Prehistoric and Romano-British Activity and Saxon Settlement at Hoo Road, Wainscott

291 ARCHAEOLOGICAL NOTES AND SUMMARIES prehistoric and romano -british acti vit y and sa xon settlement at hoo road , wainscott Excavations undertaken by Wessex Archaeology in advance of development revealed evidence for activity dating from the Late Neolithic to post-medieval periods. Earlier work immediately to the north of the site undertaken as part of the construction of the Wainscott Northern Bypass (Four Elms site) revealed evidence for a small amount of prehistoric activity (principally Late Neolithic and Bronze Age in date), two successive Romano-British enclosures, and two associated structures and a Mid/ Late Saxon enclosed settlement. Following evaluation of the entire site, five targeted excavation areas were opened, revealing a palimpsest of archaeological features and deposits (Fig. 1). The earliest evidence of human activity recovered comprises a small quantity of worked flint, likely to date to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, whilst two Early Bronze Age pits were excavated, one containing a diagnostic assemblage of struck flint and the second sherds of pottery from at least four Beaker vessels and a broken saddle quern. Radiocarbon determinations obtained from cereal grains recovered from this pit returned dates of 2460-2200 cal. bc and 2400-2140 cal. bc respectively (3850±30 bp, SUERC-32989; 3810±30 bp, SUERC-33331). A small number of Middle Bronze Age features, comprising two gullies and several discrete features, were also excavated. These contained small quantities of Deverel-Rimbury pottery, animal bone and burnt and worked flint. Radiocarbon dates obtained from two of the pits confirmed a Middle Bronze Age date for this activity: 1530-1410 cal. bc (3205±30 bp, SUERC- 33332) and 1610-1420 cal. bc (3220±30 bp, SUERC-33333) respectively. A poorly dated metalled trackway crossing much of Area 2 on a broadly north-east to south-west alignment is likely to date to the Late Iron Age or Romano-British period. This comprised a broad metalled track laid in a hollow and flanked for most of its length by two ditches. Although this trackway was not recorded in the Four Elms site to the north, the larger of the two Roman enclosures was clearly laid out to respect its alignment. Finds from the deposits sealing the metalling and from the fills of the flanking ditches included sherds of Iron Age and Romano-British pottery 292 Fig. 1 Site location and plan of excavation areas. ARCHAEOLOGICAL NOTES AND SUMMARIES 293 and metalwork. Coins suggest Romano-British activity continued well into the second half of the 4th century ad. Following this, there appears to have been a hiatus of activity, before the landscape was once again settled in the Early/Mid-Saxon period. This activity is associated with organic-tempered pottery, and can probably be broadly dated to the late 6th and 7th centuries. A broad trackway aligned roughly north-west to south-east across Area 2 and into Area 1 was flanked by enclosures, one containing a rectangular structure, whilst two sunkenfeature buildings were also excavated. Charcoal recovered from one of these sunken-feature buildings was submitted for radiocarbon dating, and returned a date of cal. ad 550-650 (1460±30 bp, SUERC 33334). A third sunken-feature building was excavated in Area 3, further to the southeast, possibly within a ditched enclosure. Finds recovered from these features comprise a largely domestic assemblage, with loomweights and ironworking slag pointing to small-scale industry. A series of poorly dated large pits, closely paralleled on the Four Elms site, are thought likely to be contemporary and may have been used as cess pits or rubbish pits. The dispersed settlement of the Early/Mid-Saxon period appears to have shifted to two main foci in the Mid/Late Saxon period – the enclosed settlement with the large timber hall previously excavated on the Four Elms site and an enclosure only partially exposed in Area 3. Whilst no structures were identified within the enclosure itself, the finds recovered from the fills of the enclosure ditch point to a settlement of some status, with a number of silver sceattas, a bracteate die, vessel glass, lava querns and millstones and small quantities of possibly imported pottery hinting at a site exploiting a wide network of trade links. It seems likely that one or both of these sites were directly associated with the management of one of the large Late Saxon estates which later dominated the area. There is little evidence to extend the occupation of either of these Mid/ Late Saxon sites much beyond the ninth century, although a series of later linear features, first identified on the Four Elms site and interpreted as selions or narrow strip fields, continue into Area 2. These are not well dated, although pottery recovered on the Four Elms excavations suggests a date of c.1050-1150. The alignment of the ditches in Area 2, however, suggests that these ditches may flank a shifting trackway rather than narrow fields. The bulk of the post-medieval material recovered was derived from a systematic metal detector survey of the site, and includes 84 items of lead shot, probably for carbines, muskets and small field pieces. Although the origin of this assemblage is not clear, it is thought most likely to relate to field exercises undertaken by the garrison of nearby Upnor Castle. nicholas cooke and rachael seager smith [The full report on this site is published on the KAS website kentarchaeology. ac]