SOUTH MIDLANDS ARCHAEOLOGY The Newsletter of the Council for British Archaeology, South Midlands Group (Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire) NU1VIBER 29, 1999 CONTENTS Page Editorial Bedfordshire 1 Buckinghamshire 14 Northamptonshire 23 Oxfordshire 29 Index 90 Notes for Contributors 100 EDITOR: Barry Home CHAIRMAN: Roy Friendship-Taylor 'Beaumont' Toad Hall Church End 86 Main Road Edlesborough Hackleton Dunstable, Beds Northampton LU6 2EP NN7 2AD HON SEC: Shelagh Lewis TREASURER: Jon Hitchcock Old College Farmhouse 75D Princes Street 2 Magdalen Close Dunstable Syresham Beds. Northants LU6 3AS NN13 5YF Typeset by Barry Home Printed by The Open University ISSN 0960-7552 EDITORIAL In my last Editorial I reported on the state of play in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The attrition continues with Jonathan Parkhouse "jumping ship" and taldng up a post as County Archaeologist in Warwickshire, I'm sure we all wish him well. Over the past year there have been suggestions that this publication should change. One of the suggestions has been that there should be peer review of the articles which are submitted. I have trsisted this on two counts: Time. The elapse time between the deadline for articles, end of March,,and the time when the publication goes to the indexer, begirming of June, is two months. It is usually tighter than this as illustrations inevitably arrive late. The indexer is then able to fit our job in between her other work and holidays; because of this we get a "good deal". This is a publication primarily for reporting results, not interpretation. I'm not too bothered if an interpretation reported in SMA is proved to be incorrect, it is the nature of archaeology that as more data accumulate all interpretations are overtumed. Peer review will not tell us whether or not archaeologists are falsely claiming to find what they are not finding. Only inspection of the material will do that. Contributots are responsible for the content of their contributions and a note to this effect has been added to "Notes for Contributors". Members who are unhappy about SMA and wish to see a change and a new Editor have only to wait until the AGM in 2000 when the post next comes up for election. 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 30. Please send a note, however short, of any work carried out in the four counties. Copy date for SMA 30 is 31st March 2000; please refer to Notes for Contributots. Barry Home AIF'A Bedfordshire BEDFORDSHIRE The desk top survey indicated that the site was essentially agricultural in nature for most of its history. Five barns BEDFORDSHIRE COUNTY ARCHAEOLOGY occupied the site in the late medieval period. A brewhouse SERVICE (BCAS) and maltings were established on the site by 1764. Demolition layers relating to earlier brewery buildings were The past year saw the start of a programme of major change encountered in all of the trial trenches but no archaeological for BCAS. As part of the County Council's Partnership suggests that the area was Programme BCAS will move out of the public sector and deposits survived. This landscaped prior to development the brewery. will have the opportunity to achieve its strategic aims of through merger with another organisation. Building on our current regional expertise we aim to continue to achieve: Bromham, St Owen's Church (FL 0128 5126) Tony Walsh and Sean Steadman - delivery of a first class service to clients; - development of the highest professional standards; Trial trenching of earthworks adjacent to St Owen's Church - rapid dissemination of the results of archaeological in advance a proposed graveyard extension revealed no projects to the public and the profession. of archaeological features. The "earthworlcs" were the result of natural undulations in the underlying clay, accentuated by In addition, the new organisation will continue to provide the construction of the access road for the church and small the County Council with an archaeology service, which will scale quarrying on the site. include: - analysis and archiving work on pre-existing County Square (FL 019 217) Council funded projects; Dunstable, Market Mike Luke - maintenance of county type series; - public outreach activities; during water pipe - small, public-funded archaeological investigations. A watching brief was undertaken replacement within the area of known Roman settlement. No archaeological features were observed, although High Street may indicate the Barton-k-clay, The Bury (FL 085 305) disturbed ground near the positions of former cellars. Modern disturbance had clearly Nick Shepherd and Mark Phillips taken place in the vicinity of the pipe trenches. No artefacts earlier in date than the post-medieval period were recovered. A single trial trench was dug in the garden of the Bury, a house of 17th/18th century origin close to the Church in Barton-le-Clay. The garden was divided into two parts by a Hill (FL 216 405) large curving ditch extending into properties to the north and Edworth, Toplers south. This may have originated as post-medieval garden Mike Luke, Rob Edwards and Mark Phillips earthworks. The trench was located across the site of proposed development, a swimming pool and walled Evaluation comprising aerial photograph analysis, field by garden, and measured 30 m by 2 m wide. artefact collection and geophysical survey (undertaken Geophysical Surveys of Bradford) identified a series of to Features marginal to settlement/activity of Iron Age and enclosures adjacent to the Baldock Godmanchester artefacts were recovered post-medieval date were recognised. Within the middle part Roman road. Although insufficient of the trench two shallow pits containing artictilated animal to date the enclosures with confidence, they are likely to be Iron Age Roman. Geophysical anomalies suggest burials were located. One contained a single sherd of Iron or settlement activity, including possible roundhouses, was Age pottery. To the south a large pit, also containing an animal burial was backfilled with redeposited natural concentrated on the east side of the road. containing two fragments of late medieval or later tile. This was sealed by a dump of chalk possibly associated with a 133 519) constructional phase of the house or the nearby garden Great Barford (FL earthworks. Mike Luke and Paul Bright Archaeological field evaluation comprising field artefact Biggleswade, Greene King Brewery (FL 1902 4470) collection and trial excavation was undertaken in advance Sean Steadman, Tony Walsh and Rob Edwards. of housing development. Worked flint, Saxo-Norman and medieval pottery was recovered from the ploughsoil but no An archaeological evaluation, comprising a desk-top survey concentrations were discernible. and trial-trenching, was carried out on the site of the former Two Greene King Brewery, Biggleswade. clusters of archaeological features were observed within the trial trenches sealed below alluvial clays. The features included postholes and small pits. A small 1 Bedfordshire assemblage of pottery was recovered from the pits site consisted of substantial modern dumps of rnaterial, suggesting a Bronze Age and early Iron Age date for each probably associated with the construction of the school. In of the concentrations. the south a variety of medieval and post-medieval features were identified, indicating significant changes in the use of the area. Harrold, Land Off Meadway (SP 953 571) Nick Shepherd and Tony Walsh The northern bay and cross passage of a possible Saxo-Norman hall was discovered on a gravel "island" Geophysical survey and trial trenching identified the site of within the underlying clay geology in the extreme south of an early to middle Saxon settlement to the north of the the site. It was orientated north-north-west to medieval/modem village. The site lay on the southem edge south-south-east with its long side parallel to the lane which of gravel workings where finds of early prehistoric, Iron leads to the church. The building, of post and interrupted Age, Saxon and medieval date were made during the 1950s beam construction, was at least 9 m long by 7 m wide, with and reported on later by Eagles and Evison (1970). Pottery indications of alterations to its internal layout. Few finds and metalwork recovered during those works form an were recovered from this area, which may suggest a non- important part of the collections of the Bedford Museum. domestic function at least for this end of the building. Open area excavation (Fig 1) covering 03 ha confirmed the A late medieval or early post-medieval saw pit was location of the Saxon settlement. Unendosed post-built and identified to the west of the disused hall. It was sunken buildings were identified along with quarry pits sub-rectangular in plan, c 3.5 m northwest - southeast by re-used for refuse disposal. A large assemblage of pottery 1.45 m wide, and 1.19 m deep. The waterlogged conditions was recovered from these features and this together with the had preserved layers of sawdust and a crude floor, consisting well preserved animal bone has good potential for further of planks from the outer part of the tree trunk. Water analysis. inundation probably forced the abandonment of the pit, which was subsequently backfilled. It is possible that titis In addition to the Saxon period features a complete early pit is associated svith repairs to the church or the moated prehistoric ring ditch was exposed and excavated. This manor to the west. Given the disparity in dating, it is unlikely included a central inhumation and cremation and a to be associated with the construction, alteration or repair of secondary inhumation placed just inside the ring. The the Saxo-Norman hall. stratigraphy suggests the central inhumation may have been interred prior to the construction of the main ring ditch The area was subsequently divided into land parcels monument Finds accompanying the burial included flint demarcated by ditched boundaries which probably also tools and a polished stone, with an antler pick placed within acted as drains.