Merton Green Caerwent Monmouthshire Archaeological
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Merton Green Caerwent Monmouthshire Archaeological Watching Brief for Barratt Homes (South Wales) Ltd CA Project: 3081 CA Report: 11234 December 2011 Merton Green Caerwent Monmouthshire Archaeological Watching Brief CA Project: 3081 CA Report: 11234 prepared by Jonathan Hart, Publications Officer date 19 December 2011 checked by Richard Young, Project Manager date 19 December 2011 approved by Mark Collard, Head of Contracts signed date 21 December 2011 issue 01 This report is confidential to the client. Cotswold Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability to any third party to whom this report, or any part of it, is made known. Any such party relies upon this report entirely at their own risk. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means without permission. © Cotswold Archaeology Building 11, Kemble Enterprise Park, Kemble, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ t. 01285 771022 f. 01285 771033 e. [email protected] © Cotswold Archaeology Merton Green, Caerwent, Monmouthshire: Archaeological Watching Brief CONTENTS SUMMARY........................................................................................................................ 2 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 3 2. RESULTS (FIG. 2) ............................................................................................... 5 3. DISCUSSION....................................................................................................... 5 4. CA PROJECT TEAM ........................................................................................... 5 5. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 6 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS..................................................................... 7 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS............................................................................................... 8 APPENDIX C: OASIS REPORT FORM ........................................................................... 9 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 The site, showing location of groundworks (1:1000) 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Merton Green, Caerwent, Monmouthshire: Archaeological Watching Brief SUMMARY Project Name: Merton Green Location: Caerwent, Monmouthshire NGR: ST 4685 9089 Type: Watching Brief Date: 24 March 2010 to 14 September 2011 Planning Reference: DC/2009/00725 Location of Archive: To be deposited with The National Museum of Wales, Cardiff Site Code: MGC 10 An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology during groundworks associated with the development of 132 new dwellings at Merton Green, Caerwent, Monmouthshire. No archaeological deposits pre-dating the modern period were identified. The site was covered with a substantial modern dumped layer, likely to derive from 1930s landscaping during construction of the Royal Navy Propellant Factory immediately to the north. Residual abraded Roman pottery was recovered from the topsoil, alongside post-medieval and modern finds. 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Merton Green, Caerwent, Monmouthshire: Archaeological Watching Brief 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Between March 2010 and September 2011, Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological watching brief for Barratt Homes (South Wales Ltd) at Merton Green, Caerwent, Monmouthshire (centred on NGR: ST 4685 9089; Fig. 1). The watching brief was undertaken to fulfil a condition attached to a planning consent granted by Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) for the development of 132 new dwellings (MCC Planning ref: DC/2009/00725). The objective of the watching brief was to record all archaeological remains exposed during the development. 1.2 The watching brief was carried out in accordance with a detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2010) and approved by MCC acting on the advice of their archaeological advisor, Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust (GGAT) Curatorial. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for an Archaeological Watching Brief (IfA 2008), the Management of Archaeological Projects 2 (English Heritage 1991) and the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MORPHE): Project Manager’s Guide (EH 2006). It was monitored by GGAT Curatorial. The site 1.3 The site comprises c. 5ha of land on the northern edge of Caerwent (Fig. 2). It is bounded to the north by Ministry of Defence (MOD) land, to the west and east by existing housing and to the south by the A48. The site slopes gently down from east to west and, prior to the development, comprised a green. 1.4 The underlying solid geology of the site is mapped as the Mercia Mudstone Group of the Scythian to Rhaetian geological era (BGS 2011). Within the western half, this is mapped as being overlain by Quaternary Second to Third Terrace sand and gravel deposits. Purple-red clay was exposed during the watching brief. Archaeological background 1.5 Archaeological interest in the site arises primarily from its location immediately north of the Roman civitas (tribal capital) of Venta Silurum (Caerwent). Extensive excavations within the civitas undertaken during the early 20th century revealed that the earthwork defences originated during the late 2nd century AD and were reconstructed in stone during the late 3rd century. The stone defences were 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Merton Green, Caerwent, Monmouthshire: Archaeological Watching Brief reinforced by semicircular bastions on the northern and southern sides during the 4th-century and these are still visible today (GGAT 2009). The excavations also indicated the presence of Roman suburbs beyond the town walls, although the locations of any cemeteries associated with the settlement have yet to be identified. 1.6 An evaluation of the development site itself in 2003 identified little evidence of Roman activity, perhaps since the northern and southern gates were apparently walled up in the later Roman period, resulting in most of the town’s communications, and presumably development, following an east/west axis (Mullin 2003). 1.7 Prehistoric remains have been identified in the wider area, including Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age flint scatters as well as Bronze Age barrows and cairns and the Iron Age Llanmelin Hillfort (GGAT 2009). 1.8 RAF Caerwent is located to the immediate north of the site, and originated as the Royal Navy Propellant Factory, Caerwent, where explosives were manufactured and stored between 1939–1993 (Cocroft 2000). During the construction of the base, extensive landscaping was undertaken in order to minimise internal gradients (ibid.). Methodology 1.9 The fieldwork followed the methodology set out within the WSI (CA 2010). An archaeologist was present during intrusive groundworks within the eastern half of the site comprising limited ground reduction for houses and roads, along with deeper service trenches (Fig. 2). Within the western half of the site, a different construction technique i.e. piling was employed which did not involve intrusive groundworks. 1.10 Written, graphic and photographic records were compiled in accordance with CA Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual (2007). 1.11 The archive and artefacts from the watching brief are currently held by CA at their offices in Kemble. Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the artefacts will be deposited with The National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, along with the site archive. 4 © Cotswold Archaeology Merton Green, Caerwent, Monmouthshire: Archaeological Watching Brief 2. RESULTS (FIG. 2) 2.1 The natural geological substrate 203, 303, 403 and 503, consisting of purple-red clay, was exposed at the base of deep trenches (T2, 4 and 5) within the eastern part of the site and in a limited area in the north-eastern corner of the site. It was overlain throughout the site by a substantial dump (layers 102, 202, 302, 402 and 502) of redeposited natural clay, up to 2.8m thick containing very occasional stone and brick fragments. This dumped material was sealed by the topsoil (101) from which residual abraded Roman pottery and post-medieval pottery was recovered (Appendix B). 3. DISCUSSION 3.1 The natural substrate, the level at which archaeological features could be expected, was exposed only within limited areas at the base of the deepest trenches and this restricted the potential for identifying any archaeological features that might have been present. The substantial dumped deposit most likely dates to landscaping during the construction of the former Royal Navy Propellant Factory in the 1930s and will have effectively provided a protective buffer for any underlying archaeological deposits that might be present. 4. CA PROJECT TEAM 4.1 Fieldwork was undertaken by Jonathan Hart. This report was written by Jonathan Hart with illustrations prepared by Lorna Gray. The archive has been compiled by Jonathan Hart, and prepared for deposition by James Johnson. The project was managed for CA by Richard Young. 5 © Cotswold Archaeology Merton Green, Caerwent, Monmouthshire: Archaeological Watching Brief 5. REFERENCES BGS (British Geological Survey) 2011 Geology of Britain Viewer. Online resource at http://maps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyviewer_google/googleviewer.html viewed 26/09/11 CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2010 Merton Green, Caerwent, Monmouthshire: Written Scheme of Investigation for an Archaeological Watching Brief Cocroft, W. D. 2000 Dangerous Energy: The Archaeology of Gunpowder and Military Explosives