EXCAVATIONS IN 1999 ON LAND ADJACENT TO WAYSIDE FARM, DEVIZES 



159 



Plate 3 : Oven structure F4007 (view from west) 



mortar (4228) evident, which possibly represents 

 mortar bonding for a floor at a higher level which 

 may have been present. The reason for the floor 

 slabs continuing outside the flue cannot be 

 determined, although it is considered that these may 

 have been constructed to help make the cleaning 

 out of the flue more efficient. Without this platform 

 acting as a solid base within the stoke pit, the depth 

 of the stoke pit may have constantly increased by 

 the raking out the flue due to the soft subsoil at the 

 base of this feature. A sequence of fills from both 

 the flue and stoke pit appear to represent mainly 

 infill, including collapsed material from the 

 structure, with little evidence for in situ deposits. 

 The lowest fill (4230) within the stoking pit appears 

 to represent burning of the natural greensand.The 

 uppermost fill (4221) of this feature may represent 

 infill and collapse of the structure, and produced a 

 single coin of AD 364-78 (see below), giving a 

 reasonably secure date for when this structure went 

 out of use. 



F4214 (Plan and section Figure lie and d) 

 comprised a small roughly circular structure, 

 aligned on an approximate east-west axis and 

 situated towards the southwest corner of the site. 



1.2 x 0.7m, it was composed almost entirely of burnt 

 or scorched sandstone with occasional chalk pieces, 

 most of which appeared to be collapse with only 

 one course appearing to survive in situ. The fills of 

 this feature were mostly composed of either 

 deliberate infill or collapse, but included a thick 

 band of burnt chalk (4246) possibly representing a 

 former lining. It is possible that this feature is the 

 remnants of a former structure such as a small oven, 

 but this could not be determined. Although little 

 of this possible structure survives in situ, quantities 

 of loose stone, including some burnt, were present 

 on the surface close by. 



Buried soils 



Areas of a probable buried former land surface were 

 present in the southwest corner (context 4206 on 

 Figure 7) and towards the northern excavation 

 limits (context 4089). Context 4206 comprised a 

 mottled greyish-brown sandy silt with few coarse 

 components. Three slots were excavated through 

 this deposit, which was between 0.2-0. 3m thick. 

 Context 4089 comprised the same soil matrix and 

 had a maximum depth of 0.2m. Artefacts retrieved 

 from these layers were principally of Romano- 



Plate 4 : Excavation of Area 2 midden (view from 

 southeast) 



Plate 5 : Extent of Area 2 midden (view from north) 



