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Summary

Site of possible corn dryer, Winham Farm, Cullompton.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CORN DRYING OVEN (III to IV - 201 AD to 400 AD (Between))

Full description

Riley, R., 2014, Winham Farm, Cullompton, Devon: Archaeological Evaluation (Report - Evaluation). SDV357640.

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in May 2014 at Winham Farm, Cullompton, Devon. A total of six trenches was excavated. Evidence was found for early prehistoric activity in the form of two ring ditches and a ditch in the central part of the Area of Archaeological Sensitivity. A circular, vertically-sided pit immediately adjacent to the ditch was undated but may be broadly contemporary with the earlier prehistoric activity. A co-axial field system and a possible drying oven were identified in the western part of the area and produced finds broadly dating to the late Roman period. A small group of features dating to the post-medieval period were identified in the southwestern corner of the area and probably relate to agricultural activity.

Large, oval pit 105 was exposed towards the south-western end of Trench 1 and corresponded to an anomaly on the geophysical survey (Fig. 2). It measured 2.34 metres in width and 0.63 metres in depth and had an asymmetrical profile; the south-western side was nearly vertical, while the north-eastern side had a shallow slope breaking in to a near vertical slope towards a flat base (Fig. 4, section AA). A sherd of pottery broadly dating to the Roman period was recovered from primary fill 104, a black charcoal-rich deposit. A bulk sample was recovered from this fill for palaeoenvironmental analysis. The sample contained charred cereal remains dominated by spelt wheat and emmer/spelt cereal grains and including barley, emmer wheat and oat cereal grains but notably an absence of chaff. The pit was orientated north-east/south-west, possibly to allow the prevailing wind to assist a fire
in the south-western end of the feature, and it may represent the truncated remains of a drying oven. However, it should be noted that there was no evidence for in situ scorching/heating of the natural substrate and it is possible that the charcoal-rich deposit was derived from elsewhere. Burnt flint and chert fragments were also retrieved from the bulk sample and these are considered to be residual. A rimsherd from a mortarium dating to the late 3rd to mid 4th centuries AD and a residual worked flint were recovered from stoney upper fill 103.

Busby, P., 2017, Winham Farm, Cullompton: Archaeological Excavation (Report - Excavation). SDV361601.

An archaeological excavation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology between November 2015 and January 2016 during groundworks associated with the construction of a solar farm at Winham Farm, Cullompton, Devon. The archaeological works identified a substantial number of archaeological features corresponding with anomalies detected by geophysical survey, and confirmed the results of the preceding evaluation.

A possible corn drying oven, 8011 (previously identified as pit 105), was located at the eastern end of the trench. It corresponded to an anomaly on the geophysical survey, and had been excavated
during the evaluation (CA 2014, paragraph 2.4, corn drying oven 105). A similar feature, possible corn drying oven 8002 (see MDV123535), was identified in the central part of the trench.

The large plant assemblage recovered from lower fill 104 (sample 2) of corn dryer 105 was dominated by cereal remains, with grains representing c. 85% of the assemblage and chaff elements c. 3% of the assemblage. The cereal remains included high numbers of grains of hulled wheat, some of which were identifiable as being those of spelt wheat, free-threshing wheat (Triticum turgidum/aestivum type) and barley. A few of the hulled wheat grains showed traces of germination.

These assemblages are likely to be representative of material from the use of the corn dryers. Corn dryers are thought to have been used for a variety of functions during the Romano-British period (van der Veen 1989). There is no clear evidence from the environmental remains recovered that these particular corn dryers had been used during the malting process and brewing. It appears likely that these assemblages are indicative of material from the drying of grain, which had already been processed by winnowing, threshing and some sieving. The mixture of grains recovered from corn dryer 105 may be indicative of the crops being grown together in a maslin.

Although free-threshing wheat became the predominant wheat in Southern Britain during the Saxon period (Greig 1991) and is more typically recovered in assemblages of Saxon or later date, it has been recorded in significant numbers together with spelt wheat in other late Romano-British assemblages.

The range of other species within the assemblages is indicative of a number of different soil types being exploited for crop production in the area. A number of species, such as common/long-headed poppy, ribwort plantain and common fumitory, favour lighter drier calcareous soils, whereas other species, such as sheep’s sorrel, runch and broom/gorse, are typical of sandier more acidic soils. Fat-hen can be indicative of nitrogen rich soils. The presence of a number species which twine around the crop, such as black bindweed, and those which grow close to the ground, such as knotgrass, may be indicative of the crops having been harvested low down by sickle.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6646 - Archaeological Evaluation at Winham Farm, Cullompton (Ref: 4871)
• EDV7631 - Excavation: Winham Farm, Cullompton (Ref: 16251)

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