Monument record MDO1440 - Iron Age/Romano-British settlement at Pins Knoll, Litton Cheney

An Iron Age and Romano-British settlement. An Iron Age storage pit was found dating to the first quarter of the 1st century AD containing pottery and sling stones. Six crouched Roman burials were found and one of a child. Part of an oven and a probable hut base were excavated. Finds included pottery, three brooches, a bracelet, some counters and four 3rd to 4th century coins.

Romano-British sherds from Pins Knoll, Litton Cheney. An old note by Col. Drew, on the O.S. 6-in. sheet xxxix s.w. in the Museum, records an undated discovery of Romano-British sherds found in rabbit-scrapes by the landowner, Mr. Golding, on the 300 ft. contour, at SY 54159048. <1> SY 54159048. Excavations were carried out on an IA/RB occupation site in 1959 and 1963-4. No post holes which could be related to buildings were noted but a number of unidentified wall-like structures running across the excavation trench at right-angles may well have been associated with dry stone hut bases, and in fact the dry stone base of a rectangular building measuring approx 22ft x 12ft which had been robbed down to floor level was found in 1963. A key-shaped oven was discovered with four post holes around it suggesting protection by a cover of some sort. Six crouched burials were uncovered along with a small cist possibly for child burial. A storage pit sealed by one of the burials contained sling stones and parts of two large jars comparable with ones occuring at Maiden Castle and suggesting a date in the first quarter of the 1st century AD. Most of the pottery found was Durotrigian and associated wares, although seven sherds of Glastonbury, a large quantity of late RB pottery and five fragments of decorated Samian were recovered. Three brooches, a bracelet, some counters and four coins of the 3rd to 4th century were found. <3> A unique Carolingian silver obol of Lothar II was found during the excavation. <5> Its authenticity proved by BM analysis. <6>

Record last edited

May 4 2023 11:32AM