New insights into Roman Sandy

The COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020 proved a productive time for Albion Archaeology project manager, Mike Luke, who used the time to begin drawing together evidence amassed over a long period of professional interest in the Bedfordshire town of Sandy. Mike’s first excavations within Bedfordshire were the 1989 excavations within Sandy municipal cemetery.

A new publication, the thirteenth in the Albion Archaeology monograph series, draws together evidence from excavations over a twenty year period, carried out by both Albion Archaeology (and its predecessor organisation BCAS) and AOC Archaeology. This new publication coincides with the 50th anniversary of the publication of the first ever publication on Roman Sandy by David Johnston.

There is now good evidence that a late Iron Age settlement, possibly extending over 10 hectares existed in the area of the later Roman town. Three hillforts existed within 1km of the Roman town, and while they probably were not in use at the time of the Roman conquest, their existence does illustrate the importance of the Sandy area in the Iron Age. The Roman town developed in an area of late Iron Age settlement below one of the hillforts.

One of the more significant recent discoveries is that part of the town was defended by a large ditch and a wall. Based on the re-examination of the results of earlier excavations the extent of the defences is now largely known, and it is thought that they enclosed a polygonal area of around 11 hectares. The nature and dimensions of the defences are remarkably similar to those identified at other ‘small towns’ in Eastern England, such as at Godmanchester and Cambridge.

The importance of the Roman settlement is emphasised by the construction of the Baldock to Godmanchester Roman road, part of a branch road off the main Roman highway to the east (Ermine Street) which linked London to Lincoln, and which ensured that Roman Sandy was well connected to nearby towns and the wider road network. The course of this road through the Sandy area has been the subject of much previous speculation, but has now been firmly established. Its course did not pass through the centre of the defended part of the town, which is possibly explained by the defences being of later construction.

Two large cemeteries are known to have been associated with the Roman town and both lay outside the defences. The Tower Hill/Tesco cemetery was located to the west of the defences and east of the floodplain. The second large cemetery is located 500m south of the defences and is situated between the Baldock to Godmanchester road and the floodplain; its presence here may indicate the southern extent of the town.

From the integration and a review of all the available evidence to date, it is now clear that the overall extent of the town, including the defended area, was much larger than the previous estimate of 10 hectares; a figure in the region of 30 to 35 hectares seems quite likely. Roman Sandy is clearly a more important settlement than the evidence available at the time of David Johnston’s publication in 1974 would suggest.

Publication of two excavations already undertaken within the town, and any new fieldwork has the potential to tell us a great deal more about Roman Sandy.

Further information is newly published as part of our monograph series. Monograph 13: The Roman ‘Small Town’ at Sandy, Bedfordshire: Origins, Defences, Layout and Status is available now.