SOUTH MIDLANDS ARCHAEOLOGY The Newsletter of the Council for British Archaeology, South Midlands Group (Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire) NUMBER 38, 2008 CONTENTS Page Editorial ii Bedfordshire 1 Buckinghamshire 18 Northamptonshire 36 Oxfordshire 47 Obituary - Edward "Ted" Legg (1937 - 2008) 85 Index 86 Notes for Contributors 98 It should be noted that the reports in this volume refer, in the main, to work carried out in 2007. EDITOR Barry Horne CHAIRMAN: Ian Nunney 'Beaumont' 2 West View Church End London Road Edlesborough Little Irchester Dunstable, Beds Wellingborough LU6 2EP Northants NN8 2DZ HON SEC: Julia Wise TREASURER Stan Cauvain County Archaeological Services 97 Guinions Road Bucks County Council High Wycombe County Hall HP13 7NU Aylesbury HP20 lUY Typeset by Barry Horne ISSN 0960-7552 EDITORIAL Welcome to volume 38. Despite the introduction of page charges SMA continues to attract new contributors. We seem to be in a win-win situation with the number of contributors increasing and a continued improvement in the financial position of the group. Some of you may have seen an article by Gary Lock in British Archaeology July/August 2008, page 36, where he complains he does not have access to the results of archaeological work carried out around his research area at Marcham (see page 68 of this publication). There is something fundamentally wrong when the results of archaeological work can be kept secret by those who pay for it to be carried out. The organisations concerned are welcome to use SMA as a vehicle for getting information into the public domain. All contributors get at least one page free so there is really no excuse for non-contribution. However, some organisations continue to provide no report of their work in the area. County archaeologists and professional colleagues are asked to apply pressure to these defaulters. 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 39. I would like to thank Northants Archaeology for sponsoring the cover. Copy date for SMA39 is 31st March 2009; please refer to Notes for Contributors. Barry Horne AIFA Editor Front cover Bury Mount, Towcester, showing section of Norman motte (background) and excavation of pre-motte deposits (foreground). Sponsored by Northants Archaeology. CBA South Midlands website: CBA-SouthMidlands.org.uk The cumulative index to volumes 1-37, is available on the website at: WWW.britarch.ac.uk/smaindex 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 Bedfordshire BEDFORDSHIRE devoid of clearly contemporary features, four animal burials were found within c 10m of the monument. ALBION ARCHAEOLOGY Middle? Bronze Age: evidence for a possible field of this Kempston-Biddenham, Bedford Western Bypass period was identified on the basis of two ditches which were Additional investigations were undertaken within the road stratigraphically earlier than the late Bronze Age/early Iron corridor to those already reported (Luke et al 2006 and Luke Age pit alignment. et al 2007). Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age: approximately 20 pits of Site 1: Great Denham, Biddenham Loop the extensive pit alignment were situated within the road (TL 0158 4860): corridor. Evidence from geophysical survey and aerial photographs suggests that this linear monument "cut off' Mike Luke, Ben Barker and Jo Archer the southern part of the Loop. It was investigated in more detail in 1996 to the east (Luke 2008). The pits within the Approximately 3.1ha of open area excavation was road corridor were different from those excavated to the east undertaken between March and May 2007, adjacent to in that they had slightly smaller dimensions. This is likely to investigations undertaken during 1996-7. The Biddenham be because limestone rock occurs below the gravel at a Loop is an area of intense past activity from the Neolithic depth of only c 0.6m. The pits contained only small through the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Romano-British quantities of domestic debris. Three inhumations were period (Luke 2008). The results can be summarised as found in the vicinity of the pit alignment but they contained follows: no grave goods so it is uncertain, at this stage, if they are contemporary. They may have been associated with an Late Neolithic and early Bronze Age: a moderate lithic earlier ditch, possibly dug as a 'marker' feature for the pits artefact assemblage, comprising struck flint of possible to follow. Neolithic and early Bronze Age date, was recovered. Also probably of this period was a segmented, ditched Early-middle Iron Age: a farmstead of this period was monument. Five inhumations were placed at the base of the identified on the east side of the road corridor. It comprised ditch, each in a crouched posture. Although the interior was at least one roundhouse, a small ditched enclosure and over thirty steep-sided and flat-bottomed pits interpreted as storage pits. This farmstead was similar to other contemporary ones found in the Bovis investigations in that it was unenclosed. To the north of the farmstead within the A road corridor an area of over 1 ha was characterised by dispersed small pits and postholes apparently evidence for SFB if* e E/M IA contemporary activity. This area also contained a number of *. Dispersed probable storage pits, cremation burials and a small . activity roundhouse. %. .% Romano-British: a small rectangular structure, c 4m by 1.5m in extent, was defined by a small gulley. It is similar to MBA three possibly funerary structures found within the Field contemporary settlement at Kempston Church End (Dawson 2004, 42 & Fig. 3.18). In addition, a single RB Ditch boundary ditch of this period was identified. It is likely to have been part of the extensive field system known to E/M IA extend across the interior of the Biddenham Loop in this Farmstead LBA/EIA period. Pit Alignment ._._._._ '511"------. RB Fùnerary Early-middle Saxon: two sunken-featured buildings were LN/EBA ! . - Structure(?) identified located c 200m apart. They contained Segmented .... early-middle Saxon pottery and animal bone. Although one Ditch / . was found in the vicinity of dispersed pits and postholes, SFB i . ...1\ I these did not contain any datable artefacts so it is unclear if \ . .. .. they are contemporary. .., PM .!. No Quarry Medieval: a series of parallel furrows indicates that this area * PitS 0INI=Nw:. 50m 'I. A .-. was arable fields at this time. 1 %-'-'-.--.- Post-medieval: extensive and large pits were found in the south-west part of the excavation area. These represent Fig 1. Bedford Western Bypass Site 1 (Great Denham) all features plan. quarries probably for gravel, but also for the limestone that 1 Bedfordshire outcrops adjacent to the river in this part of the Biddenham Loop. Post-medieval: extensive and large pits were found in the north-west part of the investigation area. Like those on Site Site 2: Great Field, Biddenham Loop 1, these were clearly quarries dug adjacent to the River (TL 0170 4830) Great Ouse. Mike Luke, Ben Barker and Jø Archer Site 13: A421, Kempston (TL 2050 4580) Approximately 4.1ha of strip & map investigation was Mike Luke, Ben Barker, Mark Phillips and Lennard undertaken between January and March 2007. The results Anderson can be sinnmarised as follows: Approximately 8ha were subject to investigation concurrent Late Neolithic and early Bronze Age: a large number of with construction works from late September and postholes and small pits were located in the southern half of continuing into 2008 due to the flooding of the site. The the investigation area. Several contained Grooved Ware and results can be summarised as follows: Beaker pottery, along with stnick flints and charred plant remains. These features indicate the location of an Late Bronze Age: two pit alignments were located c 75m occupation site, although not one that coincides with one of apart but on slightly different alignments. Their full extent the flint artefact concentrations previously found in the to the north could not be determined due to poor machining. ploughsoil. Based on the distribution of the sub-surface They have provisionally been dated to this period based on features, several foci were present but they may not have all the presence of a tiny quantity of pottery. The more been occupied at the same time. Similar, although less extensive aligtunent extends for over 250m continuing extensive, settlement foci were found elsewhere within the outside the investigation area. The pits were c 1.5m in Biddenham Loop during the Bovis investigations (Luke diameter, c 0.3m deep and spaced at c 1m intervals. The 2008). second pit aligrunent was traced for over 40m and comprised pits that were c 0.7m in diameter, 0.3m deep and Early-middle Saxon: a single sunken-featured building was spaced at 0.6m intervals. Neither of these monuments were identified. It contained a small quantity of contemporary located by the evaluation. A large feature, interpreted as a pottery. Although it was found in the vicinity of dispersed pond, was located c 20m east of the main pit alignment and pits and postholes, these did not contain any datable is similar to ones found on Bypass Site 10 (Luke et al 2006, artefacts so it is unclear if they are contemporary. 1), but unlike those it contained no datable artefacts. Romano-British: a small group of linear "trench-like" features c 0.6m wide and 4.5m apart were located. They were filled by deposits which contained small quantities of abraded Roman pottery. They were similar to ones found on Bypass Site 10 (Luke et al 2006, 1) where they were Fig 2.