NHER 62520 (Monument record) - Post-medieval ditch and undated pits

2016. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of proposed development area.
Report awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 1 February 2017.

February-March 2017. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of large proposed development area.
Although a total of 120 trenches were excavated the only archaeologically significant remains uncovered were a post-medieval ditch and a small number of dispersed pits, none of which produced any dating evidence. The ditch was north-east to south-west aligned and corresponds with a boundary marked on 19th-century maps of the site. The single slot excavated produced a small amount of modern pottery. The pits included a number of small sub-circular features that had charcoal-rich fills and were interpreted as 'fire pits'. Samples taken from these features produced no plant macrofossils other than charcoal. One pit produced a single fragment of iron slag and several others produced small amount of burnt flint. It is possible that at least some of these features were associated with an industrial activity, possibly charcoal production.
Although several trenches in the western field were positioned in order to investigate a previously identified cropmark feature (NHER 52454) no corresponding sub-surface remains were identified.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 1 February 2017.