NEOLITHIC AND LATER PREHISTORIC LANDSCAPE OF THE AVON VALLEY 237 
Beacon Hill (Palmer 1984, map, SU 212 422). Earl’s 
Farm Down itself lies within the study area of the 
Wessex Linear Ditch Project (Bradley et al. 1994), 
which used a combination of excavation, augering 
and geophysical survey to investigate cropmarks in 
this area. The results of this work appear to have 
isolated a number of trackways, which, it is 
suggested, relate to the Iron Age and Romano- 
British settlement, leaving a pattern of linear 
ditches which can be compared with other patterns 
in the area (Bradley et al. 1994). 
LATER PREHISTORIC AND 
ROMANO-BRITISH FEATURES 
The pipeline revealed a number of features already 
known from cropmarks and recorded on the Sites 
and Monuments Record to the south of the A303 
and parallel to the Allington track. The cropmark 
(SMR no. 5U145E742) crosses the line of the 
route, but no feature was observed to correspond 
with it. The most westerly feature observed was 
the edge of a ring-ditch, Site 13 (Figure 8), 
belonging to a known, ploughed-out disc barrow 
(SMR no. 5U145E675), lying to the south-east of a 
surviving barrow (SMR no. 5U145E674). The ring- 
ditch lay outside the line of the pipe trench, but was 
revealed by the topsoil strip. It was therefore 
recorded and its exact location noted, but it was not 
excavated. 
The remainder of the cropmarks were exposed 
along the section of pipeline running parallel to the 
Allington track. A number of previously unknown 
features were also identified in addition to the 
cropmarks which, in some places, were obscured by 
later features (Figure 8). The principal feature was 
the Earl’s Farm Down linear ditch (SMR no. 
5U145E745) which was sectioned (Site 15). The 
cropmark evidence clearly shows a ditch bordered 
by two banks, although no evidence of the banks 
was seen in the excavated section (Figure 9; ditch 
3). Small quantities of animal bone and Romano- 
British pottery were recovered from the upper fills 
and two flint flakes were recovered from the 
primary fill, but there was not enough evidence to 
suggest at what date the ditch originated, although 
it is assumed to be of Bronze Age date on analogy 
with similar features throughout Wessex. Parallel to 
this major boundary ditch were two linear features, 
1 on the south side and 14 on the north. Both were 
undated, shallow slots (Figure 9), their function 
and relationship to the Earl’s Farm Down ditch 
unknown. 
Leading south from the Earl’s Farm Down 
linear ditch was a substantial feature, ditch 7 
(Figures 8 and 9), which contained one sherd of 
possible later Bronze Age pottery. Although 
partially obscured by later features, including 
numerous cart ruts, it was possible to discern its 
alignment, which corresponds to a linear cropmark 
(SMR no. 778). The fills contained small amounts 
of animal bone and flint, and a sherd of probably 
Late Bronze Age pottery. Two large features, 
ditches or scoops, 50 and 72, are undated, but 
appear to post-date ditch 7; they were both 1.5m in 
depth The other major excavated feature was a V- 
shaped ditch, 40 (Site i9, Figures 8 and 9), 
identified as cropmark SMR no. SU14SE746. It is 
600m to the south of SMR no. 5U14SE745, and 
runs parallel with it. Two sherds of possibly later 
Bronze Age pottery were recovered from the 
primary fill with a Roman coin and sherds of Iron 
Age and Roman pottery in the upper fill. A lynchet, 
42, running southwards from ditch 40, appears to 
coincide with cropmark SMR no. SU14SE777. The 
excavated section produced two sherds of third to 
fourth century Roman pottery. 
OTHER FEATURES 
The remainder of the archaeological features on 
Earl’s Farm Down included minor ditches (Sites 8 
and 18, Figure 8), the alignment of which could not 
always be ascertained before trenching, as they were 
usually obscured by large deposits of silty loams. 
Thus they were mainly seen in section. Dating of 
these features is uncertain, but is likely to include 
Romano-British as well as possibly later prehistoric 
features. Other sites observed on Earl’s Farm Down 
comprised tracks and cart ruts, containing post- 
medieval and modern finds, details of which are 
contained in archive. 
FINDS 
by Lorraine Mepham 
Just 11 sherds (73g) of pottery were recovered from 
the ditches on Earl’s Farm Down. A small fragment 
of a flat-topped or bevelled rim sherd in a fabric 
containing abundant amounts of flint temper was 
recovered frem ditch 7 (Site 16). The vessel may 
date to the Late Bronze Age though the sherd is too 
small to be confident of a more precise date. The 
primary fill of ditch 40 (Site 19) produced two 
sherds in different sandy fabrics, one fine and one 
