BATTLEDOWN MANOR, GREENWAY LANE, CHARLTON KINGS, , ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION

C.A.T JOB: 0727 C.A.T REPORT: 98867

DATE: FEBRUARY 1998

This report has been researched and compiled with all reasonable skill, care, and attention to detail within the terms of the project as specified by the Client and within the general terms and conditions of Cotswold Archaeological Trust Ltd. The Trust shall not be liable for any inaccuracy, error or omission in the report or other documents produced as part of the Consultancy and no liability is accepted for any claim, loss or damage howsoever arising from any opinion stated or conclusion or other material contained in this report or other documents supplied as part of the Consultancy.

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Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

CONTENTS

CONTENTS ...... 1

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ...... 2

GLOSSARY...... 3

SUMMARY ...... 5

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 6

1.1 Introduction ...... 6 1.2 Geology and Topography ...... 6 1.3 Archaeological and Historical Background ...... 6 1.4 Methodology ...... 7

2. EVALUATION RESULTS...... 9

2.1 General ...... 9 2.2 Trench 1 ...... 9 2.3 Trench 2 ...... 10

3. ASSESSMENT OF RESULTS ...... 12

3.1. General ...... 12

4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... 13

5. BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 13

1 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Fig.1 Location plan 14 Fig.2 Trench location plan 15 Fig.3 Section # 1 & 2 16

2 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

GLOSSARY

ARCHAEOLOGY For the purposes of this project, archaeology is taken to mean the study of past human societies through their material remains, from prehistoric times to the modern era. No rigid upper date limit has been set, but AD 1900 is used as a general cut-off point.

CONTEXT The simplest level of excavated archaeological data, i.e. a context could be the cut of a ditch (shown as - [1]), or its fill (shown as (2)).

IRON AGE The first period in which iron was the predominant metal. In Britain it is dated between c700 BC to the Roman conquest in AD 43.

MEDIEVAL Taken here as the period from the Norman invasion in AD 1066 to approximately AD 1500.

MONUMENT The expression monument is statutorily defined in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as follows:

(a) Any building, structure, or work whether above or below the surface of the land, and any cave or excavation; (b) any site comprising the remains of, any vehicle, vessel, aircraft or other movable structure or part thereof, which neither constitutes nor forms part of any work which is a monument within paragraph (a) above. The site of a monument includes not only the land in or on which it is situated, but also any land comprising or adjoining it which is essential for its support and preservation.

NATURAL Defined in archaeological terms this refers to the undisturbed natural geology of a site, e.g. Lower Lias clay, river terrace gravels etc.

NGR National Grid Reference given from the Ordnance Survey Grid.

OD Ordnance Datum; used to express a given height above mean sea level.

3 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

SITE Sites may be defined as `windows' onto the archaeological resource, e.g. an excavation, aerial photograph, or an old map. Any of these may reveal certain archaeological features (pits, ditches, etc) which can be classed as components, but not monuments.

4 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

SUMMARY

In January 1998, Cotswold Archaeological Trust was commissioned by Robert Deacon Homes to undertake an archaeological evaluation at Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The work was undertaken prior to the determination of a planning application for the construction of a split-level bungalow.

The site is situated adjacent to Battledown Camp, a possible Iron Age hillfort, designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM 405), on an earthwork possibly associated with the Camp.

No conclusive archaeological evidence was encountered during the course of the evaluation.

5 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 This report presents the results of an archaeological evaluation carried out on 4th February 1998, at Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The site is centered on NGR SO 39692219 (Fig.1).

1.1.2 The evaluation was undertaken prior to the determination of a planning application for the construction of a split-level bungalow. The work was carried out in accordance with the ‘Standard and Guidance for Field Evaluation’ issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (IFA, 1994); the ‘Statement of Standards and Practices appropriate for Archaeological Fieldwork in Gloucestershire’ issued by the Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Section; and the ‘Management of Archaeological Projects’ (MAP 2) issued by English Heritage.

1.2 Geology and Topography

1.2.1 The underlying geology of the study area comprises Middle Lias Clays of the Jurassic period, which cap the hill on which the site is situated.

1.2.2 Battledown is situated between Oakley and Ryeworth, some 2km east of the centre of Cheltenham. The site lies on the considerably steep southern slope of a knoll, some 20m west of the supposed outer bank of Battledown Camp, which occupies the plateau of a hill, and 60m north of the manor house. It is currently part of a horse paddock and covers an area of approximately 186 sq.m. Its centre has a height of approximately 140m OD.

1.3 Archaeological and Historical Background

6 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

1.3.1 Battledown is first mentioned in 1598 as ‘Badleton’, which by 1606 had evolved to ‘Battleton’ (Smith, 1964, 97).

1.3.2 Cox (1972) describes Battledown Camp as a ‘single ditch and rampart contour camp enclosing a knoll in the angle between Greenway Lane and Harp Hill Road’. He adds ‘little is known about the dating of this camp but its topography would suggest Early Iron Age. A recent suggestion is that it is not a camp at all but a recognizable geological feature’.

1.3.3 The RCHME (1976, 23) describes the camp as ‘best interpreted as a group of gullies, scarps and ridges, natural in origin.’

1.3.4 To date, Battledown Camp has undergone little, if no archaeological investigation.

1.4 Methodology

1.4.1 A project design was prepared by the Cotswold Archaeological Trust for an evaluation on the site which was approved by Mr C. Parry, Archaeology Officer, Gloucestershire County Council.

1.4.2 The proposed development consists of the construction of a split-level bungalow.

1.4.3 Under archaeological supervision, two 3.1m x 1.5m trenches were excavated within the footprint of the proposed building, to the surface of the natural substrate. Trench 1 was positioned running west-north-west to east-south- east, along the slope, within the western arm of the proposed development and Trench 2 was positioned running north-north-east to south-south-west down the slope, within the eastern arm (Fig.2).

7 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

1.4.4 All identified deposits were recorded in accordance with the Cotswold Archaeological Trust Field Recording Manual (1996).

1.4.5 A full written, drawn and photographic record of the watching brief was compiled in accordance with the archaeological project design.

1.4.6 The completed site archive will be deposited with the Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum.

8 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

2. EVALUATION RESULTS

2.1 General

2.1.1 During the course of the evaluation, no definite archaeological features were encountered.

2.2 Trench 1

2.2.1 In Trench 1 the natural substrate of yellow Lias Clay (104) was encountered at a minimum depth of 0.4m below present ground level, in the north-east corner of the trench. It was found to slope off generally in a south-westerly direction and in the south-west corner of the trench, its surface was encountered some 0.3m deeper than in the north-east corner, at a depth of 0.7m below ground level (Fig.3).

2.2.2 Overlying the natural substrate was a layer of mid yellow-brown silty clay (103) (Fig.3). This deposit contained frequent charcoal flecks and increased in thickness from 0.1m at the eastern end of trench to 0.4m at the western end. This deposit produced fragments of brick, lime mortar and a single rim-sherd of degraded pottery, all of post-medieval date. This layer is interpreted as a build-up of hill-wash, originating from the higher, flatter ground to the north, and washed downslope, possibly as a result of cultivation activity.

2.2.3 Overlying deposit (103), was a similar layer of mid yellow-brown silty clay (102) (Fig.3), distinguishable from context (103) only by its slightly darker colour and less frequent charcoal flecks. Again this layer increased in thickness from north-east to south-west, from 0.1m to 0.4m. This deposit is interpreted as a further build-up of hill-wash, originating in the same manner as (103), but accumulating more recently. No dating evidence was recovered from this context.

9 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

2.2.4 Overlying context (102), and forming the present ground surface, was a layer of dark brown clay silt (101) (Fig.3). This deposit varied in depth from 0.05m to 0.15m throughout the trench. No artefactual evidence was recovered from this topsoil layer.

2.2.5 An additional area of 1.8 sq.m was mechanically excavated along the southern limit of the existing trench, in order to verify the nature of deposits (102) and (103). This confirmed their likely origin as colluvial deposits, but did not otherwise add to the information from the trench.

2.3 Trench 2

2.3.1 At ground level, Trench 2 sloped from its northern end to its southern end with an overall drop in height of 0.7m (Fig.3).

2.3.2 The natural substrate of yellow Lias Clay (203) was encountered at varying depths of between 0.3m from present ground level at the northern end of the trench, to 0.2m at the southern end (Fig.3). A feature was idetified in the south-east corner of the trench, but upon investigation this was found to be a tree-bowl.

2.3.3 Overlying the natural substrate (203) was a layer of light yellow-brown silty clay (202) (Fig.3). This deposit contained very occasional small pieces of limestone, but otherwise was quite sterile. Its depth varied from 0.25m at the northern end of the trench to 0.15m at the southern end. This context produced one sherd of post-medieval pottery, and is interpreted as being a layer of hill-wash deposit, similar in origin to (102) and (103) in Trench 1.

2.3.4 Overlying layer (202) was a layer of mid-brown clay silt (201), forming the present ground level (Fig.3). This layer was fairly uniform in depth, with a maximum depth of 0.12m. No artefactual evidence was recovered from this deposit.

10 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

11 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

3. ASSESSMENT OF RESULTS

3.1. General

3.1.1 The hill-wash deposits encountered in both of the evaluation trenches produced fairly modern finds, indicating that this is probably an ongoing process, with material from the higher ground to the north of the site gradually being carried down the slope by the combined effects of weathering and cultivation activity.

3.1.2 It is apparent from the results of the evaluation that the slope of the knoll naturally drops away more steeply to the west of the study area than the present ground surface would suggest, but a greater build-up of hill-wash material here gives the slope a more uniform appearance.

3.1.3 No archaeological evidence was encountered during the evaluation to support the idea that the knoll is an earthwork feature associated with an Iron Age hill-fort. The true nature of Battledown Camp, however, could only be established by more extensive explorations than were possible within the confines of a relitavely small-scale evaluation.

12 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Cotswold Archaeological Trust would like to thank Mr R. Deacon of Robert Deacon Homes and Mr C. Parry, Archaeology Officer, Gloucestershire County Council, for their assistance during the course of this project.

The fieldwork was carried out by Mark Brett and Jo Williams. This report has been compiled by Mark Brett and the illustrations prepared by Rick Morton.

5. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cox, W.L. (1972), ‘Prehistoric and Roman Sites of the Cheltenham area’.

IFA (1994), ‘Standard and Guidance for Field Evaluation’.

RCHME (1976), ‘Iron Age and Romano-British Monuments in the ’.

Smith, A. H. (1964), ‘The Place-Names of Gloucestershire (Part Two)’.

13 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

Fig.1 Fig.1 Location plan

14 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

Fig.2 Trench location plan

15 Battledown Manor, Greenway Lane, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Archaeological Evaluation

Fig.3 Section # 1 & 2

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