Dutton's Farm

Answer

First of all Ron went over the previous work presented to us when he last came (see newsletter No.58). He then added his latest project which is in the adjacent area - an area where medieval pottery turned up in field walking. The main point about the Dutton's Farm site is that it is an island of find glacial wind-blown sand (the famous Sherdley sand the Pilkingtons used for their glass making). All around it is either the usual boulder clay or bog land, so it would have been an attractively dry area for settlement throughout the ages. The scatter of stones that Ron is finding all over the area is evidence of this activity (the fact that stones just don't occur in wind-blown sand). In this area the activity is mainly Medieval (Ron showed us some of the sherds, part of the large assemblage of pottery which is thought to have been made locally). However there were patches of dark humus material which lay under the stones (therefore older). In Ron's opinion this is probably Dark Age - a possible indication that there has been continual settlement of the site for over 2000 years (from the Iron Age to present - the only gap being between the Medieval period and the current 17th century farmstead).

What got everybody's attention however was the discussion at the end about the Roman activity in the area. As reported last time Roman pottery has been found in concentrations in field walking and Ron has also discovered a Roman track-way but no sign of a settlement. Intriguingly, however, he now has another area where there is a much larger spread of pottery - and strangely enough it isn't on the sandy areas but outside on the boulder clays. Ron would not elaborate at this stage (it's still early days) but he has always been hopeful of finding that elusive Roman farmstead (or I should say Romano-British farmstead - Ron thinks it more likely that the locals where Romanised rather than an influx of ex-legionnaires). Excavations start again this year in September and Ron says the site is open to volunteers - so if anybody fancies having a go Ron can be contacted at Liverpool Museum's Archaeology depatment.