NHER 68644 (Monument record) - Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age and undated remains

June 2011. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometry survey of proposed development site.
A number of weak positive linear anomalies and two weak negative anomalies are possibly of archaeological origin.
There was though no correspondence between these anomalies and a number of linear cropmarks previously mapped at this location (part of a group recorded as NHER 49561) - none of which were associated with evidence for surviving sub-surface remains.
A single large magnetic anomaly in the south-west area probably indicating a buried metallic object.
See report (S1) for further details.
Previously recorded under NHER 49561.
S. Howard (HES), 21 December 2011. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 4 October 2024.

September 2013. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The fourteen trenches excavated revealed evidence for at least limited activity during two prehistoric periods. Potentially prehistoric remains included a group of three features revealed within a single trench that all contained small quantities of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Beaker pottery. The largest assemblage came from a feature interpreted as an east-to-west aligned ditch, although it did not continue into either of the adjacent trenches. A number of additional Beaker sherds came from what appeared to be a nature feature and a single sherd was recovered from a possible pit in the same trench.
Two adjacent features of Late Bronze Age date were also recorded – a pit containing more than 100 pottery sherds of this date and an adjacent post-hole that contained a further 50 sherds. A sample taken from the fill of the pit produced a small assemblage of charred plant macrofossils, including a single cereal grain and a number of weed seeds.
Other features recorded included a pair of adjacent north-to-south aligned ditches seen in two trenches that had potentially bounded a track or droveway. Although one was found to contain several Late Bronze Age pottery sherds these are thought to have been residual – it being noted that the fills of the ditches were markedly different to those of the nearby prehistoric features. The orientation of these features suggests they were possibly post-medieval.
Neither of the ditches uncovered had been identified by the preceding geophysical survey and none of the linear anomalies recorded were found to have corresponding features. There was also no evidence for surviving sub-surface remains associated with several fragmentary linear cropmarks mapped at this location (part of a group of undated enclosures and field boundaries recorded as NHER 49561).
No unstratified finds were recovered.
Information from report uploaded to OASIS. HER copy awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 7 October 2024.