All publications listed are available for purchase from Wessex Archaeology, at the cost shown, this is inclusive of postage and packing. Many of the publications can also be purchased from Oxbow Books. Free copies are whilst stocks last, and are available to UK addresses only.

The Archaeology of the M6 Toll 2000-2003

by Andrew B. Powell, Paul Booth, A.P. Fitzpatrick and A.D. Crockett

Available April 2008

ISBN 978-1874350-1-6 £30

In late 2000, during one of the wettest winter on record, Oxford Wessex Archaeology were commissioned by the construction consortium CAMBBA, on behalf of Midland Expressway Limited, to carry out the archaeological works associated with the construction of the new 44km M6 Toll motorway.

The main phase of work was carried out during 2001, and by 2003 all investigations were complete, revealing 41 separate sites.

Remains includied Mesolithic flint scatters, isolated Neolithic pits and hollows, Bronze Age burnt mounds and Iron Age settlement enclosures. The Romano-British period was dominated by settlement and burials concentrated around Wall (Letocetum), Ryknield Street and Watling Street, whilst the Anglo-Saxons were notable by their absence from the results. Evidence for medieval settlement and agriculture was recorded at many sites, and in particular a Knights Templar fishpond complex at Wishaw. More recent standing structures were also recorded, including the northern dam for Hatherton Reservoir, Churchbridge Railway and Accommodation bridges and sections through the Cannock Extension and Wyrley and Essington Canals, vital elements of the post-medieval industrial heritage of the region.

 

Suburban Life in Roman Durnovaria: Excavations at the Former County Hospital Site, Dorchester, Dorset 2000-2001

by Mike Trevarthen

Available May 2008

ISBN 978-1874350 £4.95

Excavations at the former County Hospital site, Dorchester have provided a rare opportunity to examine a reasonably large area of the south-western corner of the Roman town of Durnovaria. Evidence for a series of buildings, including a late Roman town house complete with fine mosaics, was recovered as well as working areas and probable barns. A wide range of largely domestic objects and evidence for local produce was recovered as well as important evidence for allec or fish sauce and for imported wine or vine fruits, olive oil, grain and lentils. The results of the excavations are presented here in an easy to read format accompanied by many colour photographs and illustrations. Technical reports will be available on Wessex Archaeology’s website.

 

From Hunter Gatherers to Huntsmen - A History of the Stansted Landscape

by Framework Archaeology

Published February 2008

ISBN 978-0-9554519-1-1 £20

The expansion of Stansted Airport provided an opportunity to investigate a large area of clay plateau, typical of the north-west Essex landscape. The area was a focus for hunter-gatherer activity as early as the Palaeolithic period, and was first settled by small farming communities in the Middle Bronze Age. From the Middle Iron Age onwards, increasing settlement and population density led to the enclosure of the landscape. Farming and settlement concentrated on the more fertile river valleys and the slopes of the heavily wooded plateau.

The Romano-British period saw a decline in the rural population, whilst increasing agricultural intensification led to the first systematic farming of the clay plateau. Woodland regeneration in the post-Romano-British period is clearly demonstrated in documentary sources. Indeed, much of the history of the Saxon and medieval settlement of the area concerns the relationship between agricultural expansion and the surrounding woodland, whilst deer parks such as Stansted Park allowed landowners to demonstrate their mastery of the landscape and its wildlife.

This book, along with its accompanying CD-ROM, presents the results of these excavations, allowing the reader to explore both broader historical themes and the minutiae of individual sites, features and finds. The results of earlier work in the area are integrated, providing a coherent historical narrative of human inhabitation.

 

The 18th Century Baptist Chapel and Burial Ground at West Butts Street, Poole

by Jacqueline I. McKinley

Published March 2008

ISBN 978-1874350-45-3 £9.95

An intact, 18th century Baptist burial ground was excavated in Poole, Dorset. The West Butts Street congregation was established in 1735 by 15 named members but dwindled in the 1780s. The chapel was demolished but the burial ground subsequently served a second Baptist community, Hill Street, founded in 1804, until their own church was built in 1813. Documentary research gathered a wealth of information regarding the town, its population and economic status, and the growth and spread of Nonconformity and the Baptist movement. Osteological analysis of 100 individuals has enabled some aspects of the lives of the cemetery’s population to be gleaned.

 

Iron Age and Romano-British Settlements and Landscapes of Salisbury Plain

by M.G. Fulford, A.B. Powell, R. Entwistle and F. Raymond

December 2006: Report 20

ISBN: 978-1-874350-42-2 £28

This volume presents the results of a series of fieldwalking surveys and excavations of Iron Age and Romano-British sites in two areas of the Salisbury Plain Training Area. Altogether some 18 new settlement sites were discovered of which 13 were Romano-British, three were predominantly Iron Age, and two produced evidence of Middle-Late Bronze Age occupation. Small-scale excavation was undertaken at eight enclosures and field systems, accompanied by targeted environmental sampling.An increase in enclosure through to the later Iron Age was revealed, when there was evidence for settlement abandonment followed by a further development of unenclosed settlement and the emergence of nucleated villages such as Chisenbury Warren in the Late Iron Age and through the Romano-British period.

Hardback A4, 248pp, 81 b/w illustrations and halftones

 

By a Crystal Brook: early riverside settlement and a medieval chapel at Sutton Poyntz, Dorset

by Mick Rawlings

ISBN: 978-1-874350-42-2 £9.95

This report describes the results of several stages of archaeological work resulting from plans to construct a new water treatment plant utilising the springhead of the River Jordan at Sutton Poyntz, a village at the foot of the chalk scarp near Weymouth, Dorset. Human activity in the area, since at least Mesolithic times, has focused on the river. Its post-medieval history revolved around its water mills. Evidence for an Early Iron Age settlement and Romano-British activity, including an infant burial were recorded, partly beneath a thick colluvial deposit. A rectangular, stone-founded building has been identified as a 13th-14th century chapel. probably belonging to the Poyntz family estate.

Paperback A4, 96pp, 40 b/w illustrations and halftones

 

Stealing away Like Time: archaeology and the River Jordan

by Andrew B. Powell

ISBN: 978-1-874350-43-9 £4.95

Stealing Away Time - front cover This colourful 16 page booklet tells the story of the River Jordan, which rises at the base of the Dorset chalk and meanders through the secluded village of Sutton Poyntz on its brief course to the sea. The history of settlement in the valley, from at least the Mesolithic through to the present day, has revolved around the river. The earlier settlements, and a medieval chapel, have recently been brought to light by archaeological excavation on the site of a new water pumping station (published in full in By a Crystal Brook, also available from Wessex Archaeology.

 

Charter Quay: The Spirit of Change

The Archaeology of Kingston’s Riverside

by The Trust for Wessex Archaeology Ltd.

Published 2003

ISBN: 1-874350-38-8 £FREE +£2.50 P&P

The Charter Quay development in Kingston upon Thames occupies much of the heart of the historic town. Before construction began, archaeologists excavating the site uncovered the essential elements of the town's growth over 900 years; its urban planning, its market place businesses, shops and inns, the early industrial estate south of the Hogsmill, and the riverside wharves essential for its burgeoning trade.

 

Excavations at Billingborough, Lincolnshire, 1975-8: A Bronze Age - Iron Age Settlement and Salt-working Site

by P. Chowne, R.M.J. Cleal and A.P. Fitzpatrick with P. Andrews

Published 2001

ISBN: 1-874350-32-9 £11.50

Extensive excavations on the fen margin at Billingborough revealed archaeological remains of considerable regional importance. A Middle Bronze Age enclosure is one of the most extensively excavated enclosures of its type in East Anglia. Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age salt-making debris represents one of the earliest and most substantial assemblages of such material in the area. The results have led to the creation of a pottery sequence for the Bronze Age and Iron Age periods in the region.

 

Excavations at Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight, 1921-1996

by C.J. Young

Published 2000: Report 18

ISBN: 1-874350-27-2 £5 (was £23.50)

A series of excavations, watching briefs and other interventions have shed new light on the history and archaeology of the only medieval fortification on the Isle of Wight. The earliest use of the hilltop was for a 6th century Saxon cemetery, followed by settlement and timber fortification in the late Saxon period. A motte and bailey replaced an earthen Norman castle in the 12th century and the castle saw repeated episodes of building and embellishment up to the 17th century. The excavations have produced good stratified sequences of medieval and post-medieval artefacts, particularly pottery, and revealed a range of domestic and other buildings.

 

Potterne 1982-5: Animal Husbandry in Later Prehistoric Wiltshire

by Andrew J. Lawson

 

Published 2000: Report 17

ISBN: 1-874350-28-0 £5 (was £30)

For half a millennium, successive generations of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age farmers maintained their animals at the same site at Potterne. The evidence comprises a dark man-made soil, rich in artefacts, domestic and industrial waste, forming a colossal mound 3.5 ha in extent and up to 2 m thick. Exploratory excavations have led to the definition of what was a previously unrecognised phenomenon. The progressive accumulation of a vast quantity of material has necessitated a consideration of the role of farming, especially cattle husbandry, in the later prehistoric society of southern Britain.

 

Excavations in Newbury, Berkshire, 1979-1990

by A.G. Vince, S.J. Lobb, J.C. Richards and Lorraine Mepham

Published 1997: Report 13

 

ISBN: 1-874350-21-3 £FREE +£2.50 P&P

Between 1979 and 1990 archaeological works were carried out in response to increasing redevelopment in the centre of Newbury. The broad objective was to determine the origins and development of medieval settlement in the historic town centre. Works revealed that burgage plots on Bartholomew and Cheap Streets had been occupied from the 11th century, confirming that this was part of the original town.

 

Archaeological Excavations on the route of the A27 Westhampnett Bypass, West Sussex, 1992

Volume 2: the Late Iron Age, Romano-British, and Anglo-Saxon cemeteries

by A.P. Fitzpatrick

Published 1997: Report 12

ISBN: 1-874350-20-5 £5 (reduced!)

Five excavations were undertaken in advance of the construction of the A27 Westhampnett Bypass, near Chichester, West Sussex. These revealed a Late Iron Age religious site which contained over 160 cremation burials, a Romano-British cremation cemetery with a further 36 burials and an Anglo-Saxon cemetery with 10 inhumation graves.

 

Archaeological Survey of the Lower Kennet Valley, Berkshire

by S.J. Lobb and P.G. Rose

Published 1996: Report 9

ISBN: 1-874350-14-0 £FREE +£2.50 P&P

 

Through aerial photography, documentary sources and field walking, each survey studied the archaeological potential of areas of mixed geology, in order to asses the potential of each topographic zone within its context. The methods themselves are also assessed and discussed. The Survey has confirmed the considerable human impact on the landscape of the Kennet Valley and also the potential remaining within the zones that are as yet little explored or exploited.

 

Excavations on Reading Waterfront Sites, 1979-1988

by John W. Hawkes and P.J. Fasham

Published 1997: Report 5

ISBN: 1-874350-09-8 £FREE +£2.50 P&P

The growth of Reading in the medieval period was due largely to the influence of the Abbey. The waterfront zone, between the Holy Brook and the Kennet, lay at the heart of the development. A series of excvations and observations during major redevelopment of the town centre produced substantial evidence for the construction, repeated refurbishment and use of waterfront structures spanning the medieval period. A period of near abandonment seems to have followed the Dissolution. The recovery of over 100 timbers has allowed for detailed dendrochronological study and the artefact assemblages chart the varied industrial and commercial functions of the waterfronts.