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Planning consent was granted on an area of scrub grassland centred 200m north-west of the church. The site lies just within the north-east corner of a postulated Roman town. Prior discussions had resulted in the implementation of a mitigation strategy for the groundworks that would ensure that the archaeological resource would be preserved in situ over most of the site. However, that still left areas where archaeological deposits would, of necessity, be destroyed.

A condition attached to the consent required formal archaeological excavation of these areas and a watching brief on all ground breaking works during construction.

The excavation largely comprised a linear trench 1.5m wide across the site from the B4215 to the flood plain of the river Leadon. Information retrieved during this exercise was augmented from adjacent areas during the watching brief. Several drainage ditches, cultivation furrows and pits were investigated as well as two burials of early 2nd century date.

A considerable quantity of iron-working debris was recovered, indicating that smelting was undertaken somewhere in the vicinity. There were, however, no features that could be related specifically to settlement or industry. The pottery indicates that much of the activity occurred between c. 50 and 120 AD, with slightly lesser activity in the later 2nd century.

There was some activity in the later Roman period. Further investigation of the data may indicate whether this represents a continual presence or a reoccupation. There were very few finds that indicate a significant formal Roman presence. The pottery styles would appear to be largely consistent with a 'native' population. This will also be further investigated during the analysis phase.

There was no indication that the site had been occupied during the Middle Ages apart from a few pits near the B4215.

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