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Summary

A cluster of late bronze Age to early Iron Age settlement features. Only one abraded sherd of early Iron Age pottery was found in the ditch, during trial trenching, when it was deemed insufficient evidence on which to assign a date; however, a late Bronze Age/early Iron Age date was assigned due to the spatial relationship with a similar, securely dated, feature group (HER 2251) found during the subsequent excavation, approximately 200m to the south-west.

Full Description

<1> Albion Archaeology, 2014, Proposed relief road, Arlesey; Archaeological Trial Trenching, p15 (Archaeological Report). SBD12940.

Trench 89 contained two undated ditches. Ditch [8902] contained an abraded pottery body sherd tempered with sand and flint, datable to the early Iron Age. The small size of the sherd precludes positive dating of the feature. However, it attests to the possibility of early Iron Age occupation in the vicinity.

<2> Albion Archaeology, 2023, Relief Road, Land at Chase Farm, East of Arlesey, Bedfordshire; Archaeological Mitigation, p. 17 (Archaeological Report). SBD14311.

Features in this small cluster of activity included:

NW-SE ditch (G5)
This extended from the southern limit of excavation and terminated in the centre of the area. The feature had previously been identified during trial trenching, where it was recorded as [8902]. It had a U-shaped profile and was 0.65m wide and 0.18m deep - similar to the ditches of HER 22751, c. 120m to the south-west, which were of the same period. The small, abraded sherd of early Iron Age pottery which had been recovered from ditch [8902] during the trial trenching had been deemed insufficient evidence for dating purposes; however, the features excavated during the subsequent excavation were assigned to the late Bronze Age/early Iron Age.

Post-built structure (G6)
This was situated next to the north-east side of ditch G5 and comprised seven postholes. The four largest postholes, 0.5 - 1m in diameter, and 0.2 - 0.4m deep, defined a 7.5m square. A cattle skull had been placed on the base of the southernmost posthole, presumably after the structure had been dismantled. A sole interior posthole near the south corner may represent repairs to the structure. A pair of smaller postholes, 0.25m in diameter, extended off the north-east wall, on the same alignment as the structure, slightly offset from the eastern corner.

Other features (G7)
An oval pit and a posthole were located to the south-west of ditch G5. The oval pit had been wrongly identified as a ditch during the trial trenching. Another, isolated, pit was located towards the northern limit of excavation.

Protected Status: None recorded

Monument Type(s):

• BUILDING (Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age - 1000 BC to 401 BC)
• DITCH (Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age - 1000 BC to 401 BC)
• PIT (Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age - 1000 BC to 401 BC)

Associated Finds

• FBD15706 - BODY SHERD (Early Iron Age - 700 BC to 401 BC)

Associated Events

• EBD1684 - Proposed relief road, Arlesey; Archaeological Trial Trenching (Ref: 2014/160)
• EBD2437 - Relief Road, Land at Chase Farm, Arlesey, Bedfordshire; Archaeological Mitigation (Ref: 2023/03)

Sources and Further Reading

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