Archaeologists from Cotswold Archaeology have revealed the remains of a previously unknown rural settlement on the western edge of Fordingbridge, Hampshire, England. The excavation, ahead of a housing development by CALA Homes, has revealed more than 2,000 archaeological features across 0.84 hectares of a river terrace above Allen Brook and its tributaries. The site lies outside the New Forest National Park and has yielded evidence of domestic life, economic activity, and evolving land use between the Late Iron Age and Roman periods.

Excavation of an oven at Fordingbridge. Credit: Cotswold Archaeology

Perhaps the greatest discovery is a cluster of at least 15 roundhouses, each approximately 13 meters in diameter. These houses, constructed during the Late Iron Age and Early Roman period, feature mainly east- or southeast-facing entrances, with some showing traces of porches. Some of these buildings overlapped one another, indicating a long history of continued occupation with rebuilding over the centuries. All this, coupled with the occurrence of trackways, ovens, and enclosure ditches, suggests that the settlement was not only stable but also growing over the centuries.

Evidence of everyday domestic life is plentiful. Scores of fragments of quern stones, employed for grinding grain, were uncovered, testifying to cereal processing within the settlement. One such outstanding discovery was a whole rotary quern stone composed of green sandstone, the material most likely imported from a recognized production center in SusSєx.

Ruth Shaffery, a stone expert with Cotswold Archaeology, pointed out the rarity of such discoveries: “Complete querns are incredibly rare, with only some 1% found intact. This quern had a long and well-used life, probably serving first as a bottom stone, before being adapted and reused as a top stone. On the thicker side, a slot had been carved to fit a wooden handle, and both surfaces show wear from grinding,” she explained.

Drone pH๏τo showing the roundhouses. Credit: Cotswold Archaeology

In addition to grain processing, fired clay spindle whorls and likely loom weights were found by archaeologists, hinting that textile production was also a part of the domestic economy of the settlement.

With the growth of the settlement into the Middle to Late Roman period, there is evidence for a shift in its function from largely domestic to more industrial activities. The site was reorganized, with new ditches and paths. Finds from the later occupation include a crucible, testifying to metalworking, and large quanтιтies of fired clay, misfired pottery—so-called “wasters”—and burnt flint, all suggestive of on-site ceramic production. In one especially telling find, misfired potsherds were used as a lining for the base of a pit. In another, fired clay was dumped, forming a distinctive domed shape as it cooled.

An archaeologist holding the complete quern stone. Credit: Cotswold Archaeology

These findings leave open the possibility that the site was occupied as a local production center during the Roman period. Ongoing study of the pottery aims to determine whether it matches ceramics from known factories in the New Forest or comes from an unstudied manufacturing site.

“With artefact processing and analysis now underway, the Fordingbridge excavations are already providing valuable insights into how this rural settlement grew, adapted, and contributed to the local and regional economy,” Cotswold Archaeology stated.

More information: Cotswold Archaeology