Welby Solar Farm, Grantham, Lincolnshire: Archaeological Evaluation

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned to undertake the archaeological evaluation of a 68.5 ha parcel of land located at Welby Pastures, Welby, Lincolnshire. The evaluation comprised the excavation, investigation and recording of 115 trial trenches (each measuring 50 m by 1.8 m and equating to a 1.5% sample of the proposed development area). Archaeological remains dating to two principal phases: the Late Iron Age to early Romano-British period, and early to mid-Romano-British period, are present across the site, apart from Field 8 in its south-east corner. The features correlate well with the six areas of settlement outlined in an earlier geophysical survey. Pottery evidence suggests that the settlement areas in Fields 1, 3, 4 and 7 are Late Iron Age to early Romano-British in date and possibly represent dispersed farmsteads. Animal bone remains suggests that livestock comprising sheep/goat and cattle were being kept, while environmental evidence indicates the cultivation of wheat and barley. Evidence of human burial was found in a pit in Field 4, where the remains of an adult and young infant were recovered. No datable artefacts were recovered from the pit, although the feature was likely to be contemporary with the other activity nearby, to judge by parallels from other sites. Pottery evidence from features in Fields 2 and 5 suggest the areas of settlement in these fields were early to mid-Romano-British in date. The absence of any Iron Age material, along with a more regular field pattern in Fields 2 and 5, compared to the Iron Age enclosures visible in the geophysical survey results elsewhere on the site, indicates a phase of expansion and land reorganisation in the late 1st to early 2nd century AD. This is potentially a response to an increased demand in production, access to better transport links (Ermine Street), and availability of new markets that followed the Roman occupation.