Monument record CAC 026 - Iron Age and Roman features at Carlton Colville bypass

2001: An archaeological evaluation carried out on Carlton Colville bypass revealed Iron Age and Roman features. The features consist of postholes, ditches and pits. One pit contained pottery of possible Bronze Age or Neolithic date. Expected Medieval lane not encountered. (S1).

Excavation (final report never produced) - A circular, or rather elliptical, structure was revealed, associated with laurel-leaf flint points, thumb-nail scrapers and Beaker-type pottery suggesting a later Neolithic/earlier Bronze Age date. The structure consists of an outer ring of posts set within a bedding trench c.12m in diamter. The post settings clearly survived as post-pipes and in some cases appear to have been burnt in situ. A gap along the eastern edge indicated an entrance and within this space was placed a threshold burial, surviving as a body stain and accompanied by flint artefacts and a complete collared urn in the grave's upper fill. Within which was an urned cremation, undated. The circular structure was cut by a ditch containing Roman material. This seemed to be part of a series of enclosures of presumed Iron Age to Roman date, which were encountered c.100m to the west at site CAC 001 and extend a further 120m to the east into CAC 026-site 1. Within one area of the CAC 026-site 1 ditch system were at least six four-post structures. There were also 12 hearths, one of which has been dated to the Iron Age by thermoluminescence dating. A small ring-ditch, under 4m in diameter and at present undated, was also excavated at site 1. Unurned cremation burials were encountered both at site 1 and during the monitoring between site 2 and CAC 001.

At CAC 026-site 2, part of a Roman post-built rectangular structure was revealed, possibly superimposed over a circular setting of posts. At site-1, set within the corner of one of the Iron Age/Roman enclosures was a post-hole building 13m long by 6m wide and orientated E-W. Opposed doorways were recognised along the north and south sides; the offset thresholds and the weak corners suggest a Middle Saxon date. Another similar building was revealed during the monitoring of the area between sites 1 and 2 (S2).

2002: Soil evaluation was undertaken on samples from the Prehistoric and Roman up slope area of blown sands and a lower flooded medieval area by a wet ditch. The sandy soils have likely undergone phases of aeolian activity with loss from deflation and sedimentation in hollows through ploughwash, blowing and possibly trampling. It's possible that this area was utilised for discard, animal wallowing, and as a burial ground (?). (S3)