The largest feature assigned to this phase was a 38m long, northeast to southwest orientated ditch with steep, uneven sides and a flat base. The ditch measured up to 3.2m wide and 1.46m deep. At either end the ditch turned to the southeast, forming a probable enclosure that extended beyond the limit of excavation to the southeast.

Contained within the large feature was a sequence of naturally formed sandy silts, clays, sandy and silty clays, and clayey sands with occasional charcoal flecks and limestone fragments, suggesting that the boundary ditch had been abandoned and allowed to backfill naturally over time. Late Iron Age/1st century AD pottery was retrieved from the fills of the ditch along with a quantity of animal bone. A probable rotary quern, and an example of a beehive quern were also recovered. An abraded tegula fragment and several pieces of daub, one with a withy or wattle impression visible, were also retrieved from the fill.

A re-cut of the large ditch was recorded in the northeastern arm of the enclosure. Measuring 2.20m wide by 0.78m deep, the recut contained several naturally deposited fills at the base of the ditch with two further dumped deposits above. This suggests that the recut was intentionally decommissioned, with 13 sherds of pottery and bone suggesting that the back-filling occurred during the late Iron Age/1st century AD.

To the northwest, the large ditch cut a northwest to southeast orientated linear feature, containing two silty clay fills, from which one sherd of late Iron Age/1st century AD pottery was retrieved.

At the bottom of the large boundary ditch, within a sondage that was excavated to establish the relationship between northwest to southeast linear feature, two post holes were revealed. The post holes were sub-rectangular with rounded corners, vertical sides and concave bases and contained mid grey clayey sand/sandy clay fills. The presence of these two post holes indicates the likelihood of a possible superstructure such as a bridge spanning the boundary ditch or a revetment.

Cut into the large boundary ditch was a 3m long by 1.9m wide sub-rectangular pit containing a 0.2m thick mid greyish brown sandy clay fill with occasional charcoal flecks, from which animal bone and four sherds of locally produced Roman coarse ware pottery was retrieved. A similar pit was recorded to the southwest of the wide sub-rectangular pit and was filled with a similar sandy clay fill. This pit contained three sherds of locally produced Roman coarse ware pottery and a quantity of large charcoal fragments. Although the dating of the coarse ware retrieved from these features does not provide a narrow date range, it is likely that these features are contemporary with the Late Iron Age/ 1st century AD features, especially as no later Roman dated finds were retrieved from the area.

Running parallel to the large boundary ditch, to the south, was a 0.76m wide, northwest to southeast orientated ditch containing three naturally formed sandy clay fills. Occasional charcoal flecks and small angular limestone fragments were recorded within the fills along with five sherds of late Iron Age/1st century AD pottery.

Twenty meters to the northeast of the large boundary ditch was a roughly northwest to southeast orientated linear feature containing a sequence of naturally formed fills from which seven sherds of locally produced Roman coarse ware pottery was retrieved. Cutting the linear feature along its western edge was a similarly aligned ditch that is likely to be a re-cut of the linear feature and contained six sherds of Roman pottery. Another pair of intercutting northwest to southeast orientated linear features that contained five sherds of Roman pottery, and the second ditch was recorded c.20m to the east and although the second ditch cut the first and did not contain any dateable finds, it is assumed that the second ditch is a re-cut of, and of a similar date to the first ditch.

A series of features were recorded 5m to the east of the second ditch. Three undated pits/postholes were recorded adjacent to a later prehistoricelongated pit or truncated ditch/gully and have been assigned to this phase of activity as they appear to form a similar alignment to two intercutting ditches to the west. Environmental samples taken from two of the fills revealed a low concentration of waterlogged plant macrofossils commonly associated with fertile disturbed soils, damp soils and the presence of water.

A north-south orientated ditch, from which 16 sherds of late Iron Age/1st century AD pottery was retrieved, dissected the pit/posthole alignment and in turn was cut by a pit at its northern extent.

Immediately to the east of this north-south orientated was an elongated pit with gently sloping sides and flat base. This feature measured 2.75m long by 0.74m wide and contained a 0.12m thick mid orange brown silty clay dumped deposit with very occasional charcoal flecks and occasional stone fragments and contained a single sherd of late Iron Age/1st century AD.

The concentration of features within this area is suggestive of settlement activity, with the pottery retrieved from the ditches and pits dating this activity to the late Iron Age to 1st century AD. The full extent of the site lay beyond the limit of excavation, with the form and orientation of the features suggesting that it extends mainly to the southeast, where the land rises to a high point within the landscape, and to the northwest. Small farmsteads dating to this period are known throughout the area and it is possible that the
archaeological remains relate to a similar settlement. The characteristic form of the pottery is utilitarian and of Belgic influence. Similar vessels, of a similar date, have been found within the region including at Dragonby (Van der Veen, 1996). Cattle and sheep/goat were the predominant animal bones recovered from the ditch fills, suggesting that animal husbandry was being carried at the site. The recovery of a potential fallow deer bone is significant as only small numbers of fallow deer have been identified from Roman contexts, for example at Fishbourne (Sykes 2010, 55).

No structures were recorded within the area, although the recovery of daub from the enclosure ditch indicates that there may have been structures nearby, associated with either occupation or industrial activity.

Tobin Raynor, 2017, Archaeological Watching Brief Report: Sturton-Le-Steeple Quarry, Nottinghamshire (Unpublished document). SNT6027.