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C 614 5. ,(-7-1.4" SOUTH MIDLANDS ARCHAEOLOGY The Newsletter of the Council for British Archaeology, South Midlands Group (Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire) NUMBER 21, 1991 CONTENTS Page Spring Conference 1991 1 Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire 39 Northamptonshire 58 Ox-fordshire 79 Index 124 EDITOR: Andrew Pike CHAIRMAN: Dr Richard Ivens Bucks County Museum Milton Keynes Archaeology Unit Technical Centre, Tring Road, 16 Erica Road Halton, Aylesbury, HP22 5PJ Stacey Bushes Milton Keynes MX12 6PA HON SEC: Stephen Coleman TREASURER: Barry Home County Planning Dept, 'Beaumont', Bedfordshire County Council Church End, County Hall, Edlesborough, Bedford. Dunstable, Beds. MX42 9AP LU6 2EP Typeset by Barry Home Printed by Central Printing Section, Bucks County Council ISSN 0960-7552 CBA South Midlands The two major events of CBA IX's year were the AGM and Spring Conference, both of which were very successful. CHAIRMAN'S LETTER Last year's A.G.M. hosted the Beatrice de Cardi lecture and the speaker, Derek Riley, gave a lucid account of his Turning back through past issues of our journal I find a pioneering work in the field of aerial archaeology. CBA's recurrent editorial theme is the parlous financial state of President, Professor Rosemary Cramp, and Director, Henry CBA IX and the likelihood that SMA would have to cease Cleere also attended. As many of you will know Henry publication. Previous corrunittees battled on and continued Cleere retires this year so I would like to take this to produce this valuable series. It is therefore gratifying to opportunity of wishing him well for the future and to thank note that SMA has been singled out as a model example in him for his many years of service. Prof. Cramp also CBA's Report of the Structure and Policy Review Worldng addressed the meeting on the proposals for the new Party. integrated structure for CBA. A revised and very detailed report on these proposals has now been published as The It is also most pleasing to be able to report that SMA is at Report of the Structure and Policy Review Working Party, last on an even financial keel. A position largely due to our and your committee will welcome any comments. The Treasurer, Barry Home, whose hard work and expertise has Spring Conference took waterlogged remains as its theme kept printing costs to a minimum. and I am sure many were surprised at the amount and quality of the information that can be obtained even in this rather Ibis happy position means that the improvements which dry area of the country. your editor and committee have been endeavouring to introduce are at last beginning to see the light of day. This On a rather sadder note this volume contains the last 21st edition is marked by an improved cover and the first fieldwork report from the Milton Keynes Unit. Over the past individual volume index. The cumulative index to the first twenty-one years this Unit has contributed to every issue of twenty volumes will be on sale very shortly. It is hoped that our journal. At a tune when the protection and recording of these improved standards can be maintained and even raised Milton Keynes archaeology must inevitably fall back on the over the next few years. amateur it is with great concem that we note the closure of the Milton Keynes Archaeology Society. Make no mistake SMA can only continue in its present format if it has a sound there is still a great deal of unrecorded archaeology in Milton circulation, and this can best be ensured by CBA South Keynes and development will continue despite the current -r Midlands having a large membership. You can help by recession. joining yourself (SMA is free to members of CBA South Midlands) and by contributing articles or reports on any Finally I would like to thank my predecessor, Tim Allen, for archaeological activity in your area. his past efforts, continued work as a representative for Oxfordshire, and in particular for ensuring the completion A large membership also strengthens the position of your of the index. cornmittee when approaching statutory authorities over planning and other matters of archaeological concern. RIT CBA GROUP 9 SPRING CONFERENCE 1991 AT flint wall and replacement of clay roof tiles with thatch to NORTHAMPTON lighten the load. A religious use for the building was postulated. Linda Babb George Lambrick reviewed waterlogged remains from Summary Thames Valley sites, ranging from the late Bronze Age eyot at Wallingford with Dr Mark Robinson opened with a review of the structures built from coppiced timbers, to the Romano-British bridge foundations on the River environmental archaeology in Beds., Bucks., Northants, and Rea at Otmoor and piled road at Ducldington: to the timber Oxon. The only Wetland/Fenland sites in our area are in valleys of the limestone hills, where peat slowly bridge at Abingdon built in 1507. Iron Age and Roman farming organisation were also described. Waming accumulated, and disused river channels, which usually was given to the draw down of water contain only about fifty years' worth of deposits. Permanent tables and consequent loss of environmental evidence in the ground by waterlogging inhibits decay and lignin, cellulose, kytin, historic land clearance, modem gravel quarrying and dewatering next to leather, pollen grains, seeds and insect exoskeletons all survive. archaeological sites. Stanley Cauvain conducted a rescue excavation next to the Evidence from Upper Nene and Thames sites has Emmanuel Church, Chesham, and recovered part of the established the woodland sequence, subsequent Neolithic brick-built kilns of the late sixteenth-early seventeenth clearances and possible management in the late Bronze Age. centuries. A great variety of leadglazed wares were made, Upper Thames Iron Age sites suggest seasonal pastoralism. including water pots, bed warmers and chickfeeders. Roman wells contain evidence for a wide variety of edible, Roofing tiles were also found, but not their kiln. medicinal and horticultural plants and pests. Saxon and medieval sites imply the rise of many seasonally managed Bob Zeepvat gave a resume of twenty years excavation by hay meadows and flax as a major industry. Finally, a latrine the Milton Keynes Archaeology Unit., including the Ousel chamber in Oriel College, Oxford, provided an intimate watermill, Caldecott, The Shenleys, Tattenhoe, Fenny glimpse of late seventeenth century diet. Stratford and Wavendon Gate. Peter Busby described sites in Milton Keynes. The North Brian Dix talked about the formal gardens at Kirby. near Furzton ring-ditch complex produced many dung insects, Corby, Northants, once the country seat of the Hatton suggesting stock enclosures. The large pit at Wavendon family. During the seventeenth century seven hundred feet Gate contained Romano-British weather boards, a writing of fonnal gardens were laid out. Excavation has revealed a tablet, leather saddle, the Taranis wheel and garden plants. first phase of arcaded walls with espalier trees interspersed A sump at Westbury DMV contained two ladders, stake and with statues, arbors and seats. In the 1680s-90s a major hurdle revetting and flax seeds, i.e. a retting pit. remodelling swept away the walls, banks and borders and reduced the terrace. Architectural features were re-located, Anthony Maul described the Warren Villas Quarry site, canals dug around the garden and the axis switched south to settled from the late Bronze Age. Spelt wheat was cropped north to view a new 'Wildemess' and the open country in the Romano-British period, then the area was flooded and beyond. A lost service wing of the house was also located. abandoned until the twelfth century. Bone assemblages, fish or eel traps, domestic material and flax retting pits have been Roy Friendship-Taylor described the long-running recovered. Dendrochronological dates give 1084-5 excavation at Piddington. The late Iron acquired AD/1125-6 AD. Age estate a Villa early in the first century AD which has produced a wealth of finds and evidence of military occupation. Tiles Dave Warren's site at Bidwell was an interesting example weie made on site; one tegula is stamped 'Tibenus Claudius of an unexpectedly waterlogged site on high ground. A Severus', perhaps a local tribal chief at the time of the rectangular Roman building on gault day adjacent to a Conquest who changed his name and became Romanized? spring rise collapsed on its SW side. The desire to retain the By the 380s it had ceased to be a great villa and was original site led to the insertion of oak stakes beneath the inhabited by squatters living in family units. 1 Thurleigh Harrold Chellington St. Mary's Church BEDFORD Biddenham Willington Sandy ÎBedford Bypass Warren Villas Newnham Stratton Salford Wrest Park Leighton Linslade Fig. 1. Site locations in Bedfordshire. 2 BEDFORDSHIRE of these projects is enhanced by continuity of staff with period specialisms. Furthermore, the greatly improved The Work of Bedfordshire County Council accommodation in St Mary's will accelerate the process, Planning Department's Conservation and already begun, of developing county-wide data systems for artefacts and structures, in conjunction with active local Archaeology Section in 1990 societies and the two Museums. The potential of such systems for streamlining and increasing the potential of GENERAL INTRODUCTION David Baker post-excavation analysis and reporting cannot be over-emphasised. The new decade began well for the Bedfordshire service, with consolidation and expansion in most aspects of its ST MARY'S CHURCH ARCHAEOLOGY CENTRE, work. The reduction of 1980 in staffing provision for work BEDFORD David Baker on the historic built environment was at last recouped with the appointment ofRuth Gibson to the new post of Assistant On 12 February 1991, Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, Chairman Conservation Officer: this will allow us to move back into of Eng,lish Heritage, formally opened new headquarters for several areas of work neglected during the later 80s due to the Excavation Division of the Bedfordshire County the steady rise in casework demands.