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Durham University, the University of Sheffield, and Lincolnshire County Council carried out some interesting excavations at Nettleton, just south of Caistor.

Between 1998 and 2002 Durham University, the University of Sheffield, and Lincolnshire County Council carried out some interesting excavations at Nettleton, just south of Caistor. 

The site is close to the presumed ancient pathway now known as Caistor High Street, running from the north through Caistor and south to Horncastle. This route is in use today, as the B1225 road.

Early ditches were discovered, two or more metres deep, reaching down into solid chalk. These were filled with deposits from the 1st Century AD - dating the trenches themselves as Iron Age or earlier.

Finds include:

  • a La Tene I/II brooch (400-150 BC)
  • a Roman cosmetic set (ear spoon, tweezers etc)
  • an axe of possibly Bronze Age date lying about 1 metre deep in one of the ditches.

The site has been revealed as a Roman roadside settlement that sat on both sides of the B1225, implying that the Roman road from Horncastle to Caistor followed this line.

The Roman settlement was preceded by Iron Age occupation. The stone foundations of a Roman building were also identified and this is a rare discovery for the Lincolnshire Wolds. 

Cultivation trenches have also been found for a crop yet to be determined. Elsewhere in this area evidence has been found of early vineyards.

Last Updated: 18 January 2010

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