Page 90 THE EXCAVATIONS 92 EARLIER PREHISTORIC ACTIVITY 104 THE IRON AGE SETTLEMENT 104 LATE IRON AGE AND ROMANO-BRITISH SETTLEMENT 117 MEDIEVAL AND LATER ACTIVITY 124 THE FINDS 124 APPENDIX: INDEX TO MICROFICHE 133 The report on partial rescue excavations of the Collfryn enclosure between 1980-81 presents a summary of the first large-scale investigation of one of the numerous semi-defensive cropmark and earthwork enclosure sites in the upper Severn valley in mid-Wales. Earlier prehistoric activity of an ephemeral nature is represented by a scattering of Mesolithic and Late Neolithic or early Bronze Age flintwork, and by a pit containing sherds of several different Beaker vessels. The first enclosed settlement, constructed in about the 3rd century be probably consisted of three widely-spaced concentric ditches, associated with banks of simple dump construction, having a single gated entranceway on the downhill side. It covered an area of about 2.5 ha and appears to have been of a relatively high social status, and appropriate in size for a single extended-family group. This was subsequently reduced in about the ist century be to a double-ditched enclosure, by the recutting of the original inner ditch and the cutting of a new ditch immediately outside it. The habitation area between the 3 rd and ist centuries be probably focused on timber buildings in the central enclosure of about 0.4 ha, whose gradually evolving pattern appears to have comprised between 3-4 roundhouses and 4-5 four-posters at any one time. Little excavation was undertaken between the outer ditches of the first phase settlement, but these are assumed to have been used as stock enclosures. A mixed 1 The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust, 7a Church Street, Welshpool, Powys, SYii 7DL 89 THE PREHISTORIC SOCIETY farming economy is suggested by cattle, sheep/goat and pig remains, and remains of glume wheats, barley and oats. Industries included small-scale iron and bronze-working. The Iron Age settlement was essentially aceramic, although there are significant quantities of a coarse, oxidized ceramic probably representing salt traded from production centres in the Cheshire Plain. The entranceway was remodelled in about the late ist or early 2nd, century AD by means of a timber-lined passage linked to a new gate on the line of the inner bank. There is equivocal evidence of continued occupation within the inner enclosure continuing until at least the mid-^th century AD, possibly at a comparatively low social level, associated with domestic structures of uncertain form sited on earlier roundhouse platforms, and including some four-posters and possible six-posters. Drainage ditches were dug across parts of the site during the Medieval and post-Medieval periods, which were associated with various structures, including a corn-drying kiln inserted into the inner enclosure bank in the 15th century.
Supposed Roman Fort at Discoed, Powys. Jenny Britnell writes: The identification of a Roman auxiliary fort at Maes-Treylow Farm, Discoed in Radnorshire (SO 268653) w a s reported by Professor St. Joseph in 1969; 13 a description by the same author was included in The Roman Frontier in Wales, li and there are several excellent aerial photographs of the earthworks in the collections of the Cambridge University Committee for Aerial Photography. 15 During 1978 an application was made for the construction of a silage pit alongside the existing farm buildings within the area scheduled in 1976 as a Roman fort. Surface examination of the earthworks in late 1978 had thrown doubt on their interpretation as the remains of a fort, and it was thought prudent to put it to the test in an exploratory cutting across the best-marked length of the eastern 'bank and ditch' before committing comparatively large sums of money to the excavation of the area affected by the proposed building-works. The trial work was carried out by a small team, at some speed and in intermittently severe weather conditions, during February 1979. No evidence was recovered for the existence of Roman defences, and plans for more extensive excavations in advance of building operations were therefore cancelled. In his notes in The Roman Frontier in Wales Professor St. Joseph described the earthwork remains of the suspected fort as comprising 'a low mound reduced by former ploughing which defines much of the north and the whole of the east sides of a rectangular enclosure'. The likely line of a south rampart was thought to be obscured by an open leat, while a roadside hedge 'stands, in all probability, just outside the rampart-line'; 'westwards a road (B4357), a house and farm buildings have effectively obscured all surface remains'. Within these bounds lies the area now scheduled as a fort (fields A and B in FIG. 1, plan). St. Joseph mentions, too, a slight depression about midway along the east rampart which, he thought, might indicate an entrance. Cambridge University photograph BPG 72 (PL. XVIIIB) shows the earthworks particularly well: further banks can be seen to the north and east of the possible fort, as can the remains of west-east ridgeand-furrow ploughing within its southern half. In only one case does a ridge cross the 'fort' bank, at the east side of field B where a pronounced ridge appears to turn through a right-angle. This side of field B is itself linked to one of the west-east ridges. Examination on the ground reveals slighter remains of more ridge-and-furrow running north-south, but not showing on the aerial photograph, within field A. Thus the area of the supposed Roman fort seems really to be a conflation of at least two smaller enclosures, each with its own northern and eastern boundaries and rounded northeast corner surviving as earthworks. To the north, on ground sloping in places quite steeply down to the Cascob Brook, is another, larger enclosure, 16 again with surviving remains of northern and eastern banks and a rounded northeast co...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.