Bishop's Stortford North, Secondary School

Between 12th October and 18th December 2020 Oxford Archaeology carried out an archaeological excavation on land north of the A120, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. A total of 2.65ha in two separate areas (Areas 1 and 2) was machine stripped to investigate areas of interest identified in the earlier evaluation phase of the investigation. Early land-use was evident from residual Neolithic/BA flints and Late Bronze Age/Early Iron and Middle Iron Age pottery in several later features. One Middle Iron Age pit was identified in Area 1. The main periods of activity identified in Area 1 dated to the transitional Late Iron Age to Romano-British and later Roman periods. This activity consisted of a Late Iron Age to Early Roman-British farmstead which commenced with a sub-circular example in the west of Area 1, with a series of rectangular enclosures added to its north-east and eastern side. Internal ditches and pits primarily lay within the sub-circular enclosure which also contained a post-built structure in its south-western corner, presumably of a domestic purpose. Later Roman activity (2nd century onwards) saw a shift included larger waterholes on the northern and southern edges of the rectangular enclosures to the east which truncated the earlier ditches. Large spreads of midden material, a small rectangular enclosure and a poorly preserved 4th century burial also belong to this period. This appears to be part of a shift in emphasis from domestic activity to livestock management, with the domestic core shifting elsewhere, possibly to the higher status site identified at Wickham Hall to the west. A single grave radiocarbon dated to the late 4th century was located within the abandoned sub-circular enclosure. Graves goods included a Romano-Saxon Hadham ware jar with incised dot decoration. This possibly relates to the skull recovered during the evaluation. Area 2 contained six post-medieval ditches and ten pits. A very large feature, possibly representing a watering hole, extended across most of this area. Artefactual evidence included a large assemblage of Late Iron Age to Roman pottery with smaller quantities of earlier and post-medieval material. Fragments of both Bronze Age and Iron Age loom weights, multiple querns (several having been reused as whetstones), spindle-whorls, animal bone and tile were also recovered. Metalwork included five copper-alloy brooches of early 1st century date, two copper-alloy coins of the 3rd and 4th centuries and iron objects including over thirty handmade nails., five hobnails and possible parts of harnesses, as well as structural or furniture fittings.