6 The Street, Liddington, Wiltshire - Archaeological Excavation Report

Wessex Archaeology

The earliest trace of activity within the site was provided by a small amount of worked flint of probable Neolithic or Bronze Age date, which was recovered from secondary depositional contexts. The earliest significant phase of activity however, was evidenced by a relatively large, re-cut Iron Age ditch, which had been recorded during an earlier evaluation. The excavation also revealed additional features forming the continuation of the early Romano-British coaxial field system, also identified earlier.

The remainder of the archaeological features encountered during the excavation were shallow ditches and gullies of predominantly medieval date. Although these features could not be precisely dated, they appeared to represent at least two phases of land division and/or drainage associated with agricultural activity on the periphery of medieval Liddington. A considerably larger medieval ditch revealed in the southern part of the site may have fulfilled some other purpose, perhaps as a boundary, rather than a drainage/field system ditch.