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SOUTH MIDLANDS ARCHAEOLOGY The Newsletter of the Council for British Archaeology, South Midlands Group (Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, NOrthamptonshire, Oxfordshire) NUMBER 35, 2005 CONTENTS Page Editorial Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire 11 Northamptonshire 33 Oxfordshire 43 Index 106 Notes for Contributors 119 It should be noted that the reports in this volume refer, in the main, to work carried out in 2004 EDITOR Barry Horne CHAIRMAN: Ted Legg 'Beaumont' 17 Napier Street Church End Bletchley Edlesborough Milton Keynes Dunstable, Beds MK2 2NF LU6 2EP HON SEC: Lorraine Lindsey-Gale TREASURER Gerry Mico Nut Tree Cottage 6 Rowan Close The Green South Brackley Warborough NN13 6PB Oxon OX10 7DR Typeset by Barry Home ISSN 0960-7552 EDITORIAL Welcome to volume 35. The cumulative index to volumes 1-35, is available on the website at: WWW.britarch.ac.uldsmaindex The index to the CBA Industrial Bulletin Nos 1-16(1967-71) is available on the website at: WWW.britarch.ac.uk/smaindustrialindex/index.html If anyone wishes to have a copy for their own PC would they please send me a 3.5" disk and a stamped addressed envelope and I will provide them with a copy. A number of new organisations have provided reports and this is very encouraging. However, some organisations continue to provide no report of their work in the area. County archaeologists and peers must apply pressure to these defaulters. Some of you will be aware that because of a deterioration in my health I told the Chairman this would be the last edition edited by me. As a result of this I received kind words from some people. However, my health has stabilised and I feel able to continue as Editor and the Chairman has accepted my offer to do so. In conclusion I would like to thank all those who sent in reports and ask that they, and anyone else, send in articles for SMA 36. Please send a note, however short, of any work carried out in the four counties. Copy date for SMA36 is 31st March 2006; please refer to Notes for Contributors. Barry Horne AIFA Editor Bedfordshire BEDFORDSHIRE Part of a previously unknown Saxon settlement was identified comprising two sunken featured buildings and at least one post-built building. Thirty-two pottery sherds ALBION ARCHAEOLOGY dated to the early to middle Saxon period were recovered, the majority associated with the sunken featured buildings. Salford, Whitsundoles Farm (SP 9220 4005) A small number of medieval furrows were identified, along Gregson and Tracy Preece Mike Luke, Richard with several post-medieval quarry pits. Observation and investigation took place in advance of Luke M, Phillips M and Preece T, 2003, 'Salford, Whitsundoles gravel extraction at Whitsundoles Farm adjacent to Fartn', SMA 33, 4-5. investigations previously reported (Luke, Phillips and Dawson M, forthcoming, Excavations at Salford Quarry Preece 2003). The investigations, undertaken during October and November 2004, located the highest Harrold, Former Bridgman Joinery Works concentration of archaeological remains so far discovered (SP 9512 5698) They ranged in date from the early within the quarry. Mike Luke, Mark Phillips and Tracy Preece Bronze Age, through the Iron Age and Saxon periods, and into the post-medieval period. Following evaluation by trial trenching, an open area Two pits contained early Bronze Age pottery including 14 excavation was undertaken between April and June 2003, sherds of Beaker pottery and worked flint. They are the prior to a housing development on a former factory site just earliest features so far discovered within the quarry, north of the High Street, Harrold. Despite extensive although they are located 300m west of a ring ditch disturbance as a result of the former factory buildings, investigated in 1990 (Dawson forthcoming). archaeological remains from the late Bronze Age through to small pits, some containing early Iron Age A scatter of the post-medieval period were identified. pottery, and postholes were distributed over an area 1.5ha in A small number of features contained late Bronze Age/early extent. One arrangement of postholes is suggestive of a Iron Age pottery. These comprised a ditch, pits and four-post structure. Overall the evidence is indicative of a postholes, but formed no coherent distribution. dispersed, unenclosed settlement. To the east of the The earliest firm evidence for settlement comprised a settlement a boundary ditch was identified which contained ditched enclosure system dated to the late Iron Age/early similar pottery, but which truncated some of pits. The ditch Roman period. An east-west aligned ditch extending for at was redug on a number of occasions. least 100m was an integral part of the enclosure system, Although investigations undertaken in previous years had which extended over an area c lha in extent and respected a located a probable Roman field system, there is no evidence former palaeochannel to the east. Although no definite that this continued into this year's investigation area. settlement-type features were identified, the distribution of the artefactual assemblage indicated that the southern -J .. / Furrows 0 .11-1 Post built 2003 I / building investigation. /. / Early Bronze Age .).. Izt=. pit i4040 i Sunken feature J buildinps ,. Ii Tree throws / . .:., Four . , ., post_0,.. Modem / k .:. structure st. .:. Furrows / .:. 1 ' ;4. -c..tilion /. Pit containing . : '--. 11111bBeaker pottery Botindary : ...--til .".? ditch4. / . .., Not yet quarried 50m 1.,492200 492300 i492400 Fig I. Whitsundoles Farm. Site plan. 1 Bedfordshire \ LIA/Rom feature r- Med/Pmed featuges i 1 \ i Modern disturb4ce r y : .1.. k Tree throw holes i !! \ -- sues.. .1 \ Flooded area ii I / :1; .1 1/P.,/' ri i \ ; -; .1 il-- ,i,,, \ .---- t - Trackway 257000 Palaeochannel t-1 ; ; \ ,` t ! ' , 1 ,). 0 ...) 1 ^1. f. , , 1 ,. 1 ...4..eq \ 1 ti / I (. \ \ II eÇA/1 1 \ ' II ' \5\II 1 ' \I r 1 .\ .. _-...1.. i ...r % .,-.'" .,..- /- Drying oven . 256900 -11 0 Threshing area/storage bi4 " - .04. Sunken I feature building 50 495100 495200 Fig 2. Bridgman Joinery Works, Harrold. Site Plan. 2 Bedfordshire enclosures are likely to have been a focus of, domestic substantial building was identified within the interior of the activity. enclosure. This was post-built and was orientated parallel to Despite the existence of an earlier extensive enclosure the enclosure ditch. system Roman activity was restricted to tvvo areas to the A second ditch was located c 23m to the west of the north and south-east of the investigation area. They substantial ditch. The area in-between these was devoid of appeared to be associated with a much more restricted features and therefore it is possible that this area functioned enclosure system. In the south-east corner of the as a routeway. To the west of the possible routeway was a investigation area a number of structures associated with large area of intercutting quarry pits dug to extract sand. An agricultural processing were discovered. These comprised a articulated dog burial was discovered in the upper fill of one drying oven and a stone-lined threshing area/storage bin. of the quarry pits. The latter truncated one of the ditches of the earlier Although the presence of 3rd and 41h century pottery enclosure system and the drying oven produced an indicates that settlement continued into this period, the only archaeomagnetic date in the 2"d century. The drying oven firm evidence was in the form of a single ditch that truncated comprised a keyhole-shaped feature c 5m long with a the infilled quarry pits. This may have been part of the later stokehole at the south-west end. Both sides of the flue were Roman enclosure system identified in the 2002 excavations lined with limestone slabs but only the base in front of the. to the north. stokehole contained limestone slabs (which were heavily burnt). Luke M, Phillips M and Preece T, 2003, `Shefford, Land to the rear Located 3m from the drying oven was a rectangular of 77-81 Ampthill Road', SUA 33, 5. stone-lined feature with rounded corners on the north side. It was 3.35m long, 2.6m wide and 0.45m deep. Its base and Kempston Box End Quarry (TL 0134 4821) sides were lined with a light green grey clay within which Mike Luke, Tracy Preece and Teresa Hawtin were set large, unworked limestone slabs. On the base of the feature the slabs were laid flat on top of the clay, but on the In May 2004 archaeological salvage investigations were sides the slabs were set on end on the clay at 20-30 degrees undertaken after the discovery of human remains by a from vertical. As there was no evidence for in situ burning, member of the public during gravel extraction. it would seem that this feature is more likely to be a Investigation was primarily concerned with establishing a threshing area or storage bin. The only other evidence for ground plan, the excavation of all graves and a sample of all Roman activity within the investigation area was located other features. Many of the features had been badly 120m to the north and comprised parallel ditches suggestive truncated by quarry machinery and it is clear that a large of a trackway. number of features were completely destroyed before Saxon activity comprised a single sunken featured building archaeologists arrived on site. The quarry was located to the and a number of pits. In the early medieval period an north of the extensive Romano-British settlement centred enclosure system was established on a slightly different on Kempston Church End (Dawson 2004) alignment to that of the late Iron Age/early Roman period. The investigations located a rectangular ditched enclosure This contained a number of pits, but was probably on the system with an integral trackway which was probably the periphety of the main settlement to the south.