Wessex Archaeology Castle Hill Crewkerne, Somerset Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results Ref: 77502 December 2011 CASTLE HILL CREWKERNE, SOMERSET Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results Prepared for: Videotext Communications Ltd 11 St Andrews Crescent CARDIFF CF10 3DB by Wessex Archaeology Portway House Old Sarum Park SALISBURY Wiltshire SP4 6EB Report reference: 77502.01 Path: x:\projects\77502\post ex\77502_castle hill report (ed LNM) December 2011 © Wessex Archaeology Limited 2011 all rights reserved Wessex Archaeology Limited is a Registered Charity No. 287786 Castle Hill, Somerset Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results DISCLAIMER THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT WAS DESIGNED AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF A REPORT TO AN INDIVIDUAL CLIENT AND WAS PREPARED SOLELY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THAT CLIENT. THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT DOES NOT NECESSARILY STAND ON ITS OWN AND IS NOT INTENDED TO NOR SHOULD IT BE RELIED UPON BY ANY THIRD PARTY. 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LOSS OR DAMAGE AS REFERRED TO ABOVE SHALL BE DEEMED TO INCLUDE, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR ANTICIPATED PROFITS DAMAGE TO REPUTATION OR GOODWILL LOSS OF BUSINESS OR ANTICIPATED BUSINESS DAMAGES COSTS EXPENSES INCURRED OR PAYABLE TO ANY THIRD PARTY (IN ALL CASES WHETHER DIRECT INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL) OR ANY OTHER DIRECT INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSS OR DAMAGE QUALITY ASSURANCE SITE CODE 77502 ACCESSION CODE 31/2011 CLIENT CODE PLANNING APPLICATION REF. - NGR 342035, 110811 VERSION STATUS* PREPARED APPROVED APPROVER’S DATE FILE BY BY SIGNATURE 1 I NB JPG 12/12/2011 X:\PROJECTS\77502\POST EX\77502_CASTLE HILL REPORT (ED LNM) * I= Internal Draft E= External Draft F= Final WA Project No. 77502 ii CASTLE HILL CREWKERNE, SOMERSET Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results Contents Summary ............................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgements.............................................................................................iv 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................5 1.1 Project Background .....................................................................................5 1.2 The Site, location and geology ....................................................................5 1.3 Archaeological and Historical Background..................................................5 1.4 Previous Archaeological Work.....................................................................6 2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................6 3 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................6 3.1 Geophysical and Topographical Survey......................................................6 3.2 Landscape Survey and Cartographic Analysis............................................7 3.3 Evaluation Trenches....................................................................................7 3.4 Copyright .....................................................................................................7 4 RESULTS ............................................................................................................8 4.1 Introduction..................................................................................................8 4.2 Geophysical Results....................................................................................8 4.3 Landscape and Documentary Survey .........................................................9 4.4 Evaluation Trenches..................................................................................10 5 FINDS ................................................................................................................13 5.1 Introduction................................................................................................13 5.2 Pottery .......................................................................................................13 5.3 Stone .........................................................................................................14 5.4 Worked and Burnt Flint..............................................................................14 5.5 Metalwork ..................................................................................................15 5.6 Animal Bone ..............................................................................................15 5.7 Potential and further recommendations.....................................................17 6 PALAEO-ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMARY........................................................17 6.1 Introduction................................................................................................17 6.2 Charred Plant Remains .............................................................................17 6.3 Wood Charcoal..........................................................................................18 6.4 Small animal and fish bones......................................................................18 6.5 Potential and further recommendations.....................................................18 7 DISCUSSION.....................................................................................................18 7.1 Introduction................................................................................................18 7.2 Prehistoric (-AD43) and Romano-British (AD43-410)................................19 7.3 Medieval (1066-1500)................................................................................19 7.4 Post-medieval (1500-1800) .......................................................................19 8 RECOMMENDATIONS .....................................................................................19 9 ARCHIVE...........................................................................................................20 10 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................21 APPENDIX 1: TRENCH SUMMARIES.......................................................................26 Castle Hill, Somerset Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results Tables Table 1: Finds totals by material type and by trench Table 2: Number of identified specimens present (or NISP) Table 3: Quantity and type of detailed information available from further study Table 4: Assessment of the charred plant remains and charcoal Figures Figure 1: Location of Site, trenches and geophysical survey areas Figure 2: Results of magnetic and topographic survey Summary gradiometer interpretation Gradiometer results 2010 and 2011 and topographic survey Figure 3: Results of the GPR survey Figure 4: Trench 1, plan; Inset: Trenches 1 and 5, extrapolated size and position of structure Figure 5: Trench 1, photographs Plate 1: Mid-excavation view, feature 109, view from north Plate 2: Wall 128, surfaces 126 and 127, view from south-west Plate 3: Post-excavation view, wall 128 and robber cut 105, view from north-east Plate 4: Post-excavation view, extension to Trench 1, view from north- east Plate 5: South-east facing section robber cut 113 Figure 6: Trench 2, plan and photographs Plate 6: South-west facing section ditch 206 Plate 7: North-east facing section pit 204, view from east Figure 7: Trenches 3 and 4, plan and photographs Plate 8: North-west facing section ditch 309, view from west Plate 9: South-east facing section ditch 404, view from north-east Figure 8: Trench 6, plan and photographs Plate 10: View of lower platform, view from north-east Plate 11: South-west facing section ditch 604, view from south Front Cover: View of Castle Hill, from north-east, View from Castle Hill to west Back Cover: (clockwise from top left) Opening Trench 1; Recording Trench 1; Recording Trench 2; Recording Trench 3 WA Project No. 77502 ii Castle Hill, Somerset Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results CASTLE HILL CREWKERNE, SOMERSET Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results Summary Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Videotext Communications Ltd to undertake a programme of archaeological recording and post-excavation work on an archaeological evaluation undertaken by Channel 4’s ‘Time Team’ at the site of Castle Hill, Crewkerne, Somerset (NGR 342035, 110811). This evaluation clearly identified a fortified, stone-built square structure on the top of the hill, surrounded by defensive ditches circling the summit. However, despite evidence that this was originally a substantial structure, relatively little stonework remained, indicating that the building was likely to have been systematically deconstructed and the re-usable stone removed from the Site. The majority of the finds support the idea that this fortification was in use for only a short time during the early medieval period. A small amount of residual prehistoric and Romano-British material was also found. Given the relatively small scale of the evaluation, and the limited results, no further analysis of the stratigraphic,