probably from a buckle of type IB), and from
5 Iruña (Veleia) as well as a putative local development with a fixed plate from Palau Centelles, Barcelona, Spain (Pilet
1992, pl. 17: 48,4; Laycock pers. comm; Böhme 1986, Abb. 29, 2; Aurrecoechea 2007, 437–8, fig. 5; Pérez 2008, 247–
8, fig. 1, 4-5). The Spanish finds may reflect the despatch of troops from Britain, whether Romano-British or Germanic, to take control of the Pyrenean passes in 407, following the usurpation of Constantine III, while the German and French finds may be connected with the return home of a Saxon soldier after serving in the Roman army in Britain, or with the historically attested reflux of Anglo-Saxon settlers from England in the course of the early 6th century (Heather 2005,
210–11; Christie 2011, 39; Böhme 1986, 508; Morris 1973, 287).
A late antique wall painting at Silistra, Bulgaria, shows that narrow belts were worn on men's hose or trousers in that period, although it has also been suggested that small buckles may have been used to fasten baldrics (Reece 2007,
161, fig. 73; Appels and Laycock 2007, 213). Type IB buckles are likely to have been paired with narrow strap-ends of
'Tortworth' type (Hawkes 1972, 150; Ager 1987, 27–9).
Hawkes and Dunning originally proposed a date of manufacture for type I starting towards the end of the 4th century and extending well into the 5th in sub-Roman and Anglo-Saxon contexts, but Hawkes subsequently revised the range to the last three decades of the 4th century, with abraded examples still being found in the 5th century, while
Böhme laid stress on the Anglo-Saxon evidence for the main period of their use being even in the first half of that century (Hawkes and Dunning 1961, 26; Hawkes 1972, 150–1; 1974, 387; Böhme 1986, 507). More recently, however, it has been argued that the type did indeed begin closer to the end of the 4th century (Appels and Laycock 2007, 206).
In support of this view, a IB buckle-loop was found in a late 4th-century, Roman hoard discovered on Blagan Hill,
Wiltshire, associated with coins dating mainly from AD 360–400, while a type I belt-plate from the temple of Sulis
Minerva at Bath was found in a deposit of period 5e, which must post-date 388 and may even belong to the second or third decade of the 5th century; and at Lankhills, Winchester, a IB buckle was excavated in male grave 1175, which contained a nummus of Theodosius I of 388-395 used as a 'Charon's obol' and has a calibrated radiocarbon date of AD
237-400 (Robinson and Swanton 1993; Gerrard 2007, 154, 158, fig. 4 top; Booth et al. 2010, 159–60, 286–7, fig. 3.157,
1). If it is accepted that the Spanish buckles noted above are to be associated with Constantine III's military campaign, they were still being worn by Roman troops in 407, and so probably at least until the end of Roman Britain only three years later.
With regard to the Ducklington find, might the lack of clear dolphin heads beneath the horse-head crests of the loop indicate a late date, as has been suggested in the case of the buckles from the Ashton Keynes area and Easton Grey on which they are completely missing (Appels and Laycock 2007, 206–14, figs. SL8.18 and SL8.22)? The IB buckle from the post-Roman cemetery at Sannerville has no dolphins, while those on the late Roman buckle from Iruña are barely visible. However, dolphins are still visible on the IB buckles from the Anglo-Saxon sites at Bifrons and
6 Stratford-upon-Avon, so it remains unclear whether the absence reflects linear development of the series and further evidence is needed to identify chronological trends (Hawkes and Dunning 1961, figs. 15k and 16a).
7 Banbury
Bicester
Witney
Thame Abingdon OXFORD 09000 Didcot Wallingford Wantage Henley-on SITE -Thames
08000
SITE
07000
SP35000 36000 SRD 15/98c Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire, 2017 Archaeological Excavation Figure 1. Location of site within Ducklington and Oxfordshire. Reproduced under licence from Ordnance Survey Explorer Digital mapping at 1:12500 Crown Copyright reserved 125 4345 46124 128 07400 117 116 44 114 115 123 4039130 127 129 249 41 42 126 131 118 119 36 132 225 31 38 134 203 32 33 112 133 200 201 224 242 113 35 37 134 135 110 111 121 210 12248 34 136 241 217 218 219 220 47 m 202 146 102 o d
e
r 49 n 204 205 206 120 104 105 106 215 500 25=212 103 207 209 Fig.4 107 108 109 208 501 Grave 13=228 Pond Fig.9 216 12 222 ditch-n 243 244 223
11 213 214 Wall 457
248 300 301 ditch-s 247 246 240 236 235 226 227 234 233 232 245 231 230 229 Pmed 17
19 to 07300 22 SP36000 36100 SRD 15/98c
N Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire, 2017 Archaeological Excavation
Figure 2. Site plan.
0 50m 125 24 128 43 124 45 23 46 07400 44 129 123 130 40 127 39 126 36 41 42 118 119 38 31 112 30 113 35 32 37 110 111 121 33
34 122
47 48
modern
102
Pit 4 49 100 101 (tree)
104 120 Pit 107 108
Pit 103 109
105 106
Ditch 501
Grave 13=228
SP36050
SRD 15/98c
N Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire, 2017 Archaeological Excavation
Figure 3. Northern part of site.
0 10m N unexc feature Eval 27
large ditch (501) 2 141 148 149 12 2 142 2 (comb teeth) 139 5 11 140 3 138 143 2 47 (Eval 5,6) 13 147 4 9 UBA-35696 137 (535-649) cal AD 145 211 07380 17 2 144 Eval Tr 3 Key Grub hut (Grubenhaus) 500 Roman sherd 36010 Early-Middle Saxon sherds Late Saxon - Early Medieval sherds 0 5m Other finds SP 36000
SE NW 76.73maOD 264 265 263
143 142 141
SW NE 76.94m
53 264 259
Eval slot 5 142 137
SW NE SW NE N S NW SE NE SW E WEWNE SW 76.53m 76.42m 76.27m 76.8m 76.94m 76.94m 76.94m 76.58m 267 260 [262] 269 270 271 261 288 145 148 149 147 211 138 139 Profile of 140
0 1m SRD 15/98c Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire, 2017 Archaeological Excavation
Figure 4. Sunken feature building 500. 125 24 43 45 124 128 117 116 23 07400 44 114 115 2 123 40 130 127 129 249 39 126 42 36 132 131 118 119 38 225 31 112 134 203 30 113 242 35 37 133 200 224 32 110 111 210 134 135 33 121 136 122 34 47 48 241 217 218 219 220 102 202 146 49 4 204261 205 1 1 120 104 206 500 107 108 25=212 215 21 103 109 209 105 106 207
208
Grave 13=228 1 1 216 (intrusive) 12 1 222 243 244 223
1 19 11 213 214 20 Wall 457 Spread
Late Bronze Age 248
Iron Age-Roman 247 (all residual) 246
Early-Middle Saxon 240 10 236 7 235 226 227 Early Medieval 234 233 232 231 Post-Medieval 245 230 229
14 Undated
07300
SP36000 SRD 15/98c
N Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire, 2017 Archaeological Excavation
Figure 5. Phase plan with pottery distribution (finds excluding medieval and later)
0 50m NE SW 76.92maOD
184
185
186
120
WSW ENE 76.7m 365 364
365 369 367 269 366 367
227 226
SW NE 76.77m
392 394 later truncation
393 242
395
241
Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire, 2017 Archaeological Excavation
Figure 6. Sectiosn of large ditch 501.
0 1m SE NW 76.5maOD
96
98 97 41
99
42
SSW NNE SSE NNW 76.86m 76.9m
162 163
103
104
NW SE 76.15m
287
286
210
NE SW 76.64m
299 298 297
296
295
216
SRD 15/98c Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire, 2017 Archaeological Excavation
Figure 7. Sectons.
0 1m SE NW/NE SW 76.72maOD
165 166 167 164 167 106 169 107 170 105 171
108
SRD 15/98c Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire, 2017 Archaeological Excavation
Figure 8. Sectons.
0 1m SK370 Sex: male 228
Age: 46+ years N Eval feature 13 Grave 228 Stature: not possible to estimate Completeness: 25-50% Preservation: fair Orientation: W-E; tightly crouched on right side (in foetal position) Bones present: the left side of the body has been truncated, removing the majority of the left half of the
cranium and mandible, the left scapula, sk370sk370 clavicle, femur, tibia and fi bula. Many small UBA-35725 bones of the hands and feet are also absent. (1236-1007) cal BC
Grave dimensions: [228], L = 1.15m, W = 0.65m, D = 0.16m 0 1m Dentition present: www --6----1- 2 ------7654321123?5-?- cww wwww c c?
Articular facet on the ventral sufrace of the right acromion (dislocated shoulder), with eburnation (circled).
Pathology: Cranial: none observed Postcranial: osteoarthritis (osteophytes and eburnation) of the neck vertebrae (C2 and C3 facets), and the ventral surface of the right acromion (indicative of possible impingement or dislocation of the right shoulder). Degenerative joint disease of vertebral bodies (osteophytic lipping). Dental pathology: calculus deposits of slight to medium severity, fi ve carious lesions affecting three crowns, and atypical dental wear resulting from cultural behaviours rather than the normal ageing process (affecting the anterior teeth and molars). Non-metric traits: none observed
Osteophytic lipping around the right humeral head.
Figure 9. Late Bronze Age skeleton 370 in pit 228. 1 2
0 50mm 0 100mm
0 25mm
Figure 10. Early-Middle Saxon pottery sherd and reconstruction from Sunken Feature Building (500) and Copper alloy buckle from ditch 501 (slot 237). Plate 1. Sunken feature building, looking south west, Scales: 1m.
Plate 2. Sunken feature building looking from cut 143, looking west, Scales: horizontal 1m x2, vertical 0.3m.
SRD 15/98 Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire, 2017 Archaeological Excavation Plates 1 and 2. Plate 3. Excavation area (south east corner), looking south.
Plate 4. Excavation area (south western corner, looking south.
SRD 15/98 Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire, 2017 Archaeological Excavation Plates 3 and 4. Plate 5. Ditch terminus spread 37 and ditch 38, looking west, Scales: horizontal 1m, vertical 0.5m and 0.3m.
Plate 6. Wall 457 over spread 300, looking north north east, Scales: horizontal 1m and 2m, vertical 0.1m.
SRD 15/98 Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire, 2017 Archaeological Excavation Plates 5 and 6. Plate 7. Ditch terminus 223, looking south east, Scales: 1m and 0.5m.
Plate 8. Ditch 501, slot 226 truncated by pipe trench 227, looking south, Scales: 2m and 0.3m
SRD 15/98 Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire, 2017 Archaeological Excavation Plates 7 and 8. Plate 9. Front and reverse of Copper alloy buckle, Scale: 50mm.
SRD 15/98 Land at Standlake Road, Ducklington, Oxfordshire, 2017 Archaeological Excavation Plate 9. TIME CHART
Calendar Years
Modern AD 1901
Victorian AD 1837
Post Medieval AD 1500
Medieval AD 1066
Saxon AD 410
Roman AD 43 AD 0 BC Iron Age 750 BC
Bronze Age: Late 1300 BC
Bronze Age: Middle 1700 BC
Bronze Age: Early 2100 BC
Neolithic: Late 3300 BC
Neolithic: Early 4300 BC
Mesolithic: Late 6000 BC
Mesolithic: Early 10000 BC
Palaeolithic: Upper 30000 BC
Palaeolithic: Middle 70000 BC
Palaeolithic: Lower 2,000,000 BC Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47-49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading RG1 5NR
Tel: 0118 9260552 Email: [email protected] Web: www.tvas.co.uk
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