A14: The evolution of a landscape through time

Deciduous woodland

Other areas of deciduous woodland would likely have been present on the higher ground with lime rich soils.

A general decline in diversity of woodland from the River Great Ouse to Connington suggests one of these woodlands was present somewhere between River Great Ouse and Fen Stanton Gravels. Although we can’t be certain exactly where, this was most likely in the area shown on the map and would have persisted throughout the Roman and into the Saxon period but may have taken a ‘big hit’ in the Roman period.

The botany evidence includes fast grown ash which indicates this woodland was managed from the Bronze Age on.

Although we don’t have pollen or botany samples for other areas for the Bronze Age, it is likely that woodland was present at other high ground locations at this time. For example, the location of the present-day Brampton Woods and west of Bar Hill, but this and the extent of the woodland mapped here are largely speculation.

Open vegetation

The rest of the area would have been 'open'. This includes, scrub, grassland and areas of agriculture, both pasture and arable. But being able to identify where these different types of open land were is even more difficult.

The areas located on the gravel terraces, would have been natuarally open grassland due to a low water holding capacity. Those shown in yellow have a naturally low fertility while those shown in orange are naturally high fertility.

These are therefore also the most likely areas of early agriculture. The absence of Anthemis cotula (stinking chamomile) in the botany samples for this period suggests that farming had not yet extended onto the heavier soils of the higher ground (light green) although the data for this is limited.

The banks of the River Great Ouse

West of Ouse was a focus of Bronze Age activity and the botanic evidence from cremations in this area shows the immediate area around the cremations was wet with clover indicating pastureland nearby and Rumex indicating some grasses on sandy soils. Pollen analysis on samples from River Great Ouse (on the east bank of the river) identified large amounts of microcharcoal suggestive of woodland clearance and management. It is likely that agriculture was initially focused on the terrace gravels extending along the contact between these and the floodplain edge where wet, open ‘alder’ woodland was present.

Conington

The area of open wetland wood was cleared or, more likely, a change in the hydrology increased flooding so there was a transition to sedge type vegetation by the end of the Iron Age. As the lower areas flooded they began silting up with alluvium. This is most apparent around Conington and Fenstanton Gravels while areas further upstream retained some alder woodland. The presence of henbane and other nitrogen fixers and weeds associated with clay rich soils, wetlands and pastoral activity all suggest that Iron Age farming was extending onto these new flood plain soils. Chenopods are present in the pollen record and could indicate brackish water, potentially from a tidal surge but more likely from ground water supplied by the underling geology of the Kellaways Sand, although high nitrogen levels could also account for their presence. The botany evidence from Conington also points to lots of hedgerows.

Fenstanton Gravels

Iron Age Fenstanton Gravels is like that of Roman Conington (see below) with sedges and juncus indicating a higher degree of wetland input, again this indicates that the area of wet alder had already converted to fen.

The largest habitat being exploited is that of nitrogen rich open grassland as indicated by goosefoot and clovers. The presence of elder and rubus in many samples is also indicative of the presence of hedgerows. The pollen evidence supports this interpretation of local disturbed grass land, and it is believed the whole fertile gravel area was grass meadow at this time.

The identification of vetch and buckwheat may indicate the use of green manures or that the area was also used for pasture. Evidence from insect remains also shows the presence of damp grazing ground in close proximity to the area excavated.

It is not clear from the palaeoenvironmental evidence what vegetation was present on the higher ground with lime rich clay soils but this may have been open pasture as indicated in other areas.

The banks of the River Great Ouse

There is limited botanic evidence for the River Great Ouse in the Iron Age period but this and the pollen shows a similar pattern to Fenstanton Gravels.

During the Iron Age period the floodplain in this area would have been an area of open slow flowing water as indicated by the pollen evidence. This became increasingly open in a natural climatically driven change from wet woodland decreasing in density to sedge fens.

As the landscape became more open it became increasingly available to cultivation. Dryland grass present on the terrace gravels would have given way to arable agriculture. Evidence of arable agriculture includes cannabis and rye in later periods. Rye prefers lighter soils such as those on the terrace gravels.

Lime woodland, more likely to be present on the till (higher ground) was also cleared to some degree giving way to slump or waste ground probably used for pasture.

Brampton

Although the presence of woodland in the vicinity of Brampton Woods is speculation, for the Bronze Age there is clear evidence of a mature woodland near Brampton for the Iron Age.

The pollen evidence shows a strong signal of woodland edge taxa, including bluebells, indicating a managed woodland with coppicing and managed rotation in very close proximity to the settlement. The woodland is therefore likely to have been larger in the Iron Age (and Roman) periods than it is today but heavily managed.

Indicators of high nitrogen environments, and clay rich soils in the botany data suggest the till was already being utilised for agriculture in the Iron Age period.

Pollen taxa fairy flax and botanic evidence of sheep sorrel show the light soils on the gravels were also being farmed.

Hedgerows are also first apparent in in this period, and in high quantity as indicated in the botany evidence.

Essentially, the palaeoenvironmental data show that all parts of the landscape around Brampton West were accessed during the Ion Age period except possibly the floodplain which is a greater distance to the settlement in this area.

A typical pattern of arable crops, comprising spelt on the clay rich soils, free threshing wheat on the free draining soils, and barley on both, immediately around the main settlement with pasture around this is therefore hypothesised. The presence of pulses suggests the floodplain was becoming increasingly fertile.

The one botany sample from Brampton South dating to the Iron Age indicates grassland was present locally on the terrace gravels and is supported by a pollen assemblage indicative of grazed grass land.

Conington

The Conington assemblage indicates agriculture expanded from the light soils on the gravels onto the floodplain and possibly onto the till margins, evidenced by a shift in weeds to clay soil types (the inclusion of Anthemis cotula for example).

This may reflect extensive farming practices (where larger areas are given over to agriculture) rather than intensive farming. There is also an increase in spelt during the Roman period which is known to be tolerant of clay rich soils.

Weed species are split between species specifically indicative of either free draining or wet soils. This could show that land is being increasingly managed, either by drainage or deliberate flooding of areas to improve fertility.

Plant species indicative of high nitrogen environments decrease to the south of the Conington Landscape Block suggesting the higher ground was still less intensively farmed, probably as open pasture.

Fenstanton Gravels

Arable farming is evident from hare’s ear and cannabis while pollen from other plants such as foxgloves suggests the presence of land enclosures in the form of hedgerows probably dating to the Roman period. The pollen evidence show rye is only present between Fenstanton Gravels and River Great Ouse.

A huge increase of agricultural activity onto the high ground to the south dominated by calcareous clay rich soils is evident from the botany data, with an increase in the presence of corncockle and sheep sorrel, as is an expansion onto the gravels.

The wetland area (identified when using the Strahler order function in GIS to map river channels from the ground elevation) is still present, and arable agriculture including rye and spelt seems to be focused around this feature, both on the till and gravels. The area within 200m of the settlements occupied during this period would have been heavily disturbed.

There is also evidence of pastoral activity which is therefore likely to have been on the higher open ground.

River Great Ouse

The pollen evidence shows a large grassland environment probably covering the terrace gravels but also extending onto the floodplain at this time.

Arable agriculture is indicated by oat, wheat and corn salad. It is likely that the area used for agriculture extended along the boundary between the lighter soils of the terrace gravels and the more fertile floodplain soils.

Lots of Anthemis cotula shows clay rich soils were also being utilised.

The higher ground is likely to have remained open woodland at this time, as evidenced by fern spores. The till is therefore interpreted as being the focus of open pastureland but with with increasing levels of management.

Generally, the impression given moving from the river channel edge is agriculture on the floodplain margin then pastoral ground with woodland persisting on the highest ground.

To the west of the River Great Ouse there is little change from the Bronze Age to Saxon periods with dry deciduous wood on the high ground and wet woody vegetation decreases but still indicated on the floodplain.

The botany data of Anthemis cotula and evidence for hedgerows suggests some fields are present on the clay rich soils of the floodplain.

Brampton West

The pollen signal from alder carr is gone by the Roman period suggesting that even the most upstream areas of the River Great Ouse floodplain are now sedge dominated.

There is generally little change in the vegetation to the west of the area, but large changes are apparent in the vegetation to the east with increased microcharcoal, vetches and mallow suggestive of manuring in an attempt to increase soil fertility from the pollen data.

This is supported by the botany data which shows a big increase in sheep sorrel, chick weed and other species which prefer free draining soils. There is also suggestion of a smaller scale expansion onto the till and hemlock and nettles indicating increased disturbance around the settlement.