NHER 66021 (Monument record) - Prehistoric, post-medieval to modern and undated remains

February-March 2012. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of site prior to installation of replacement water main (Field 2).
This work exposed a diffuse scatter of linear and discrete features. Although few finds were recovered, there was clear evidence for prehistoric activity, with Early Neolithic pottery found in several features, most of which lay in the western half of the site. The largest assemblages came from two probable tree-throw hollows, one of which also contained flint debitage that had probably been broadly contemporary with the pottery. Smaller quantities of Early Neolithic pottery were recovered from a probable pit and several ditches.
The majority of the other discrete features were of uncertain date, finds being limited to small quantities of work flint. A small number of these features were thought to represent deliberately dug pits but the majority were of probable natural origin. The majority of the linear features recorded were also undated, with the only notable find being a handmade pottery sherd of probable Early Bronze Age date.
Evidence for more recent activity was limited to two roughly east-to-west aligned ditches at the eastern end of the site, one of which produced post-medieval pottery and the other 'modern' material. It is possible that one was associated with a similarly-aligned cropmark previously identified on aerial photographs of the field to the east (part of an extensive group recorded as NHER 12997).
A substantial undated north-east to south-west aligned ditch towards the western end of the site potentially continued the line of a feature associated with a cropmark recorded in the field to the south (also part of the group recorded as NHER 12997).
Information from draft report. HER copy awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 5 September 2022.