Charred Plant Remains from Corn Driers and Other Contexts of a Romano-British Settlement Site at Billesley Manor Farm, Warwickshire

Excavation of part of a Romano-British rural settlement produced charred plant remains from samples from two kilns thought to be corn driers and other features of 3rd to 4th century date. The most abundant cereal found was glume wheat, probably mainly spelt (Triticum spelta). Samples from the flues of the two features interpreted as corn driers contained abundant wheat glumes (chaff) with a few grains and very few weed seeds. This was interpreted as cereal waste separated by fine sieving and used as fuel, the chaff itself indicated that dehusking of glume wheat was being carried out on the site. Both of these features had a small amount of evidence for irregular germination suggesting the processing of accidentally sprouted grain. A further sample from one of the corn driers contained about equal numbers of grains and glumes and was thought to represent spikelets of the cereal being processed. Parching of wheat spike lets for dehusking may have been one of the processes carried out although the drying of spike lets for storage is also possible from the evidence of the last uses of one of the corn driers.