Excavations at Redhouse, Adwick Le Street, Doncaster

From May 2000 to June 2017, MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) undertook a programme of archaeological excavations and watching briefs atAdwick Le Street, 6.5km to the north-west of Doncaster (South Yorkshire). They revealed evidence for Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman activity.

In the early Bronze Age, there was a single isolated burial monument defined by a ring ditch within which were six similarly shaped pits. One of these pits contained urned cremation burials, one pit contained an unurned cremation burial, two pits contained pottery vessels and two pits did not contain human remains or artefacts. The vast majority of the archaeological evidence was associated with enclosures and fields systems that were probably established during the middle to late Iron Age period and were developed and expanded upon in the Roman period, being utilised until the early 4th century. At least two of the enclosures were established during the Iron Age and a further seven enclosures were created during the Roman period, with the earlier enclosures being incorporated. These enclosures and field ditches were part of an extensive landscape across this area, where a vast array of cropmarks have been plotted, making the Redhouse site just one of many in the landscape. Part of the Roman Road from Lincoln to York, known locally as the Roman Ridge, extended across the eastern part of the area. Enclosures were utilised for both domestic and other functions such as crop processing, stock management and smithing. Features found included a crouched inhumation within a pit which was radiocarbon dated to the middle Iron Age. Several Roman coins including three counterfeits were recovered during excavations. Of note were fragments of coin moulds from one of the Roman enclosure ditches, which makes this one of only about 40 sites that have produced evidence for this activity.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Project background

Location, topography and geology

Historical and archaeological background

Mitigation works

Site phasing

Chapter 2: Neolithic and early Bronze Age

Overview

Ring ditch

Pits

Worked flint by Yvonne Wolframm-Murray

Bronze Age pottery by Blaise Vyner

Stone axe by Andy Chapman

Bronze awl by Blaise Vyner and Tora Hylton

Cremated human remains by Chris Chinnock

Environmental remains by Val Fryer

Radiocarbon dating

Chapter 3: Iron Age and Roman

Overview

Iron Age enclosures and field system

Roman enclosures and field system

The Roman Road by Ian Meadows and Andy Chapman

Late Iron Age/early Roman pottery by Chris Cumberpatch

Roman pottery by Ruth Leary

The Samian pottery by Felicity Wild

Post-Roman pottery by Chris Cumberpatch

The querns by Andy Chapman

Coins and coin moulds by Richard Brickstock

Non-destructive chemical and microscopic analysis of the coins and counterfeit coins by Sreelakshmi Sajeevukumar Nair and Nathaniel L. Erb-Satullo

Small finds by Tora Hylton with contributions by Ian Meadows and Don Mackreth

Human remains by Chris Chinnock

Animal bone by Rebecca Gordon

Environmental remains by Val Fryer, Matt Law and Robin Putland

Radiocarbon dating

Chapter 4: Discussion

Bronze Age funerary activity

Iron Age crouched inhumation

Iron Age and Roman field systems and enclosures

Summary

Bibliography

,

Chapter 1: Introduction

Project background

Location, topography and geology

Historical and archaeological background

Mitigation works

Site phasing

Chapter 2: Neolithic and early Bronze Age

Overview

Ring ditch

Pits

Worked flint by Yvonne Wolframm-Murray

Bronze Age pottery by Blaise Vyner

Stone axe by Andy Chapman

Bronze awl by Blaise Vyner and Tora Hylton

Cremated human remains by Chris Chinnock

Environmental remains by Val Fryer

Radiocarbon dating

Chapter 3: Iron Age and Roman

Overview

Iron Age enclosures and field system

Roman enclosures and field system

The Roman Road by Ian Meadows and Andy Chapman

Late Iron Age/early Roman pottery by Chris Cumberpatch

Roman pottery by Ruth Leary

The Samian pottery by Felicity Wild

Post-Roman pottery by Chris Cumberpatch

The querns by Andy Chapman

Coins and coin moulds by Richard Brickstock

Non-destructive chemical and microscopic analysis of the coins and counterfeit coins by Sreelakshmi Sajeevukumar Nair and Nathaniel L. Erb-Satullo

Small finds by Tora Hylton with contributions by Ian Meadows and Don Mackreth

Human remains by Chris Chinnock

Animal bone by Rebecca Gordon

Environmental remains by Val Fryer, Matt Law and Robin Putland

Radiocarbon dating

Chapter 4: Discussion

Bronze Age funerary activity

Iron Age crouched inhumation

Iron Age and Roman field systems and enclosures

Summary

Bibliography

• By (author) Tracy Preece