Highlights of the 2002 Season
John Roberts took over the direction of excavations in 2002. In April of that year 17 test pits were excavated in the triangular field to the East of the Old Vicarage to confirm that the boulder clay which had been found under the garden extended into this field. Several in fact revealed patches of
grey silt suggesting the presence of archaeological features and one held a definite post hole.Trench 16 before excavation
Trench 16 was positioned alongside Trench 3, which had been excavated and backfilled in 2000. It revealed a series of intercutting curvilinear ditches which may have been the drainage gullies of Iron Age Roundhouses, from which we were able to take samples. A Radiocarbon date was recovered which produced a date of between 380BC and 520BC. A second gave two date ranges of equal probability between 360BC and 410BC and the other 240BC and 280BC
One of the features was a stone lined gully very similar to the one found in Trench 3 in 2000. Another appeared to be a gully designed to have a line of posts set in into it rather than individual post holes. In the Eastern half of the trench a number of post holes and pits were
revealed.Re-cutting of these features strongly suggests a sustained period of occupation and change as part of a continuous process.
Trench 17 was located along the foot of the wall separating the field to the north of the Old Vicarage from the garden, both to uncover a further section of the inner ditch but also to to see if there was any evidence of an old trackway dating from the time when the Old Vicarage was the Church Inn. Unfortunately although the surface of a 19th Century cinder track was uncovered it was found that quarrying had removed any evidence of the enclosure ditch at this point.
Trench 18 was positioned where Magnetometry surveys
in January of 2000 had indicated a linear anomaly. Excavation revealed the west side of a large cut feature, the fill of which produced a quantity of Roman Pottery, whose style dated from the 2nd and 3rd Centuries AD.
Trench 19 was excavated to see if any evidence of a rampart could be found in association with the ditch and if possible to learn more about how the ditch itself had been excavated. Unfortunately the no evidence of a rampart was found, but an abrupt change in direction may confirm the hypothesis suggested by trench 15 that the daunting task of cutting the enclosure ditch through the Bedrock was made easier by following natural bedding planes.Trench 20 was a 3m by 3m open area designed to expand on the programme of test pitting, located immediately to the south of test pit 24 which had contained the post hole. Three of the areas of grey silt revealed by the test pits proved to be stone packed post holes as in pit 24. There was also a further circular feature which again had stones arranged around its sides and one laid flat in the centre of its base, possibly for a large timber upright, with a circle of smaller posts arranged around it.
Read the full 2002 UMAU Archaeological Report
