PLANT ECONOMY AT BURTON BASSETT, A DESERTED MEDIEVAL VILLAGE IN SOUTH WARICKSHIRE
Author(s): L C Moffett
An extensive programme of sampling for charred remains was carried out at the deserted Medieval village of Burton Dassett in south Warickshire. Very little of the charred material was in situ but the pattern of disposal closely matched the pattern of disposal for pottery and other domestic rubbish, suggesting that the charred remains were primarily domestic in origin. Crop species found included bread wheat (Triticum aestivum s.l.), rivet/macaroni wheat (Triticum turgidum/durum) hulled barley (Hordeum vulgare), probably oat (Avena sp.) vetch (Vicia sativa ssp. sativa), beans (Vicia faba and Vicia faba var. minuta) and pea (Pisum sativum). Also found were some chaff fragments of spelt (Triticum spelta) which were determined by accelerated radiocarbon dating to be residual from an earlier (late Roman or early post-Roman) period. Wild plants appeared to be mostly weeds which were probably growing with the crops. Apart from the residual glume wheat remains, chaff fragments were few. The most abundant material was grains of wheat (Triticum sp.), though a few assemblages were dominated by weed seeds.
- Report Number:
- 111/1991
- Series:
- AML Reports (New Series)
- Pages:
- 39
- Keywords:
- Plant Remains
