Monument record 0776400000 - Land at Bumpers Farm, Ilmer

Geophysical survey in May 2014 by GSB in advance of proposed solar farm, identified a group of well defined linear anomalies at the eastern end of Area E, forming a number of rectilinear ditched enclosures covering an area of some 170m east-west and 110m north-south. Weak positive magnetic anomalies indicate internal divisions and internal features. A number of pit-like anomalies have also been identified, with a concentrated cluster in the south-east corner. The encloures appear to be overlain by the railway embankment to the north, to which three faint anomalies which may be related (B1).
Trial trenching by Cotswold Archaeology in August 2014 confirmed the presence of enclosure ditches, pits and evidence of iron smelting or smithing, interpreted as a late Roman farmstead and associated field boundaries of late 2nd century -4th century date. In Trench 5 - ditch 505 aligned NE-SW, was 1.25m wide and 0.20m deep, 2nd to 3rd century pottery was recovered from the ditch fill. Ditch 503, not detected by the geophysical survey, was 0.47m wide and 0.12m deep, Roman material was recovered from its fill.
In Trench 6 - ditch 604, aligned NE-SW, was 1.02m wide and 0.40m deep, Roman pottery was recovered from its fill. InTrench 7 - Ditch 705, aligned NE-SW, defined the western boundary of the enclosure complex. The ditch was 1.13m wide and 0.43m deep, mid to late 2nd century pottery was recovered from its upper fill. A possible pit lay just to the west of ditch 705. Trench 8 contained five pits, only one of which was excvated. The pit was oval in plan, 1.04m long, 0.40m wide, and 0.06m deep. Roman pottery was recovered from the surfaces of 2 unexcavated pits. Curved ditches were identified at each end of Trench 8, 3rd-4th century pottery recovered from the north ditch. In Trench 9 - NW-SE aligned ditch 904 was 2.60m wide and 0.70m deep and yielded Roman pottery. Further features not identified by geophysics survey were also located, representing internal features within the enclosure; Intercutting ditches 910 with 2nd to 4th century pottery, 912, and 914, curved ditch 919 with late 3rd-4th century pottery, and intercutting pits 921 and 922. Intermitent dark layer partially sealed features in Trench 9. In Trench 10 - ditch 1003 was 1.60m wide and 0.32m deep, with 4th century pottery from the fill. Ditch 1009 was part an enclosure boundary, 0.60m wide and 0.30m deep and produced late 3rd-4th century pottery, iron slag and fragments of furnace or heath lining. Both ditches were partially sealed by an intermittent dark layer which contained late 3rd-4th century pottery. Ditch 1009 was recut after this layer had built up. In Trench 11 - ditch 1103 aligned NE-SW, corresponded to part of an enclosure boundary, mid 3rd - 4th century pottery was recovered from the fill. Ditch 1113 was in the broad position of an eastern return of the enclsoure ditch, late 3rd -4th century pottery was recovered fom its surface. Immediately north was ditch 1120. Pit 1111 was unexcavated, but 2nd-4th century pottery was recovered from its surface (B2).