Fieldwalked 11/02/1979. Material found in 30-40m wide band of c 1.75Ha immediately adjacent to Fosse Way. 81 sherds of C3 and C4 pottery. Mainly grey wares and other coarse wares but including 1 samian rim and 23 Nene Valley colour coated wares. (1)

It seems likely that this material represents contemporary buildings "straggling along the Fosse Way to the S of Margidunum." (2)

A distribution of RB finds extends along both sides of the Fosse Way for a distance of about 600m, with a clear SW end to the distribution at around SK696409. Within this area, two dense clusters extend back on both sides of the Fosse Way for a distance of about 50m, separated by a single sparser area on both sides of the road at around SK69804130 … The distribution of the finds suggests that a ribbon development lay adjacent to both sides of the Fosse Way. (4)

The present excavations [around RAF Newton, SK694407] have produced no evidence for RB settlement adjacent to the Fosse Way, and hence provide valuable confirmation of the fieldwalking evidence that suburban development had extended up to c.0.6km from the S of Margidunum. (5)

A complex of ditched enclosures was uncovered during an excavation in 2018, extending for c 300m, that represents the southern extent of the extramural roadside settlement associated with the town. Only the rear parts of the enclosures lay within the excavation area and so any buildings that may have been located on the road frontage were not seen, but in addition to the boundary ditches, pits and wells were excavated and an assemblage of domestic waste was recovered including pottery, animal bone and smaller quantities of metal objects, tile, and two quern stones. The settlement was established during the 2nd century and occupation appears to have petered out during the second half of the 4th century. Environmental evidence indicated that the settlement was primarily engaged in agriculture, supplying goods to the market in Margidunum, with the high proportion of cattle and horse bones perhaps associated with the grazing of herds on the wetland pasture of the Bingham Basin. (6)

The population of the settlement were represented by 54 skeletons in 52 graves (including two double burials) and a single urned cremation burial, all located against the rear boundary of the roadside plots. Disarticulated material from four grave backfills and from non-funerary features raises the total assemblage to 65 individuals. The burial rites were strikingly consistent, comprising extended, supine burials, usually without grave goods, 24 (45%) within coffins and 16 (30%) provided with hobnailed footwear, indicating a population that shared a common belief of what comprised an appropriate form of burial and that exhibited little variation in status. No prone or decapitated burials were found, and neonates and infants were also absent, from which it is inferred that such young individuals were buried closer to home within areas of domestic habitation. The results of strontium and oxygen isotope analysis of nine individuals were consistent with a population entirely of local origin. The recovery from a pit of a human femur with cut marks that may be associated with deliberate dismemberment of the corpse, radiocarbon dated to cal AD 80–225, provides a rare example of the continuation into the Roman period of funerary traditions more typically associated with the Iron Age. (6)

A particularly unusual discovery was the remains of an adolescent (13–17 years), radiocarbon dated to cal AD 425–565, who had been buried in the top of a disused Roman well. The individual exhibited infectious lesions consistent with a diagnosis of leprosy, and represents one of the earliest instances of the disease in Britain. It is postulated that it was because of this condition, and more significantly any visible disfigurement associated with it, that the individual was excluded from contemporary burial grounds, but he/she was nevertheless buried with due reverence and provided with a bowl of Anglo-Saxon form as a grave good. Isotopic evidence indicated that this individual was also of local origin. (6)

See L8275 for IA finds. Grid ref centred.

<1> Coleman SR, 1979, Archaeology and Landscape in the Vale of Belvoir - A survey, October 1978 - March 1979, p 5 (Unpublished document). SNT573.

<2> Todd M , Pers Comm (Personal comment). SNT1350.

<3> EMAB eds, 1979-82, East Midlands Archaeological Bulletin, p 21 (Published document). SNT164.

<4> TPAT, 01/1994, Alluvial and Lacustrine Deposits: Archaeological Assessment of Crown Estate Lands Near Bingham, Nottinghamshire, p 25 (Unpublished document). SNT2072.

<5> TPAT, 06/1993, Construction of Gravity Sewer Between Newton and Wynhill Pumping Stations, Notts. Summary Report on Archaeological Investigations, p 8 (Unpublished document). SNT2071.

<6> Martyn Allen and Lauren McIntyre, 2019, Chapel Lane, Bingham, Nottinghamshire: Archaeological Excavation Report (Unpublished document). SNT5816.