Saxon's Lode Farm - Page 2 of 2

INTERPRETING SAXON'S LODE FARM, RYALL

Continued...

However, the most significant finds were from the Roman and Saxon periods, where strong evidence of settlement was uncovered. For the Roman period this was a small farmstead that lasted perhaps as much as 200 years. Many of the most significant finds have already been mentioned, but details of the site have been added, such as the recovery of small amounts of hammerscale, indicative of Iron smithing (for more on this please look at our Hartshill Copse site) and some indication of the economy of the Roman farmers. It is slightly unfortunate that the bone preservation was so poor as this would tell us a great deal about the species of animals kept for farming activities and consumption.

The evidence for the Saxon period at Saxons Lode Farm is particularly important. The identification of 6 sunken-featured buildings (or SFB's) are of significance in a regional and national context. Despite the rather limited nature of finds from this settlement, this is the largest pottery assemblage to be retrieved in Worcestershire.

From an overall perspective the evidence uncovered by Cotswold Archaeology at Saxons Lode Farm is very important. It is known that the terrace gravels of Rivers are excellent places to live as the ground is fertile and often relatively flat, and the work in the resource assessment for this County has shown a diverse range of settlement along the Severn was exploited from the prehistoric period onwards. The excavations here have added significant detail that can be used not only to help develop the mitigation strategies of gravel areas, but also further research on a local, regional and national level.

A decorated Roman samian vessel found in Area 2

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