An Update on the Tiddington
Archaeology Dig
Susan Porter
The location is close to the ford over the Avon used by the Salt Road from Droitwich, active from the Iron Age and through the Roman period. The combination of burial intensity, culture (especially the evidence for literacy), the location, and documentary sources all suggest a previously unknown minster site.
Susan Porter is Senior Archaeological Officer at Archaeology Warwickshire. She was previously a Project Officer at Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA). Her special interest is in numismatic analysis, primarily Roman coins but also medieval and prehistoric coinage. She has a Master of Arts (MA) in Roman Archaeology from the University of Liverpool. She also writes archaeological fiction under the name SM Porter.
Report on the talk
The dig started in 2019 and is a site of national significance. It is on the south side of the Avon and is mainly Neolithic and Roman. There were burials on the golf course and some were Saxon. It was known about in the 18th century. The excavations followed an application for planning permission to be-build a house. The owners have been very helpful with the dig.
There are several dense layers of burials and other finds with Iron Age pits underneath. There were 600 Iron Age pits. There was a lot of mixed aged finds. There was a male skeleton, who might have been an important person. There is a second set of pits, a number of years apart. There is pottery, dog bones and many large animal bones, mostly cattle, probably from meat eating. There are also some pottery pieces, probably broken deliberately, perhaps ritually. There is no evidence of dwellings.
There is also a Roman sword, a pottery area and possible burials. There are Saxon burials over the whole site, covering about 100 years. There are about 432 burials, generally intact skeletons, facing East-West. There is some high-status Saxon jewellery. Some of the skeletons are missing their heads. They are clustered in three main areas. Susan’s predecessor thinks that there may have a been a (wooden) church there once. Some of the finds are quite exceptional, e.g., decorated pottery with a zig-zag pattern. There are also food residues, which need to be analysed, and carbon dated. Eighty percent of the work is yet to be done. Comparison with other sites will be done.
There is a bronze-age/Neolithic horse-shoe shaped flint scraper. There are many arrowheads and other tools. There are combs, made from bone, from the burials, they are either Roman or Saxon; one is certainly Saxon. There are some ferrous metal objects – a pen, and knife blades. They are not attached to specific burials. Items such as brooches, hair pins, and nails should indicate social status. There is a loom weight (so probably from a woman’s burial) bronze coins, earrings, finger rings, hair/clothes pins. There are Roman pins – possibly for a shroud, or a latch lifter. These are quite fancy. We were shown some pictures of many of these objects.
The 'star' finds were some Iron Age coins. One has a running horse, and another has a head with curly hair. There is also a fine clothing brooch for a high-status person. It was bent when we were shown it last time – now it has been straightened and is Saxon silver.
The skeletons need to be analysed in a future genome project using DNA. The bones are generally in good condition, though some show signs of arthritis, necrosis and breaks. Ossicles (ear bones) have also been found. There are many men, and few women and children. There is an individual with a facial cut, which may have been the cause of death. The analysis will have to be done under strict conditions, wearing PPE etc. There is a big DNA database built up by the Francis Crick Institute which will be useful to this project. Gender information, ancestry and diseases will hopefully emerge. Twenty skeletons out of about 400 have had DNA extracted so far. There will be a full report later. The more information that is discovered and published, the more funding can be raised to continue the project. At present, much of the work is being done in people's spare time!
The talk generated a number of questions:
- What is the size of the pits? About two metres.
- Where are the finds kept? Leamington Spa.
- Will the bodies be re-buried? The house has now been built on the site, so the remains will not return there. They may be lodged in a museum, but no decision has yet been made.
It was an interesting presentation and a useful update on the talk in February 2024.
Helen Elliott, Publicity Officer, May 2026.
