NHER 69870 (Monument record) - Medieval enclosures and associated remains

April-May 2022. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of potential archaeological impact of proposed development.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 22 May 2026.

August 2022 and February 2023. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site.
The most notable responses are a group of adjoining east-north-east to west-south-west and north-north-west to south-south-east aligned linear anomalies revealed in the smaller of the two areas examined, to the south of the village hall (Area 1). These appear to represent a rectilinear enclosure with at least one internal sub-division. The nature of these remains and their position adjacent to the road suggests they were associated with an area of medieval to post-medieval activity. Possible traces of similar remains can be decerned in the data for the area immediately to the north of the village hall, although this area is obscured by considerable magnetic noise.
Other responses of potential interest include a number of more fragmentary linear anomalies recorded elsewhere in the northern survey area. These are though regarded as being of undetermined origin and may not necessarily represent archaeological remains. This is also the case with a number of short linear anomalies recorded in the southern area.
An extensive east-north-east to west-south-west aligned linear anomaly crossing the northern area coincides with a former field boundary shown on the Ordnance Survey First Edition map (S2).
A ferrous anomaly at the eastern edge of the northern area coincides with an extract World War Two pillbox (NHER 17015) and may represent debris associated with its construction.
The survey of the northern area revealed no evidence for surviving sub-surface remains associated with a linear cropmark noted on aerial photographs (NHER 39156).
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 22 May 2026.

January 2024. Trial Trenching.
This evaluation of the northern part of the site saw the excavation of 11 trenches, the majority of which were placed to investigate anomalies recorded by the preceding geophysical survey. These trenches revealed a number of ditches, the majority of which were aligned either north-north-west to south-south-east or east-north-east to west-south-west. These included a number of features at the western edge of the site which coincided with the cluster of linear geophysical anomalies recorded in the area immediately north of the village hall. Significantly, one of the trenches opened at this location also revealed a group of potentially structural remains comprising four post-holes and a possibly beam slot. Unfortunately the majority of the features in this part of the site were undated, the one exception being a ditch that contained fragments of a late medieval and transitional (LMT) ware jar of 15th to 16th-century date. Samples taken from the fills of this feature were found to contain small amounts of cereal grain (including identifiable examples of rye, wheat and possible oat), along with weed seeds and sparse charcoal. An unstratified fragment of a medieval Purbeck marble mortar or bowl was also recovered in this area.
The various ditches recorded across the remainder of the site were also mostly undated, with the exception of an east-north-east to west-south-west aligned feature that produced a post-medieval pantile fragment and a similarly aligned feature to the south that can be seen to correspond with a former field boundary shown on the Ordnance Survey First Edition map (S2).
Two of the trenches coincided with the north-north-west to south-south-east aligned linear cropmark recorded at this location (NHER 39156) but neither revealed corresponding sub-surface remains.
See report (S4) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 22 May 2026.

July-August 2024. Excavation.
This final phase of archaeological mitigation prior to the development of the northern part of the site saw the excavation of a small area adjacent to Beach Road, where the preceding phases of evaluation had indicated the presence of significant medieval remains. This work revealed at least two medieval enclosures, along with pits and numerous post-holes.
At present the excavated remains are thought to represent two distinct phases of activity, the earlier of which comprised a series of north-north-west to south-south-east and east-north-east to west-south-west aligned ditches. These features are thought to represent a sub-rectangular enclosure with internal divisions and are tentatively dated to the 11th century - finds being limited to a small number of Late Saxon and early medieval pottery sherds. A series of later ditches are thought to represent a high medieval phase of activity, including those that clearly defined the northern, eastern and southern sides of a small sub-square or sub-rectangular enclosure. There was a possible entrance gap in the northern side of the enclosure, with its western side potentially formed by the adjacent road. Most, if not all of the discrete features uncovered appear to have been associated with the later phase of activity, although it should be noted that all of the post-holes and many of the pits produced no dating evidence. Two amorphous groups of post-holes were recorded, one within the main enclosure and another immediately to the south. These potentially represented the remains of structures, although no clear patterns could be discerned. The feature thought to be a beam slot during the preceding trial trenching was found to be a narrow ditch or gully likely associated with the first phase of activity. Many of the pits recorded can be more securely associated with the main, high medieval phase of activity, including a number of more substantial features thought to have been associated with quarrying activities. The late medieval/early post-medieval pottery recovered from one of the ditches during the evaluation now appears to be somewhat anomalous, with the excavation producing no pottery of late medieval or later date - the assemblage recovered suggesting that activity had likely largely ceased at this location by the end of the 14th century. Other objects found within the medieval features included part of a glazed floor tile, pieces of fired clay, a fragmentary lava quern, a buckle, an iron knife blade and a small amount of animal bone. Samples taken from a number of the medieval pits all produced charred cereal grains with free-threshing wheat, barley, rye and oat all represented. The quantities present in two of the pits suggest they had probably been used for refuse disposal. Cereal grains were also present in samples taken from the ditches, with these being particularly frequent in one of the features associated with the earlier phase of activity. These cereal-rich samples also contained fragments of cereal chaff, although it was not a significant component. Large legumes likely to represent culinary remains were also present in a number of the samples, along with the seeds of arable weeds.
Although the remains uncovered are broadly comparable with small-scale medieval roadside settlements now recorded elsewhere in the county, the exact nature of the activity taking place at this location is uncertain. It is noted that the small pottery assemblage is not particularly suggestive of occupation on the site itself.
Limited evidence for activity at this location prior to the Late Saxon period include a small number of prehistoric worked flints and two potentially Bronze Age pottery sherds – virtually all of which were residual within features of likely medieval date. The work flints include a possible Late Upper Palaeolithic blade.
Information from assessment report (S1). Final report awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 23 May 2026.