Excavation of Roman Settlement at Tiddington, 1980

1 A magnetometer survey was undertaken in 1979 and produced evidence for a large rectangular enclosure within which was a complex of features.
2 1980. Trial trenching, followed by a major excavation. Four areas were opened; one was within the enclosure where trial trenching had located a stone walled building, one covered an area of rubbish pits, the other two covered field systems and burials. After this a large area was stripped. Iron Age (PRN 5554) and Roman features were found. The Roman settlement seems to have come into existence in the 1st century alongside a Roman road on the site of the Tiddington Road. 1st century features consisting of rubbish pits and gullies were confined to the N area of the site. In the 2nd century the settlement expanded. A roadway ran E from site with rubbish pits beside it and buildings appear in the N part of the site. Pits and wells are associated. Occupation continued in the 3rd century and two corn dryers are probably of this period. In the mid 4th century a large ditch was dug around the built-up area. This was 3-7m wide and 1-2m deep. Timber buildings and a stone-aisled building are of this date. Most of the buildings were timber and thatch. Fragments of box tile, a crude column base, and a rough moulded plinth indicate more substantial buildings. Finds included brooches, bronze implements, 65 coins, querns. Samian formed 5% of the pottery.
3 Plan.
5 A miniature bronze axe found.
6 Report on slag recovered from the excavations; extensive evidence was recorded for iron smithing activity. Contraty to what was published on the site in the 1930s, there was no evidence for Iron smelting. The slag might have been the byproduct of two or more smithies working over a period of several hundred years. The location of the smithies could not be determined.
7 Examination of several samples of possible metalworking waste; the vast majority of the material consisted of several dribbles of copper-alloy, with some leaded examples.