NHER 69922 (Monument record) - Undated pits and post-medieval ditches

October 2021. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of part of large proposed development site (F6).
This survey identified little of potential archaeological interest. The one response of note is a north-north-east to south-south-west aligned linear anomaly in the central part of the site that is likely to represent an infilled ditch. This can be seen to continue the line of a former field boundary shown on the Ordnance Survey First Edition map (S1).
Various other linear responses are all thought to have been caused by land drains. Areas of magnetic disturbance at the western edge of the field and scattered discrete dipolar 'spike' were probably associated with ferrous material on or close to the surface – most likely modern debris.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 12 July 2026.

March-June 2025. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of part of large proposed development site (Trenches 1-44).
The 44 trenches excavated at this location revealed three post-medieval ditches and several undated pits. The ditches included a west-north-west to east-south-east aligned feature that corresponded with a former field boundary shown on the Ordnance Survey First Edition map (S1). A roughly perpendicular north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditch extending to the south of this feature was almost certainly broadly contemporary, being found to contain late post-medieval pottery and post-medieval brick fragments. This coincided with one of the geophysical anomalies that had been thought to represent a land drain. A similarly-aligned feature crossing the site to the east had been correctly identified as a ditch by the geophysical survey and was also probably post-medieval, although the single excavated segment produced no dating evidence.
The pits included a cluster of three features with very dark fills, samples from which produced charcoal and fragments of ferrous material that potentially represent debris from metal working. No dating evidence was recovered either this cluster or the scattered pit encountered across the remainder of the site. A sample from one of the isolated features also produced charcoal but little else in the way of charred plant macrofossil or other debris.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 12 July 2026.