NHER 65034 (Monument record) - Middle Saxon pits, poorly-dated enclosures and other undated and post-medieval ditches

February 2013. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of proposed development site.
This study concluded that there was a moderate potential for archaeological remains at this site.
No features of archaeological or historic interest were recorded during a brief site visit.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 24 May 2021.

August-September 2013. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The 80 trenches excavated revealed a range of linear features, a number of which correspond with previously recorded cropmarks, including two enclosures (NHERs 13732 and 53223). Unfortunately, little in the way of dating evidence was recovered and interpretation is also hindered by the fact that many of the ditches (including some of the more significant features) were only excavated in selected trenches.
Several of the trenches coincided with the larger of the two rectilinear cropmark enclosures, which is aligned north-west to south-east and part of a group of potentially medieval or earlier remains recorded as NHER 13732. A substantial corresponding ditch was encountered in all of the trenches, but although several slots were excavated finds were limited to four Neolithic or Bronze Age flint flakes, a post-medieval pottery sherd and several fragments of post-medieval ceramic building material. The date of this enclosure ditch remains uncertain as most of these objects were recovered from its uppermost fills and could therefore have been introduced as this area of former heath began to be ploughed for the first time. A single post-medieval pottery sherd was though also recovered from a perpendicular, potentially broadly contemporary ditch within the enclosure (which also corresponds with one of the various more fragmentary cropmarks recorded as part of this group). A sample taken from one of the fills of the enclosure ditch produced only a small amount of charcoal. Two substantial north-east to south-west aligned soilmarks adjacent to the enclosure were found to correspond with changes in the natural geology.
A number of other linear features corresponded with cropmark features that are part of a group thought to represent remains of later, medieval to post-medieval date. These included two ditches that appear to have coincided with a small, potentially post-medieval enclosure at TG 2603 0316, neither of which produced any dating evidence. A ditch that corresponds with a somewhat irregular cropmark in the northernmost part of the site produced a fragment of clay tobacco pipe. A sherd of post-medieval pottery was recovered from a possible continuation of this feature identified to the south.
The ditches that did not correspond with recorded cropmarks included a series of fairly regularly-spaced, north-east to south-west aligned features; all but one of which coincide with former field boundaries depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six-inch map (S2). A small number of post-medieval finds were recovered from these ditches.
Two groups of differently orientated groups of ditches in the southern half of these site were of more uncertain date. The first group were all aligned roughly north-north-west to south-south-east and produced only a single sherd of post-medieval pottery. It should be noted that most appear to have been roughly perpendicular to the field boundaries present in the 19th-century and so may be of relatively recent date. The linear features most likely to significantly predate the later post-medieval field system are two north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditches, one of which corresponds with a mapped cropmark (recorded under NHER 13732). A sherd of post-medieval pottery recovered from a possible southern continuation of this feature was the only find recovered.
The small number of discrete features recorded included two shallow pits containing dark, charcoal-rich fills that have been interpreted as ‘fire pits’. Samples taken from these features produced large quantities of wood charcoal but nothing else in the way of charred plant macrofossils. Analysis of the charcoal from one sample found it to be dominated by mature oak fragments. A Middle-Late Saxon radiocarbon date of 680-890 cal AD at 95% probability (BETA-361622; 1230 +/- 30 BP) was obtained for oak sapwood selected from this assemblage. It should be noted that although described as 'fire pits' these features are very similar to remains that are now commonly interpreted as probably associated with itinerant, small-scale charcoal production. The dominance of oak heartwood is typical and indicates a relatively labour intensive and deliberate collection strategy that would make little sense if these features had simply contained open fires. The lack of associated material culture (or indeed any other evidence for contemporary activity) is also consistent with this interpretation. This is also one a number of sites where such features have been encountered on areas of former heath.
The other possible pits recorded were all unremarkable features, several of which were regarded as potentially natural in origin.
Two particularly large discrete features were though to represent either modern pits or World War Two bomb craters.
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 25 May 2021.