NHER 59587 (Monument record) - Post-Roman ditch, Roman/medieval pits and multi-period finds

June 1998. Geophysical Survey.
Undertaken along route of proposed pipeline (Site 6). Part of large area subject to magnetic susceptibility survey. A magnetometer and resistivity survey was subsequently conducted at the northern end of this field, close to the proposed route of the pipeline. Minor magnetic disturbances were recorded during the survey, but the nature of these is unclear.
See (S1) for further details.
E. Rose (NLA), 10 December 1998. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 August 2013.

1999. Evaluation.
Excavation of three trenches along the route of the proposed pipeline (Site 6 Trenches 8-10).
A shallow ditch running north-north-west to south-south-east ran for at least 16m within one of the evaluation trenches. The fill of the ditch contained knapped flint and a cattle femur (which exhibits evidence of marrow extraction). The ditch runs perpendicular to Church Lane, and is broadly parallel with and equidistant to the stream to the east and a field boundary to the west. On this basis, the excavator suggests this ditch is probably a former field or tenement boundary of Saxon or medieval date. Four intercutting pits were located within the same evaluation trench. These contained very little domestic waste and were quite some distance from the likely area of settlement. Instead, these appear to have been excavated to allow the extraction of the underlying sand and gravel. These pits have been provisionally dated to the medieval period but it is not inconceivable that they could be Roman. The only factor which challenges their interpretation as quarry pits is that two of the pits significantly cut into earlier pits, which is unusual. This could indicate that these pits were dug over a considerable period of time so that the location of the earlier pits was not visible. Finds from the pits included a sherd of medieval pottery, fragments of horse bone, a small quantity of burnt limestone and some charcoal. Another feature was interpreted as a tree-throw hollow, likely to represent the location of a tree that had been burnt down/grubbed out in antiquity. This feature containd a significant amount of charcoal and heat affected flint gravel and produced a single worked flint flake.
The small assemblage of worked flint recovered during this work was of exclusively Neolithic/Bronze Age date and included a single core, a tool fragment and a number of flakes.
See (S2) for further details.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 11 December 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 August 2013.

April to July 1999. Archaeological Excavation and Watching Brief
Monitoring of groundworks associated with construction of Brisley to Bushy Common Pipeline (Plot 10).
Two further pits were identified in this field during this phase of work. Neither produced any dating evidence, although it was thought likely that they were also medieval extraction pits. Unstratified finds recovered included a Late Mesolithic/Neolithic flint core trimming flake and several Late Neolithic/Bronze Age worked flints (notched flake, and three unretouched flakes).
See (S3) for details.
E. Ford (HES), 01 Oct 2012. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 August 2013.