SCHOOL pupils have been shown new evidence of a prehistoric settlement on the site of a housing development.

Twenty eight year two and three children from Kirklevington Primary School were invited to Taylor Wimpey’s 97-home site on St Martin’s Way, in Kirklevington and given a tour of the excavations by Jamie Armstrong, senior archaeologist for Archaeological Services Durham University.

During the site visit, students found out about how professional archaeologists carry out excavations and record their findings, before being shown a selection of artefacts that have been found on site.

The excavations revealed a large ditched enclosure, which had been subdivided by an internal ditch. Trenches were excavated across parts of this enclosure and a selection of pottery fragments were found, as well as fragments of animal bone. Soil samples taken from the fill of the ditch contained the remains of barley and spelt wheat, both crops commonly cultivated in the later prehistoric and Romano-British periods.

A series of gullies likely to be the remains of roundhouses were discovered within the enclosure, which also typically date back to the Iron Age or Romano-British period, along with other features such as post holes and small pits. The initial interpretation of the site is that it was a small enclosed farmstead.

The visit was organised by the local Taylor Wimpey team, in order to give the children an opportunity to learn about what life was like in Kirklevington 2,000 years ago.

Teacher Kathryn Warren said: “Learning about local history is extremely important for the children as it allows them to understand and explore the area they live in, as well as helping them to gain a sense of identity. Jamie did a great job of engaging with the students and they thoroughly enjoyed the visit.”

Mr Armstrong said: “Our recent findings are groundbreaking as there has been no evidence of activity around the Iron Age or Romano-British period in Kirklevington up until now. This discovery is such an important part of the village’s history, so being able to share it with local school children, while giving them an introduction into the field of archaeology, was fantastic.”