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Archaeological investigations in advance of the A46 Newark Bypass scheme in Nottinghamshire have revealed a landscape scattered with features spanning six millennia.
Archaeological Management Solutions (AMS) was contracted on behalf of National Highways to examine more than 23 acres (9.6ha) along the proposed route, where the carriageway will be widened, a flyover created, and bridge over the A1 built. From 2022, the initial work included geophysical surveys, fieldwalking, and metal-detector surveys to help guide the focus of their excavations. Trial trenching then followed in three key areas, with a team of 30 archaeologists opening some 282 trenches, each measuring 50m (160ft) long and amounting to over 14km (9 miles) in total.
Based on the results of these evaluations, more detailed excavations were carried out over the course of 22 weeks last year. In a field south-west of the village of Kelham, the team found evidence of early activity including a number of Mesolithic flint microliths, as well as four Neolithic pits, one of which contained a grinding stone and another a saddle quern, both apparently intentionally deposited. The Iron Age, meanwhile, was represented by a cluster of rectangular enclosures whose ditches produced pottery, worked flint flakes, and animal bones, while Roman features included the remains of a building with internal partitions and post-holes for roof supports, along with a well (below).
Meanwhile, in a field north of Newark-on-Trent, near the village of Winthorpe, the team discovered several large enclosures dating to the Iron Age and the Roman period, many of which ran beyond the northern boundary of the excavation. One of the most significant finds, however, was a small cemetery containing the skeletons of seven individuals as well as a pit holding pieces of disarticulated human bone. The grave cuts were simple and lay on various alignments, which might suggest Iron Age or Roman origins, but without any concrete dating evidence this is uncertain. Alternatively, the burials might date to the Anglo-Saxon period, given the sunken-featured building found nearby. It is believed to date to the 9th century, and while such structures are common in other parts of England, this is a rare find in Nottinghamshire.
Post-excavation analysis has now begun, and it is hoped it will provide more contextual details to shed light on life in this area of Nottinghamshire from the Mesolithic period onwards.
Text: Kathryn Krakowka / Image: National Highways & Skanska
