An early-Roman field boundary system was recorded on the western half of the site and it is suggested that limited agricultural activity in the form of cereal production and
or cattle husbandry was being undertaken. No direct evidence of domestic settlement was revealed and it is possible that any produce from the site was used to service the inhabitants of as yet undiscovered early-Roman settlement and/or the Roman small town of Margidunum to the north.

Abandonment of the site appears to have occurred during the mid-Roman period and not until the late–Roman period was the site re-utilised.

The late-Roman period witnessed a resurgence of activity with the construction of a rectangular enclosure within the eastern half of the site and the re-cutting of earlier ditches, implying a renewal of boundaries and re-affirmation of earlier land divisions. Limited faunal evidence recovered from these features suggest that cattle husbandry was being undertaken. Pottery from this period suggests casual discard on the edge of a settlement located elsewhere, possibly at Carnarvon School. Whilst the presence of
slag may suggest an industrial dimension to the site, it was not possible to determine the type of material produced.

Inhumations thought to be of late-Roman date were recorded and a possible association with the known late-Roman settlement at Carnarvon Primary School or Parson’s Hill is suggested. Male skeletons with hip degeneration and the correlation with lumbar degeneration dominated the burial population and may reflect a particular occupation of these individuals.

Early Roman deposits:

Cutting a Pre-Roman ditch was a north-south orientated linear that curved at its southern end, becoming northwest-southeast in alignment. Filling this ditch were several deposits that generally comprised a silty sand/sandy silt primary fill and a secondary clayey silt/silty clay. The exceptions to this sequence were a mottled mid greyish brown/mid pinkish red clayey sandy silt and a dark greyish brown sandy clayey silt both containing stones.

The ditch was cut to the west by a 28.97m long x 3.4m wide ditch that contained several re-cuts. Aligned north-south this linear contained mid reddish brown and brown clayey silt/silty clays, mid reddish brown sandy clayey silt, dark greyish brown silt with frequent angular small stones and mid brownish red sandy silt all with frequent sub-angular small stones. Human cranial remains were also retrieved from this feature.

Running parallel with the wide ditch to the east was a second ditch with stepped concave sides and base. Measuring at least 23.13m long x 3.08m wide this feature contained
generally mid reddish brown clayey silt with occasional sub-angular stones. These two linear ditches probably formed a boundary, possibly with a hedge line or other obstacle between the two.

Cutting this ditch at the southern limit of excavation was a large sub-circular pit which contained a mid/dark brown clayey silt fill. The ditch was also truncated by an east-west linear that measured 0.6m wide and containing a mid reddish brown clayey silt with occasional mudstone. Although these features are stratigraphically later than the boundary ditches they are grouped within this phase due to the lack of dating evidence.

Recorded at the southern end of the site was an unexcavated mid reddish brown dark clayey silt layer that may be the fill of the boundary ditches indicating a continuation to the southern extent of the development area.

Situated in the eastern half of the site, away from the other early-Roman features, were two sub-circular pits. These contained mottled mid reddish greyish brown clayey silt/red clay with occasional mudstones and small sub angular stones and mid reddish grey clayey silt with occasional sub-rounded stones.

Mid-Roman deposits:

Recorded within one trench to the east of the main area of excavation were two ditches; the first aligned east-west and the second north-south. One feature contained a primary fill of large lime, sand and mudstones sealed by a mid reddish brown sandy silt/silty clay with frequent large sub-angular stones that also filled the other feature. To the west of these ditches, within the excavation area, was a very irregular, concave steep sided pit containing a primary dark grey burnt silty clay and ash fill with moderate sub-angular pebbles and a secondary mixed mid/dark greyish brown sandy silt and mid reddish brown clayey silt.This deposit is likely to be associated with the features to the east and probably functioned as a refuse pit.

Late- Roman deposits:

Three linear ditches recorded within the eastern half of the site formed a rectangular enclosed space. Representing the western boundary of the area was a north-south orientated gully that measured at least 18.89m long x 0.66m wide with steep concave sides and a flat base. A terminal of this gully recorded towards the southern limit of excavation may define the north side of an opening into the enclosed area. Although the north end of the gully was truncated by later activity it is likely to have joined, the linear that defines the north limit of the enclosure. Measuring 11.85m long, the gully had concave sides and a rounded base and connected with a north-south gully which formed the eastern boundary of the enclosure. Fills of the three linears forming the enclosure were generally similar mid/dark grey/greyish brown clayey silt/silty clays with frequent small sub-angular stones.

During this period an early-Roman ditch located near the western limit of excavation was re-cut along its length to a maximum width of 1.66m. Filling this re-cut was a clayey silt deposit with frequent sub-angular stones and occasional charcoal. This ditch is also likely to have functioned as an enclosure or field boundary. Located at the southern end of the site was a post hole that cut a linear implying a later
date, although no dating evidence was obtained.

Located within a trench, at the southern end of an early-Roman feature, was a north-south aligned ditch with steep sides and a flat base. Measuring at least 4.58m long x 0.79m wide this linear was filled by
two brown sandy clay deposits. It is possible that the ditch is a continuation of the early-Roman feature, although the stratigraphic relationship between the features was not determined.

Cutting this ditch was a sub-rectangular cut containing a complete articulated young calf burial within a light reddish brown clayey sand.

A possible continuation of two linears was recorded within another trench to the south of the excavation area. Measuring at least 1.1m wide, a ditch had irregular sides, a rounded base and contained a mid reddish brown silty clay with occasional stones.

Eight burials were located to the west of enclosure within a clearly defined area that possibly represented a cemetery. (See MNT28523 for burials)

Tobin Raynor, 2006, Archaeological Investigations on Land to the Rear of the Chesterfield Arms, 59-61 Long Acre, Bingham, Nottinghamshire (Unpublished document). SNT5873.