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An archaeological excavation was carried out between May and December 2000, following an evaluation in May 2000, both by AOC Archaeology prior to development. The evaluation trenches covered 5 percent of the site, with an additional 50 test pits in numerous locations. This recorded various prehistoric artefacts and monuments, including pits, stake-holes, lithic scatters, worked stone, pottery, round-houses and souterrains. Roman bread ovens, hearths and latrines and a ditch were recorded from the area known to be within the Roman camp (NJ71NE0055). Some possible medieval pottery was also recovered. Following the evaluations, the area north of Castle Road was excavated. Three periods of material were identified: early prehistoric, later prehistoric and Roman. The southernmost extent of the excavation contained only Roman material, with the rest of the site containing material from all three phases. The early prehistoric material recovered from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age included around 1000 worked flints, as well as pits, scoops, a barrow and a possible structure being recorded. One of the pits contained a possible inhumation, but the majority were filled with worked lithics, stone tools and Grooved Ware pottery. One pit contained worked flints, pottery and burnt hazelnut shells, and was surrounded by a series of stake holes, possibly representing a slight structure. The barrow was defined by a rectilinear segmented ditch containing late Neolithic pottery. Within the barrow were a series of pits, one of which contained a possible cup-marked stone. A structure was recorded in the form of a shallow ring-groove fragment containing fragments of Beaker pottery, and with an associated possible cremation pit. The late prehistoric (Late Bronze Age to Iron Age) material mainly represented settlement activity, with around 50 structures in the form of four-post structures, post-hole circles and ring-ditch roundhouses. Two roundhouses appeared to have been burnt down, with some others containing substantial quantities of apparently carbonised structural material. The Roman camp boundary ditch was excavated, with a blue glass melon bead being the only artefact recovered. A series of sub-rectangular pits, often recorded in pairs, were identified in the southern area of the excavation. A variety of Roman material was recovered, including shoe tacks and possible barrel hoops. An initial tentative identification was that these were latrine pits. Over 120 bipartite ovens filled with charcoal and ash were recorded, with a variety of Roman material including a finger ring, nails, the remains of two carbonised bowls and two possible iron ingots. Some medieval/post-medieval material was also recovered. A post-built rectilinear structure with medieval pottery in the fill of one of the post-holes was recovered, and a curving gully feature also contained sherds of medieval pottery. A number of undated structures were also recorded.
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Historic Environment Records (HER)