ENN111245 - Titchmarsh Lodge Solar Farm, 2023 (Trial trench)

The earliest features comprised ditches and pits dated to the Late Iron Age/early Romano-British period, largely located in the south-western part of the site, with outliers to the north and east. Finds of Late Iron Age/early Romano-British pottery and animal bone were recovered from the ditch and pits fills, as well as fragments of fired clay, a quern stone, and a fragment of human bone. The ditches aligned well with anomalies outlined on the geophysical survey, forming the boundaries of potential enclosures. A second concentration of activity lay in the north-west of the site. A densely populated and complex area of archaeological remains was lightly sampled in order to retain the integrity of the remains. The ditches that were excavated yielded middle/late Romano-British pottery dating between the 2nd and 4th centuries, as well as a small amount of animal bone. The features that were uncovered also corresponded with anomalies outlined in the geophysical survey. Two field boundaries that have been illustrated on 19th-century maps were uncovered towards the south-east and centre of the evaluation area. Medieval/post-medieval furrows were also identified across the site.