EXCAVATIONS IN 1999 ON LAND ADJACENT TO WAYSIDE FARM, DEVIZES 



177 



this feature were a single timber nail and a group of 

 14 hobnails (SF169) close to the northern edge of 

 the cut. 



Catalogue of Iron objects from 

 Inhumations 



Fig. 16.6. (Object 6). 3030, SF1 50. Probable fragmentary 

 spoon comprising bowl and probable cranked shank 

 fragment. The 'bowl' is oval, approximately 40mm long 

 and 25mm wide. The 'handle' shank is bent and probably 

 incomplete, with a C-shaped cranked section of stem 

 where it joins the bowl. 



THE ROMANO-BRITISH 

 IRONWORK FROM AREA 2 



The ironwork from non-midden contexts 



The quantity of ironwork and the range of objects 

 from the features underlying the midden and in the 

 surrounding stripped area of Area 2 is very limited. 

 Of the 24 pieces recovered 18 are nails or nail 

 fragments, with the remainder comprising a group 

 of three miscellaneous lumps or fragments, an 

 incomplete small strip fitting fragment and a large, 

 curving link or hasp (Figure 16.1). The object types 

 and provenance by feature are summarised in Table 

 2 below. The group as a whole sheds very little light 

 on the nature of the site, and as with Area 1 , it seems 

 that the ditches and other features are some distance 

 from the main focus of the activity with which they 

 are undoubtedly associated. 



Catalogue of iron objects from Area 2 



(non-midden) 



Fig. 16.1. (Object 45). Area 2, F4288, 4096, SF 



230. A fairly substantial iron link formed from an 



approximately rectangular sectioned iron bar 14mm 



Table 2: Object type and provenance - ironwork 

 from Area 2 (non-midden material) 



Feature (Area 2) 



'Clearance: 



Pit F4225: 



Oven 4007 and 



associated stone spreads: 



Buried soils: 



Ditch F4200: 



Ditch F4261: 



Ditch F4294: 



Ditch F4288: 



Ditch F4254: 



Ironwork 



1 nail 



2 x rod/nail shanks, 1 nail 



3 nails 



1 strip Pwaste iron, 1 nail 



1 strip/fitting frag, 1 rod/nail shank 



4 nails, 2 rod/nail shanks 

 3 misc lumps 



1 triple-looped hasp/link, 1 nail, 

 1 rod/nail shank 

 1 nail 



deep and 7mm wide and joined with a lapped ?weld 

 along one side of the central part. The link has 

 been formed into a triple-looped link with the two 

 end cells being smaller and approximately circular 

 whilst the central cell is considerably longer. The 

 link is strongly curved with the two end cells 

 projecting almost at 90a from the U-shaped central 

 portion probably a more complex form of the usual 

 figure-of-eight hasp. Length c. 134mm. 



The Ironwork from the midden contexts 



A total of 132 iron objects and fragments was 

 recovered from surface of the midden and the 

 excavated quadrants of the midden deposit. Two of 

 these objects have been discussed above (Nos. 3 

 and 4) as probable Iron Age pins. Of the remaining 

 130 pieces 77 are nails, 15 are rods or nail shank 

 fragments, and 38 are objects or probable object 

 fragments. The proportion of objects to nails and 

 nail fragments (c. 1:2.5) is high, as nails usually out- 

 number other items by a much greater ratio than 

 this. 



Tools 



The tool assemblage is large for the size of the 

 overall assemblage and includes a possible hammer 

 head (Object no. 7); three socketed tools (nos. 10- 

 12) one of which is a 'pruning' hook and one 

 possibly a socket-handled knife; two paring chisels 

 (nos. 8, 9), one tanged and one socketed; a possible 

 drill or auger bit (no. 13), a small Pleather- workers 

 awl (no. 1 5) and a possible tool with a grooved end 

 (no. 14), which is in poor condition and 

 comparatively small. 



Styli 



Two incomplete styli, both with triangular erasers 

 were recovered (nos. 16, 17) from the northeast 

 area of the midden. One stylus (no. 17) seems, from 

 the radiograph to have an ornate, moulded, shank. 

 The presence of styli indicates some sophistication 

 and literacy. 



Pins 



Two of the pins recovered from the midden are of 



probable Iron Age date (see above) . A single brooch 



or buckle pin (no. 18.) of probable Romano-British 



date was recovered from the midden overlying Ditch 



F4254. 



Items associated with transport 



A single, complete hipposandal (no. 19) was 



