NHER 66849 (Monument record) - Early Saxon building and other, potentially Iron/Roman, post-medieval and undated remains

November 2021. Desk-based Assessment.
Historic environment assessment undertaken to inform planning application for proposed development.
This assessment concluded that the site had a low to moderate potential for prehistoric to Roman and/or medieval remains of likely local significance.
No features of archaeological or historical interest were noted during a brief site visit undertaken as part of this work.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 5 April 2023.

October-November 2022. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site in southern half of site.
The twelve trenches excavated revealed four linear features and a single pit.
The linear features included a west-north-west to east-south-east aligned ditch or gully of possible Iron Age or Roman date. This feature produced four sherds of undiagnostic handmade pottery (with a suggested possible date range of 200 BC to 100 AD) and a translucent green/blue glass bead of possible Roman date.
The other three ditches were all aligned roughly north-to-south and of uncertain date, finds being limited to a single (presumably residual) flint flake of probable Neolithic date.
The pit lay in the north-west corner of the site and was also undated.
No unstratified finds were recovered.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 5 April 2023.

July 2024. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site in northern half of site.
The twenty-two trenches excavated revealed a number of scattered features, the most notable of which was a probable Early Saxon grubenhaus (sunken-feature building), which was encountered on an area of higher ground in the central part of the site. This relatively shallow, flat-based feature contained a small assemblage of Early Saxon pottery, along with a range of other finds, including Roman brick fragments, a Roman pottery sherd, an incomplete loomweight, undiagnostic fragments of fired clay and animal. An east-to-west aligned ditch to the north was possibly of a similar date, being found to contain a small amount of Early Saxon pottery and Roman brick fragments. Another ditch was found to contain crumbs of undiagnostic prehistoric pottery.
There was little evidence for significant subsequent activity on the site, with later finds limited to a number of post-medieval brick fragments – all of which came from a large probable extraction pit. The small number of other ditches identified were all undated, although it is thought that one extensive north-to-south aligned feature was possibly post-medieval.
Several scattered pits were also all undated and seemingly fairly unremarkable.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 3 October 2024.