Land North of Church Lane, Carhampton, Somerset - Post-excavation Assessment

Wessex Archaeology

Following archaeological investigations by another party, Wessex Archaeology was commissioned to undertake an archaeological excavation on land north of Church Lane, Carhampton, Somerset (centred on National Grid Reference 300972 142634).

The majority of the archaeological features and deposits included a series of intercutting ditches, which, as well as managing drainage, served to delineate, modify and re-establish tracts of land during the Saxo-Norman, medieval and post-medieval periods.

Domestic and probable craft related activity spanning the medieval period were represented by an oven and associated working area, the remains of a three-sided structure (probably a workshop or shelter), a number of pits and debris found within some ditch fills.

The finds assemblage, whilst fairly small, includes a number of interesting artefacts, including a possible pin beater made of bone and two iron objects resembling either a heckletooth or perhaps leather-working awls. The discovery of an iron stylus is particularly important, as these are generally associated with monastic sites. Most of the pottery assemblage derives from the medieval period, though there are some slightly earlier pieces (10th–12th century) as well as a single Roman and several post-medieval sherds. A moderate assemblage of animal bone, a single human bone and a tooth, and samples of charred plant remains and wood charcoal were also recovered.

The assessment illustrates how the current and potential results might contribute to the
understanding of the development of the village of Carhampton during the Saxo-Norman, medieval and post-medieval periods, how the inhabitants interacted with the landscape, which activities they might have been involved in and what resources they appear to have had access to/chose.