108 THE WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY MAGAZINE 
Community to the west were a ring-ditch, three 
Beaker burials and a number of round houses, all 
dating to the Bronze Age (Dennis and Laws 
forthcoming). Iron Age settlement within the 
Latton environs is relatively common and includes 
a sub-rectangular enclosure (Wilts. SMR 
SU09NE201) and pottery from evaluation trenches 
in the area (CAT 1991b, 74-5). Late Iron Age 
settlement was found at Neigh Bridge to the west 
and there is Iron Age settlement in the area of 
Ashton Keynes, also to the west of Latton. There is 
an extensive Roman settlement to the west of 
Latton (Scheduled Ancient Monument 899), as 
well as a settlement at Field Barn within Latton and 
a settlement at Neigh Bridge. Further afield, 
Roman material was recovered from Weavers 
Bridge near Cricklade, although the status of this 
site is uncertain. To the north, there is settlement at 
Witpit Copse, Preston and Worms Farm, 
Siddington. The former line of the A419, that 
bounded the study area to the north-east, followed 
the route of Ermin Street, which linked the local 
settlements to Cirencester (Mudd et al. 1999, 7-9). 
There is little evidence of early medieval activity in 
the area, although a few sherds of Saxon pottery 
were found north-west of Latton (Mudd et al. 1999, 
9) and at Ashton Keynes (Coe et al. 1991). The later 
medieval settlement pattern was similar to that of 
today, although a possible deserted settlement lies 
between Preston and Witpit Copse to the north of 
Latton. At Latton itself there is cartographic 
evidence for houses lying to the west of Ermin 
Street with plots running back as far as the River 
Churn (Mudd et al. 1999, 9). Additionaily pottery of 
12th- to 15th-century date has been recovered from 
the area. Part of the infilled Thames and Severn 
canal bounded the study area to the south-west, but 
there are no other post-medieval features of great 
significance. 
EXCAVATION METHODOLOGY 
The whole area was stripped of soil cover using a 
mechanical excavator and the exposed gravel was 
then hand cleaned. All visible features were 
planned and recorded and a sample of features 
excavated (Figure 2). Gravel extraction to the south 
and north of the main area of middle Bronze Age 
activity was monitored by watching brief and all 
features were planned where they were visible. In 
some cases features were not planned, as they were 
only visible in section. At the time of publication, 
plans relating to the watching brief phase of the 
work are missing and consequently several features 
containing finds, which are discussed in the 
following reports, do not appear in the stratigraphic 
narrative. 
LOCATION OF THE ARCHIVE 
The archive will be deposited with Swindon 
Museum and Art Gallery, accession no. B1997/4. 
ARCHAEOLOGICAL 
DESCRIPTION 
Middle Bronze Age Features 
Enclosure 785 (Figures 2 and 3) 
Two ditches (783 & 784) lying at an approximate 
right-angle to one another formed two sides of a 
possible enclosure measuring approximately 70 m 
by 70 m, with an internal area of about 4900 m2. 
The ends of the ditches lay 20 m apart leaving a 
substantial north-east facing entrance which was 
partially blocked by a waterhole and several pits. 
Ditch 783 
Ditch 783 was linear, 69.2 m in length and 
orientated east-west. It curved around to the south 
at its eastern end. It was 1.2 m wide and averaged 
0.7 m in depth. In profile the ditch was generally U- 
shaped, although in places the base narrowed 
forming a V-shape. The ditch terminals at both 
ends were squared off. There were at least four 
recuts. The fills were predominately of silty clay, 
although there were some sandy silts. Middle 
Bronze Age pottery was found in the fills, 
concentrating particularly in the terminals (Figures 
16.1-16.5). Two environmental samples (sample 
nos. 6 and 15) were taken from the lower fills of the 
eastern terminal (Figure 4 and Table 3) and three 
fragments of burnt bone came from fills 373 and 
381. A large fragment of cylindrical fired clay 
loomweight (sf 121, Figure 19) came from fill 373, a 
small piece of amorphous fired clay came from fill 
585 and a small amount of burnt stone came from 
fill 573. 
Ditch 784 
Ditch 784 was linear, 53 m in length and orientated 
north-south. It curved round to the west at its 
