Archaeological dig uncovers ancient settlement at Wimpole

On a scorching day in July 2018, Oxford Archaeology East started the dig and over the next three months uncovered a site that surpassed their expectations.  The remains were extremely dense, representing several phases of changing land use over a few hundred years; from livestock enclosures to farming plots and settlement reorganisation.

Two roundhouses were revealed, one with its central hearth intact, although in general, structural remains on site were relatively scarce. This may have been largely due to the 19^th century coprolite mining, which had disturbed much of the potential ‘core’ of the settlement.  Toward the ‘edge’ of the settlement was also a rudimentary corn dryer and a near complete but broken Roman pot found within a ditch indicates that local pottery was made on site at Wimpole!

This settlement at Lamp Hill seems to have been more than just simple subsistence living. The metalwork, as well as imported pottery and fragments of a glass vessel, suggests a strong trading network with a liking for military objects.

So far we have perhaps in the region of 300 metal objects including coins, cosmetic implements, horse harness fittings, Roman military uniform fittings, a spearhead, an axe head, key handles, brooches, a ring as well as scrap lead and a number of iron nails and other utilitarian objects.