ULAS
University of Leicester Archaeological Services

Iron Age life in Leicestershire
Excavation of an Iron Age enclosure settlement, Hallam Fields, Birstall, Leicestershire

The University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) were commissioned by Jelson Homes to carry out an archaeological excavation at Hallam Fields, Birstall, Leicestershire, 3km north of Leicester city centre. The work was undertaken as part of the planning conditions in advance of a proposed mixed-use development. Evidence for two Iron Age enclosure settlements, along with associated field systems was revealed. The excavation was undertaken from November 2004 to April 2005 following extensive archaeological field surveys of the development area including fieldwalking, geophysical surveys, and trial trenches.

The Sites and Monuments Record for Leicestershire and Rutland has records for around 250 possible occupation areas dating to the first millennium BC. The majority (150) are cropmark sites, eight are earthworks, and most of the remainder have been identified from fieldwalking surveys. The greatest survival of evidence is from the later Iron Age, where the most common type of settlement is the enclosed farmstead as seen at Birstall.

Small ‘farmsteads’ like this would have been mainly self sufficient, with some trade with larger settlements at Leicester and Humberstone. Although enclosures of this date are relatively common there are very few excavated examples in the county (only around four others have been fully excavated), therefore the site at Birstall provided the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the components of an Iron Age settlement.

The excavation at Birstall revealed a large ‘D’-shaped enclosure (65m x 50m enclosing c.2500m²) lying adjacent to a smaller sub-rectilinear enclosure (45m x 25m enclosing 915m²). Both are similar in morphology to other excavated examples of Iron Age enclosures within the Leicester region in that they are slightly irregular in form, with two straight edges, and another curvilinear. The example at Birstall indicates that these ‘D’-shaped settlements may have been fitted into established field systems as part of a more organised landscape of the late Iron Age.

Enclosure I contained no break in the enclosure ditch, therefore the entrance is unknown (it may have been bridged or been at the southern end beyond the limit of excavation). At least one two-phase roundhouse was located centrally within the enclosure, with its entrance orientated to the south-east. A rectangular sub-enclosure was located in the central-west area of enclosure I. Sub-enclosures are a common feature of Iron Age enclosures, though the interpretation of their function is varied (animal pen / metalworking / granary / ritual / look-out-tower / entrance gatehouse). The only other feature group of note within enclosure I was a curvilinear gully and pit group within the south-west corner. This area may have been used as a grain storage area, soil sample results and pottery reports should aid interpretation of this area.

Enclosure II is under half the size of enclosure I, and again contained evidence (heavily truncated) for a centrally placed roundhouse. Of most interest within this enclosure was a small sub-rectangular sub-enclosure in the south-east corner. Within this evidence for small-scale metal production was revealed, including numerous metal artefacts.

Pits are common throughout all Iron Age settlements, and their primary function was for storage e.g. of grain, and when no longer needed were allowed to fill, or deliberately be backfilled with domestic waste. The pits are often found in groups, located in certain areas within and outside of the enclosure. Pits were often dug on the periphery of settlements, in what may have been seen as the correct place for this to take place. The two enclosures appear to have been built respecting a north-west – south-east boundary, as further evidenced from a group of pits located on the outside of the settlement. Though not strictly a pit alignment, the pits certainly formed a parallel group along the enclosure boundary.

Two other areas were also investigated within the development area, these revealed more scattered occupation evidence, including further enclosures and field boundaries believed to be of a similar date. ULAS would like to thank Jelson Homes for funding the project.

A full excavation report will be published in the archaeological journal Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society in due course. The site director was Gavin Speed, and the project was managed by Dr P.Clay.