Evidence for activity before the 2nd century is sparse and restricted to a small number of poorly dated features.

In the central part of the site, a long and fairly wide ditch extended on a roughly NNW–SSE alignment and continued in both directions beyond the limits of the trench. The ditch narrowed from its northern end, where it measured 3.8m across, to the south, where it measured 1.0m. The feature was earlier than all the other features with which it had stratigraphic relationships, and it was clearly on a different alignment to the adjacent Fosse Way and the later Roman enclosures. The fact that the ditch was not orientated on the Fosse Way perhaps suggests that it pre-dated the construction of the road. Dating evidence from the ditch was restricted to a single Roman pottery sherd from an upper fill.

A curvilinear gully and a small group of pits and postholes at the northern end of the excavation area may be similarly early. Although they lacked artefactual material, they were located east of the later Roman enclosures where no later features were encountered. The gully was only partially exposed at the eastern edge of the trench. The exposed part of the gully extended for about 6m on a curving alignment. The gully was fairly narrow at 0.15–0.17m and was no more than 0.08m deep. The pits and postholes were situated c 85m north-east of the gully. The postholes measured 0.25–0.35m across and were fairly closely positioned, though they did not form a coherent structure. The pits were located immediately east of the postholes and appear to have been related. They were sub-circular or irregular in plan and ranged in size from 0.8 x 0.9m to 1.25 x 1.5m.

Martyn Allen and Lauren McIntyre, 2019, Chapel Lane, Bingham, Nottinghamshire: Archaeological Excavation Report, Page 18-19 (Unpublished document). SNT5816.