EDO451 - Pinford Lane Roman settlement, Castleton; excavations 1950-58

C E Bean conducted excavations at the Roman and late Iron Age settlement, Pinford Lane over several seasons. The exact dates have not been recorded but it seems likely that excavations took place under his direction from at least 1950 until 1958. Bean mentions trial trenches and trial holes excavated at Pinford Lane in an interim report published in the PDNHAS in 1950 but does not say when they were dug. He may be referring to excavations by E A Rawlence during ?1933 or to his own excavations in and prior to 1950. He mentions pottery and coins from the late Iron Age (1st century AD) to the late Roman period. The Roman remains were covered with 15 inches of clay, which suggested to Bean that the site reverted to marsh in the post-Roman period. He also notes that medieval material occurs together with Roman at the foot of the hills around the site (1). Bean conducted further excavations on this site during 1955, after the presence of walls had been suggested by parch marks in the dry summer of that year. ‘A cobbled floor with late Roman sherds on it was found 8 ins. below the turf, and when it was lifted the angle of a wall foundation, 3 feet wide, was disclosed beneath it.’ Samian ware was found below these foundations. More cobbling was discovered with an adjacent wall was discovered nearer Pinford Lane. Coins, pottery and Lias roof slates were found in two distinct layers above the cobbling. Furthermore, an area of burning was interpreted as a corn drying oven on top of the cobbled surface. This wall did not continue south of the lane in ‘Long Plantation’ although another cobbled area with a wall at right angle to the other was excavated. A small pit at the west end of the cobbling contained a 2nd century brooch and Samian ware. Later Roman pottery was found in the layers above. Test pits suggested that this area south of Pinford Lane extended for c. 100 feet E-W. More cobbling and the presence of small buildings was suggested by a trial pit approximately 200 yards to the west in an area of the plantation where pottery had been thrown up by rabbits. The area of the known settlement now extends for 750 yards E-W and 250 yards N-S. Mr. Bean suggests it may be a valleyward extension of the 1st century occupation at the foot of the hill to the south (2). Bean continued his investigations at Pinford Lane in 1956, through the excavation of a long trench which he subsequently cut at right angles with a further series of cross trenches. This revealed a N-S aligned rectangular building [building1] constructed of coursed ashlar blocks laid on top of a 2 inch layer of yellow mortar. The building measured approximately 54 feet 6 inches long and 23 feet wide, although the southern end had been destroyed by a later ditch, possibly associated with post-medieval water meadows. A floor of laid and worn stones lay just below the turf line and seemed to post-date the demolition of the building. This floor had New Forest ware sherds and 4th century coins on it. Two earlier floors of worn local stone were found beneath, the uppermost of which appeared to be contemporary with building 1. Two coins of Constantine I were found on this floor, these and other finds suggest a late 3rd century date for the construction of building 1. External and adjacent to the destroyed south wall was a 15 inch thick layer of compacted stones interpreted as a roadway and outside the east wall a cobbled yard area extended into the adjoining field. A large number of lias roof slates overlay this surface, associated with the final collapse of the building. The walls of this building cut through an earlier clay floor laid on natural gravel and on a different alignment to building 1. Evidence for any walls associated with this floor appeared to have been destroyed. It is possible however that a ditch north of building 1 may have been for a sleeper wall. This ditch contained Samian ware, 2nd century pottery, five bronze brooches and an infant burial. The clay floor contained 1st century pottery in its make-up. Three post-holes cut into it contained large lumps of iron slag and the clay was burnt in the vicinity and a contemporary cobble surface lay to the north. The E-W aligned south wall of a second building [building 2]lay 8 feet to the NE of building 1. Building 2 appeared to measure approximately 48 feet by 23 feet with the south wall continuing eastwards from the SE angle, possibly as a boundary wall. The foundations comprised diagonally pitched stones set in gravely mortar, the stones had been completely robbed in places leaving the mortar as the only evidence for the line of the walls. It was of similar size and character to building 1 and may be of similar date. The majority of coins found in this season of excavation were of 3rd-4th century date. Domestic items were also found including glass vessels, spindle whorl, bone needles and pins, tweezers, hobnails and querns. As a result of several seasons work the site appears to span the 1st to 4th centuries with a range of timber and stone buildings arranged along both sites of a metalled street, with a high status building at the western end (3). Bean continued excavations at Pinford Lane Roman settlement during 1957 and 1958. In 1957 excavations in ‘Long Plantation’ (ST 65371692) uncovered several walls with cobbling between them. Early Roman domestic material was found on the cobbling, including Samian ware, brooches and bracelets. A T-shaped corn drying oven was also found in the SE corner of this building in an earlier excavation. Cobbling and walling seemed to continue under Pinford Lane to the north and westwards as far as the boundary wall of the plantation. Further cobbling and buildings also exist c. 280 ft to the east. The upper layers in these trenches contained 3rd-4th century pottery mixed with 13th-14th century pottery. The latter may date the robbing of the walls of this settlement, major works were being carried out at the castle by Henry III around 1224. More buildings with cobble floor exist to the west, bounded on their west side by a ditch. ‘This site produced a silver coin of the Durotiges in the 1933 excavation, with a coin of Nero and nearby a tinned or silvered bronze brooch.’ Also in 1957, the Southern Gas Board laid a gas main along the entire length of Pinford Lane, damaging many unrecorded buildings. The trench demonstrated that the settlement continued further west than previously thought and it may be that other buildings have been covered by the construction of pleasure grounds at ST 65031685. In 1958 trenches were excavated at ST 65431705 in order to further examine the extent of structures investigated in 1956. a 4th century wall was traced for 35 feet south from the field ditch and probably continued north into an adjacent field. This had been laid on top of an earlier cobbled floor, probably of a 2nd century building whose walls had been completely robbed. This floor lay above another earlier one, probably of a 1st-2nd century rectangular timber building, which lay directly on the clayey subsoil. The excavations suggest that Pinford Lane is the site of a small Roman town or village rather than a single establishment (4).