All Cannings Cross

All Cannings Cross is an archaeological site near the village of All Cannings in Wiltshire’s Vale of Pewsey. It sits on farmland a few kilometres from Devizes, marked only by a scheduled ancient monument sign. The land was once ploughed fields where hammerstones turned up in large numbers. In 1911 Ben and Maud Cunnington began the first dig after local reports of these finds. Their work uncovered a deep layer of dark soil rich in pottery, animal bones and tools of bronze and iron. The Cunningtons returned between 1920 and 1922 and dug further. Their pottery collection became important for understanding Iron Age Britain. Pots from the eighth to seventh centuries BC were often highly decorated and burnished to a bronze-like shine. All Cannings Cross gave its name to this distinctive style, which has since been found across southern England from Somerset to Hampshire. This wide distribution suggests strong trade links and shared customs among communities in Wessex. Recent work by the University of Sheffield in 2003 and 2004 showed the dark layer was a large midden, similar to sites at Potterne and East Chisenbury. Post-built buildings, hearths and floors show where people once lived. Experts still debate whether the middens were rubbish from farming or pits used for feasting. The site remains a key place for studying the shift from Bronze Age to Iron Age in southern Britain.