The start of developer-funding on Downland excavations: the Brighton Bypass

The A27 Brighton Bypass was not subject to the control and obligations of present developer funded restraints, since the road scheme was approved before 1990. The archaeological work preceding the road construction resulted from political lobbying by local societies and the Institute of Field Archaeology Unit, University College London. That political pressure was successful in no small part to the work of Ray Hartridge who instigated a sustained campaign of fieldwalking along the proposed route. Ministerial discretion granted Government funding. Subsequent English Heritage support for the fieldwork, post excavation and publication enabled analysis to be completed within a research framework targeted on investigating chalk downland settlement and land use.

Funding for the work, which depended on political largesse, heralded the political acceptance of developer responsibility for archaeological investigations on major road schemes. These obligations were to become compulsory rather than discretionary.

Discoveries along the 15km stretch of new dual carriageway identified concentrated areas of archaeology which led to further PPG16 developer-funded interventions, effectively enlarging the area of downland pasture investigated by the original civil engineering works. Four sites are of particular relevance to this research: Mile Oak, Patcham Fawcett, Downsview and Varley Halls. The bypass provided a transect across a large area of downland pasture including field system earthworks. The work confirmed that it was not until the Middle Bronze Age that there is widespread evidence for open country conditions. By the Late Bronze Age/

Early Iron Age extensive arable farming resulted in a significant increase in the deposition of colluvium. The Middle Bronze Age settlements at Mile Oak and Downsview and similar dated sites at Varley Halls and Patcham Fawcett indicate the extent of Later Bronze Age activity in a relatively small zone. These sites were grouped along higher ground straddling the north – south ridge which forms part of the link between the Hollingbury and Ditchling Beacon Hillforts. It was also an area of barrows and boundaries, possibly radiating out from Hollingbury (Rudling 2002, 144).

Mile Oak Farm was the westernmost settle-ment discovery along the course of the Brighton bypass. It lies on the southern margins of the South Downs at Portslade approximately 4km north of the present coastline. There are two main Bronze Age phases to the site. First, a Middle Bronze Age enclosure with three associated roundhouses and pond in the excavation trench 27. Secondly, there were two possible Late Bronze Age roundhouses in area K with five 4 post structures and a zone of Late Bronze Age metalworking. The Middle Bronze Age enclosure has close parallels to Cock Hill on the Downs near Findon. Radiocarbon determinations (OxA-5108 and OxA-5109;

both 2975±50 BP) suggest a broad date range of between 1390 and 1040 cal. BC for the settlement (Russell 2002, 79). The Late Bronze Age features at Mile Oak lie 200m to the west up hill from this, on a terraced slope in an area much disturbed by machining. The discovery of a concentration of Late Bronze Age pottery from the remains of a mound instigated a thorough examination of this area. The area when stripped as Trench K, gave the first evidence of in situ metallurgy from any Bronze Age settlement in Sussex (Wallis 2002, 54) including one piece of a Late Bronze Age sword blade (2002, fig. 2.19). The only evidence of horse also came from this trench together with a mass of charcoal and fire-fractured flint (Russell 2002, 80).The community at Mile Oak benefited from a wider exchange network. During the Late Bronze Age they had acquired, in addition to the fragment of Wilburton sword blade, a lead alloy ring of a very unusual form. Only one parallel find exists for the latter, from Flag Fen (Wallis 2002, 54). The Middle Bronze Age pottery assemblage also suggests more distant contacts for much of it is characteristic of East Sussex ware and there is one example of Ardleigh style decoration normally associated with finds in Essex (Hamilton 2002b, 49). In terms of local contacts the settlers were importing material with both a Wealden and coastal origin. Many pieces of stone on site were sourced from the Upper Greensands (Laughlin, Laughlin and Russell 2002, 60). Sandy clays or quartz sand formed part of the temper of some of the Late Bronze Age pottery, also from the Upper Greensand.

Some of the Late Bronze Age pottery assemblage also contained iron oxide fabrics, suggesting the use of iron-bearing alluvial clays from the High Weald, such as at Wadhurst (Hamilton 2002b, 46).

The Sussex Coast, Downlands and Weald 55 Fossil shell inclusions in other Late Bronze

Age sherds suggest the use of coastal shelly Eocene clay deposits located 25km to the east at Newhaven (Hamilton 2002b, 46). Coastal exploitation is also more directly evidenced by the recovery of 6,769 marine shells from the upper two phases of the Middle Bronze Age enclosure ditch (Hasler 2002, 64). The most consumed shellfish was mussel. Hasler provides an interesting comparison between the relatively smaller Late Bronze Age marine mollusc assemblage from Trench K and the much larger, Trench 27 Middle Bronze Age zone. It suggests a switch from shoreline collection in the Middle Bronze Age to estuarine exploitation in the Late Bronze Age (ibid. 65), the nearest estuary being at Shoreham-by-Sea.

This consumption of outside materials and foodstuffs at Mile Oak is very interesting but what was the nature of the farming regime? This section of the bypass route was initially targeted to sample and date a series of vaguely defined field lynchets (Russell 2002, 81). That aim was not achievable. The negative lynchets 1403 and 1401 cornered at or near to Roundhouse I of the Middle Bronze Age enclosure could not be exactly dated (ibid. 2002, 23). It was concluded that the large quantity of Middle Bronze Age pottery recovered from 1403 may have been material disturbed from House I, although one possibility is that the Middle Bronze Age settlement was placed in the NE corner of a Middle Bronze Age field system (ibid. 23). The lynchets were only investigated in the immediate vicinity of the enclosure because of the time constraint on the works and the attraction and interest in the settlement features. In area K similarly, no dating material was recovered from the lynchets terracing the hillslope.

The zooarchaeological analysis data records the major species to be sheep/goat (61%) followed by cattle (11%) with less than 1% pig present (P.

Stevens 2002b, 63). There was a general back-ground scatter of cereal grains and other seeds on the site and more specifically a concentration of seed remains apparently associated with Roundhouse III. This is of interest because they are almost entirely from cultivated food plants.

No cereal chaff was present so the grain was already in prepared form. The assemblage is predominately hulled barley with a few emmer and/or spelt grains and a few beans and is very similar to much larger deposits of grain from settlements at Black Patch (Alciston) and Itford Hill, although no beans were found at the latter

site (Hinton 2002b, 68). Hamilton concludes that the pottery assemblage from Roundhouse III correlates closely with the heavy duty storage jars found at hut 3 at Black Patch, Alciston (Hamilton 2002b, 40). It suggests that roundhouse III at Mile Oak was also a grain storage hut.

Like its neighbouring community at Downsview, site A at Patcham Fawcett may have been constructed in two distinct settlement phases.

The Bronze Age activity was characterised by a series of pits, a large circular scoop, a fenceline, four-post structures and three possible round houses. The size of the four posters suggests that they are not above ground grain storage buildings and had more to do with hide or plant drying (Greatorex 2002, 272). Site B on the western margin of the excavation was entirely of Middle Bronze Age date. It was characterised by a series of postholes and scoops, a hearth, a 40m length of ditch and two round houses. In addition a Middle Bronze Age pit was found to contain an immature bovine skeleton (ibid 278), a form of deposition replicated at Varley Halls.

Greatorex notes that Patcham Fawcett lay on the edge of a Celtic field system first identified by Herbert Toms in 1911. Those lynchets locate the settlement in a permanent agricultural setting.

Unfortunately environmental evidence retrieved in the excavation was relatively limited but what there was suggests that grain was being stored and processed on site (ibid. 275). The interim report also records the presence of both cattle and sheep bones (ibid. 275). There is no evidence to suggest continuity of this farming settlement into the Iron Age.

The site at Downsview is the middle of the three neighbouring Middle Bronze Age settlements to be found to the north of Hollingbury in Brighton. Downsview was at least partially enclosed when first constructed. It comprised a minimum of 12 roundhouses, 8 of which yielded radiocarbon dates or ceramic finds dated to the Middle Bronze Age. The radiocarbon dating (an impressive research focus integrated into the post excavation work) confirmed two phases of construction revealing a chronological shift of occupation across the site from the earliest activity in the north to the latest in the south. It indicates that the site was an area of occupation between 580 and 860 years, probably starting between 1680 and 1570 cal. BC and ending between 1020 and 800 cal. BC (Rudling 2002, 200). Whilst there was a general paucity of finds (the flooring and ditches were remarkably clean),

Land, Power and Prestige 56

there is some indication of long distance contact by the occupiers. An oolitic limestone mould for metal working originated 150km to the west and is likely to have been used in the creation of bracelets or quoit-headed pins (Needham 2002, 184; Humphrey 2002, 185). Other distant material remains included a quartzite grain rubber, copper alloy objects, a siltstone whetstone and pottery with decorative motifs that characterise Hampshire and Essex wares (including Ardleigh horseshoe bands) (Rudling 2002, 201).

The detailed post excavation work at Downsview also provides some insight into the links between this upland community and those in the Weald and on the coastal plain. Large quantities of Wealden ironstone were discovered, including pieces extremely rich in iron that may have been stored for smelting (Barber 2002, 188).

Some of the pottery fabrics contained Wealden iron oxides and various types of Wealden rock were found on this chalkland site (Rudling 2002, 201). In terms of coastal imports there are beach pebbles and coastal/riverine sand fabrics in some of the pottery (Rudling 2002, 201). Some of the marine molluscs in the archive may also be Bronze Age in origin (Hasler and Rudling 2002, 191).

Insights into the economic material culture and environmental aspects of Downsview are severely hampered by the general paucity of finds. The faunal and flora results included the following observations. Land molluscan analysis showed that the site was built in open grassland.

Cattle predominated amongst the animal bones (Rudling 2002, 191) matching the livestock profiles for Varley Halls and Blackpatch. This contrasts with an emphasis on sheep at Mile Oak.

In terms of arable produce at Downsview, barley dominated the recovered cereals (54 grains) just as it did at Itford Hill and Mile Oak. Two grains of spelt were retrieved in flotation sieving and its occurrence at Black Patch and Mile Oak hints that this species was emerging as the principal wheat.

Few of the samples for environmental analysis were in a particularly good condition and some had to be identified by characteristic texture rather than form. Whilst there was a sparcity of cereal grain, 125 estimated charred broad bean/

horse beans were recorded. This species was also present at Black Patch and Mile Oak, suggesting common use in Southern England (Hinton 2002a, 197).

Varley Halls, the third of the neighbouring Middle Bronze Age settlements comprised four

roundhouse platforms created by terracing on the steeply sloping chalk. The settlement appears to be situated above the north east corner of cultivated land; defined by very truncated lynchets, fencing and a timber palisaded ditch (Greig 1997, 25). The severity of the slope made the ground difficult to plough, and this provides a new insight into the pressure on land (Greig 1997, 30). During the Middle Bronze Age farming phase emmer, barley and oats were present whilst cattle, sheep and pigs made up the livestock. The Varley Hall community may well have been living on the margin – farming difficult terrain providing a low yield for all their exertions. The Middle Bronze Age pottery assemblage may reflect this degree of impoverishment for it is entirely derived from local sources and finewares are conspicuous by their absence (Hamilton 1997, 38). Greig also notes that assuming this is cultivated ground, the siting of a Late Bronze Age roundhouse in this plot suggests that cultivation had for some reason ceased (Greig 1997, 30). The Late Bronze Age occupiers seemed to fare better, for their pottery assemblage suggests wider contacts with Wealden suppliers (Hamilton 1997, 38).

Even so, there are a number of exotic artefacts in the archive, including a copper alloy awl and part of a faience ornament. There are instances of ritualised activity on the site, including a crouched inhumation dated to 1270–910 cal. BC (BM-2919;

2890±60 BP) and an articulated adult cow, dated to 1080–810 cal. BC (BM-2918; 2790±50 BP) buried next to a Middle Bronze Age hollow/pond (Wood 1997, 48).

In addition to the roundhouse discoveries to the north of Hollingbury, the bypass cut through a prehistoric field system. The earthworks, at Eastwick Barn, were just to the north of the neighbouring Middle Bronze Age settlements of Patcham Fawcett, Downsview and Varley Halls. In total 33 trenches were cut into these well-preserved boundaries. There appeared to be two horizons of lynchet formation; the Later Bronze Age/Earlier Iron Age and Romano-British era. In between there seemed to be a Middle Iron Age break in ploughing/manuring;

a hiatus complemented by pottery evidence from Hollingbury hillfort which suggests desertion by the end of the earlier Iron Age (Hamilton 2002c, 121). It appears that the lynchets started to form by the earlier Iron Age and that the lack of Middle and Late Iron Age pottery suggests abandonment during this period. This is one amongst a number of explanations considered

The Sussex Coast, Downlands and Weald 57 (Barber, Gardiner and Rudling 2002, 132). The

argument for abandonment is supported by the dry valley samples; middle and late pre-Roman Iron Age activity is noticeably absent in the slope wash deposits (Hamilton 2002d, 233). The worked flint scattered throughout the boundary plots also appeared to be Late Bronze Age in date (Underwood 2002, 122).

Dry valley sectioning was one of six project targets along the course of the road route. The aim was to provide a palaeo-environmental framework in order to improve knowledge of ancient farming practices. The results were very interesting, discovering short-lived clearance in the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age in two of the dry valleys, but all the dry valleys confirmed Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age hillwash erosion.

The deepest deposit recorded at Eastwick Barn was an accumulation of 900mm, likely to have been created by arable agriculture during the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age (Wilkinson, Barber and Bennell 2002, 237). In contrast, there was little evidence of colluvial deposits dated to the Middle or Late Iron Age along the entire course of the bypass (ibid. 237).

The A27 bypass provided a 15km transect through downland pasture – an unparalleled opportunity to explore the evolution of farmed land. Subsequent residential development at Patcham Fawcett and Varley Halls added to those discoveries, again showing the predominance of Middle Bronze Age settlement.

This chapter reviews one final site from Sussex. It combines all the elements of our

synthesis; as technically it is in the Weald; for all intents and purposes it is on the coast but it is perhaps better understood in its siting at the extreme eastern end of the South Downs.

In 1995 work on the A22 road led to the rescue evaluation of part of a series of timber causeways and a settlement platform in Shinewater Marsh (Figure 6.2) on the Willingdon Levels near Eastbourne (Greatorex 2003). This Late Bronze Age occupation again shows that Sussex Bronze Age communities participated in a much wider alliance network. The artefacts from Shinewater link that community to the rest of Southern England and further afield to Continental Europe.

Only a small portion of the Shinewater complex was excavated but a wealth of exotic artefacts were retrieved. These include four amber beads, and a distinctive socketed axe that matches finds from north west Germany and northern Holland.

In addition to such continental items, a fragment of a Kimmeridge shale bracelet and a distinctive Late Bronze Age bowl probably from the Thames Valley may reflect regular contact with people moving along the Channel coast and further into the Thames Valley (ibid. 89–91).

In 1980 Rowlands suggested that the south coast and downlands had a very different principle of political and economic organisation to that of the Fens and Thames valley, one in which political status and warfare were not so inextricably bound up with each other (1980, 37). The discovery of coastal land division complementing the extensive concentrations of utilitarian bronze metalwork adds a new dimension to that debate.