Summary
An archaeological evaluation was undertaken at St Peter's Church, Ipsley in advance of the proposed construction of an extension for the church. The work was carried out for the Church Council. The area contained a potential site of a Romano-British farmstead. The current settlement at Ipsley dates from before Doomsday.
The evaluation revealed a boundary ditch, aligned east to west, of an early date. It was not clear if this had Roman or medieval origins. This feature may represent an early north boundary to the churchyard, south of the existing one, or, it may represent an earlier property division or field ditch pre- dating the church. This was well preserved beneath a severely truncated medieval deposit, two post-medieval features and a substantial accumulation of dumped soil. The dumped deposits served to level up a slope on the west side of the graveyard where it had been extended westwards towards the end of the First World War. There was also evidence of the churchyard having been built up through the dumping of soil on the north side of the church.
Roman pottery, although built up through the dumping of soil on the north side of the church. possibly all residual, supported the evidence of other artefacts recorded in the vicinity. These suggest Romano-British settlement, possibly a farmstead at Ipsley to the west of Riknield Street, a major Roman road.
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