NHER 64580 (Monument record) - Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age remains, potentially prehistoric enclosures and post-medieval field boundaries

November 2015. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of large proposed development area.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 5 May 2023.

August 2017-March 2018. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of possible development area.
This survey identified several potentially archaeologically significant anomalies, all of which lay in the eastern half of this large field.
A weakly positive curvilinear anomaly at TM 1970 9337 may represent part of a sub-circular enclosure.
Other anomalies of interest included a positive linear anomaly with a right-angle bend and a ‘T’-shaped arrangement of linear anomalies to the north that may represent elements of a rectilinear enclosure. Another positive linear anomaly with a right-angle bend identified at the eastern edge of the field is possibly the corner of another, similarly-aligned rectilinear enclosure.
An interconnected series of straight linear anomalies correspond with post-medieval field boundaries marked on 19th-century maps (a number of which survived until at least the later 20th century).
It is noted that due to disturbance from sugar beet harvesting, the data from this area showed an increased level of background 'noise'.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 31 January 2021.

March-April 2024. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of part of large proposed development site (Trenches 27-141).
The 115 trenches excavated at this location revealed a range of linear and discrete features, including various ditches that corresponded with the possible enclosures and later former field boundaries identified by the preceding geophysical survey. Dating evidence was generally scarce, although there was clear evidence for at least limited early activity on the site, with a small multi-period assemblage of prehistoric pottery recovered, along with a limited number of worked flints. Potentially prehistoric features included a group of three post-holes, two of which contained Late Neolithic/Bronze Age Beaker pottery sherds. Small quantities of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery were also recovered from three widely dispersed pits.
The probable enclosure ditches also produced prehistoric material and were therefore potentially associated with these phases of activity - although the numbers of finds recovered were very small; the suggested early date for these remains being based as much on the complete lack of later material. The 'L'-shaped probable enclosure ditch extending from the eastern edge of the site was found to be a reasonably substantial feature, although finds were limited to a single Early Neolithic pottery sherd and a fragment of fired clay. The western side of this enclosure was not traced to the south of the geophysical anomaly and no sign of a southern side was identified. The possible oval or sub-circular enclosure identified to the north was also found to have associated sub-surface remains, although no dating evidence was recovered from this ditch. A single Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery sherd was though recovered from an adjacent ditch that appeared to follow the curvature of the main feature. Although a western side to this enclosure wasn't found this was possibly due to the placement of the trenches. The second possible rectilinear enclosure proved to be associated with a particularly substantial ditch, although both the east-to-west and north-to-south aligned portions both appeared to the terminate before the ends of the geophysical anomalies - the lines of these features seemingly being continued by much narrower, shallower ditches. There was again no clear evidence for associated remains that had not been picked up by the geophysical survey. One of the slots dug through the main feature produced five sherds of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Beaker pottery and a single Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age sherd was found in another (possibly at a slightly lighter level). A smaller number of worked flints were also recovered from this feature but several samples taken from its fills produced only sparse assemblages of charred plant macrofossils.
The limited artefactual evidence for later activity on the site included a single Late Iron Age pottery sherd and a Roman coin, although these were both found in ditches of likely or definite post-medieval date. Post-Roman remains were largely limited to a series of north-north-east to south-south-west and west-north-west to east-south-east aligned ditches that clearly corresponded former field boundaries shown on the Stratton St Michael tithe map (S3). Finds recovered from these features included single sherds of late medieval/early post-medieval and post-medieval pottery; post-medieval ceramic roof tile fragments, a post-medieval shoe buckle, various iron objects and a small amount of animal bone.
The various undated pits and ditches recorded were mostly fairly unremarkable, although it is notable that these remains were concentrated in the easternmost portion of the site, in the vicinity of the probable enclosure ditches.
See report (S4) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 26 June 2025.