There is archaeology everywhere, even here in the village. The Roman way of life came to this region in the later 1st century AD and collapsed by the early part of the 5th century. There is evidence, mainly pottery, that they built a farm near River farm and perhaps a villa up Cantelupe road, but not in the present village. Therefore some years ago we were surprised to find Roman pottery in a water pipe trench dug for a new house in the High street.
We are all familiar with the brick wall in the High street, if you look closely it stands on a bank, along with the pavement, the pottery came from below this bank. A few weeks ago we had an opportunity to excavate an archaeological trench on the north side of the wall and found that the bank was constructed with a clunch core; in the 16th century the brick wall was built above this. In the original ground surface we found evidence of a post hole, perhaps an earlier boundary fence. Throughout the bank we found a small quantity of pottery from the 12th to the 14th century but also one piece of pot that may be Roman plus part of a Roman building tile.
So we still do not know if the Romans lived in the village, but the bank seems to have been built sometime after the 12th century. Presumably the bank was built, with the later wall on top, to protect the site of what may have been the Scale’s manor house.
Photo shows the wall standing on white clunch and the outline of the post hole below. The ranging rod is 1m tall.
There is more history in the recently published book ‘Haslingfield – an ordinary village?’available from Mike Coles, 44 Cantelupe Road. Tel. 871403.
If you find archaeological things in the parish let me know.
Mike Coles.