Monument record 7974 - Excavated Roman Ditches and Features, Lea Farm, Aldford

<1> Professor Emeritus Nick Higham, 2013, Lea Manor Farm, Aldford: Report on Archaeological Investigation associated with the Re-development of Lea Manor Farm (2013) (Client Report). SCH7869.

Excavations at Lea Farm in 2013 recorded a series of slight ditches and scoop features at least two of which were Roman in date and five others of potential Roman date. These were mostly located to the south of the current farm complex which may suggest the settlement was located close by. In support of this theory, there was a fairly consistent but low-level presence of Roman-period building material across this area. The precise nature of settlement is uncertain, although a farm or a modest villa could be an option given the nature of the finds recovered during the evaluation work. Imported roof tiles were present, possilby originating from the legionary works at Holt. The site is 5 km from Holt, 8 km from the south gate of Roman Chester, 6 km from Heronbridge, and only circa 700 m from the Roman road running from Chester down the Dee valley towards Whitchurch and Wroxeter. Large cobbles encountered in the fills of two of the excavated features were also probably imported to the site, given that such stones do not occur in the subsoil here. Their original function is unclear before deposition in these ditch sumps, but they may have served as rubble to support buildings or as yard surfacing, to reduce the problem of miring on the clay soil.
Alternatively, it is also possible for the Roman settlement to be located within the footprint of the medieval and modern farm, on the top of the rise.

In terms of Roman pottery, a limited range of material was recovered and the majority of vessels are locally-produced Cheshire Plain wares. The pottery assemblage suggests that Roman activity at the site was concentrated in the late first and second centuries, with occupation or activity continuing into the mid-third to fourth centuries. Occupants had access to a range of pottery, comprising both fine tablewares and
coarse domestic and kitchen wares. Fine tablewares, in the form of samian ware from Central Gaul, represent the only continental imports present at the site.Also recovered were two sherds of mortarium and various coarse wares probably relating to kitchen use. Two small pieces of samian, one with traces of riveting which implies mending after damage, derive from table ware of a type widely distributed in the military zone of Roman Britain.

<2> Oxford Archaeology North, 2014, Lea Manor Farm, Aldford, Chester, Cheshire: Palaeoenvironmental Assessment, R4048 (Client Report). SCH8288.

Oxford Archaeology North was commissioned in September 2014 by Nick Higham to assess the flot and residue from one environmental bulk sample taken from a Roman ditch (Feature 12) recorded during the archaeological investigations undertaken in 2013.

The bulk sample came from the base of the ditch. The sample was 1700ml in volume and was processed for the assessment of palaeoenvironmental remains. Although the paucity of palaeoenvironmental material meant that there was no potential for further analysis, the surviving remains provide very tentative evidence for the utilisation of heathland resources in the area during the Roman period.