Monument record MDO2930 - Iron Age iron working site north west of Bunker's Hill Plantation, West Stafford

An enclosure, pits and other features of late Iron Age (or possibly early Romano-British, on limited dating evidence) date. Evidence of burning and clearance of woodland, and the presence of iron slag in some features suggests that iron ore may have been roasted and/or iron worked here or close by.

A number of features appear (on the basis of limited dating evidence) to belong to a late Iron Age or early Romano-British period of activity, possibly including the smelting of iron. The excavators described three groups of features: Three trenches [59][222] and [223] of varying size but with common characteristics of shape and infill. They were vertical-sided trenches with one deeper end, within which there was evidence of burngin and a filling of blackened loam, ash and charcoal. Feature [59] was the largest, being 0.65m deep. The upper part of all three features was filled with colluvium, directly comparable to the layers which covered the site generally, suggesting that considerable erosion took place up-slope of the features, resulting in the being filled before any weathering of their sides could take place. The excavators felt that this may have been due to clearance of woodland for charcoal resulting in increased or sudden erosion of the hillside. Two of the features contained large pieces of iron slag. They were dated on the basis of only four sherds of pottery of late Iron Age or Romano-British date. The excavators say 'Though they may be some form of oven, the recovery of iron slag from the site could indicate that these trenches were used for the roasting of ore prior to its smelting. They may be paralleled by similar features excavated by Cleere (J.G.McDonnell pers comm.), and the features excavated by Jackson and Abroase at Wakerley (Britannia vol IX, 1978). Those features were interpreted as ore roasting hearths.' Two pits [68][80], both shallow, rounded features with dark infills containing iron slag fragments which in Pit [80] comprised a substantial dump of material in its base. The function of these features was not clear. Neither was deeper than 0.15m, but there was evidence of burning on the base of [68]. Parts of two ditches were excavated, and appeared to define the eastern side of an enclosure which lay mainly beyond the area of the excavation to the west and north. A causeway 7m wide suggested an entrance to the east. The ditches had steep, V-shaped profiles, and were up to 1.5m wide, with a maximum depth of 0.9m. Sherds of pottery, provisionally dated to the late Bronze Age or Iron Age, and fragments of iron slag were found in the filling of the ditches. The ditches also contained a scatter of animal bone including an ox skull, but no material that could be described as occupation debris. That part of the interior of the enclosure that lay within the excavation area was blank of features, though much of this area may have lain beneath an internal bank; the function of the enclosure remains unclear. Several other features to the south east of the enclosure may be associated with it, though dating evidence is limited. Feature [102] was a short length of curving ditch, deliberately backfilled, and interpreted as being possibly unfinished. Feature [116] was another short length of ditch, containing one sherd of Iron Age or later pottery. Feature [135] was a straight, trench-like feature, and a similar feature was recorded just to the west of it. Beneath Feature [135] on its eastern side was a pit or trench [136].

Record last edited

Apr 8 2013 2:46PM