Cannington Flood Defence Scheme Cannington Somerset Archaeological Evaluation for Environment Agency CA Project: 4591 CA Report: 13617 November 2013 Cannington Flood Defence Scheme Cannington Somerset Archaeological Evaluation CA Project: 4591 CA Report: 13617 prepared by Steven Sheldon, Project Officer date 20 November 2013 checked by Richard Young, Project Manager date 25 November 2013 approved by Laurent Coleman, Principle Project Manager signed date 26 November 2013 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 Cirencester Milton Keynes Andover Building 11 Unit 4 Stanley House Kemble Enterprise Park Cromwell Business Centre Walworth Road Kemble, Cirencester Howard Way, Newport Pagnell Andover, Hampshire Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ MK16 9QS SP10 5LH t. 01285 771022 t. 01908 218320 t. 01264 347630 f. 01285 771033 e. [email protected] © Cotswold Archaeology Cannington Flood Defence Scheme, Cannington, Somerset: Archaeological Evaluation CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 3 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 4 The site .............................................................................................................. 4 Archaeological background ................................................................................ 5 Archaeological objectives ................................................................................... 6 Methodology....................................................................................................... 7 2. RESULTS (FIGS 2-14) ....................................................................................... 8 The finds ............................................................................................................ 11 3. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 12 4. CA PROJECT TEAM .......................................................................................... 14 5. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 14 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................... 17 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS .............................................................................................. 21 APPENDIX C: OASIS REPORT FORM .......................................................................... 22 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan, showing geophysical survey results (1:4000) Fig. 3 Trenches 1 to 6, showing archaeological features and geophysical survey results (1:1000) Fig. 4 Trenches 6 to 12, showing archaeological features and geophysical survey results (1:1000) Fig. 5 Trenches 12 to 17, showing archaeological features and geophysical survey results (1:1000) Fig. 6 Trench 1: plan, section and photograph Fig. 7 Trench 2: plan, section and photograph Fig. 8 Trench 5: plan, section and photograph Fig. 9 Trench 6: plan, section and photograph Fig. 10 Trench 8: plan, section and photograph Fig. 11 Trench 9: plan, section and photograph 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Cannington Flood Defence Scheme, Cannington, Somerset: Archaeological Evaluation Fig. 12 Trench 11: plan, section and photograph Fig. 13 Trench 12: plan, section and photograph Fig. 14 Trench 14: plan, section and photograph Fig. 15 Trench 15: plan, section and photograph Fig. 16 Trench 16: plan, section and photograph Fig. 17 Trench 17: plan, section and photograph 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Cannington Flood Defence Scheme, Cannington, Somerset: Archaeological Evaluation SUMMARY Project Name: Cannington Flood Defence Scheme Location: Cannington, Somerset NGR: ST 25391 38920 Type: Evaluation Date: 21-29 October 2013 Location of Archive: To be deposited with Somerset County Museum Site Code: CFDS 13 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in October 2013 at Cannington Flood Defence Scheme, Cannington, Somerset. Seventeen trenches were excavated. The evaluation identified a number of archaeological features across the site; these comprised ditches and a single pit or posthole. These features generally correlated well with the results of a preceding geophysical survey. A curving ditch, identified in the eastern part of site, may be prehistoric in date and could represent the remains of a ring ditch, circular drip gully or stock enclosure associated with possible funerary or settlement activity. However, the limited exposure of this feature along with a lack of dating evidence and associated features makes the exact date and function of this ditch unclear at present. A number of ditches, identified in the central part of site, appear to confirm the presence of a postulated Roman ladder settlement previously identified by the geophysical survey. Pottery ranging in date from the Late Iron Age/ 1st century AD to the 2nd to 4th-century AD was recovered from the fills of these ditches. Ditches of post-medieval date were identified in two trenches and would appear to relate to agricultural activity and/or land division. Undated ditches were identified in six trenches. The exact function of these features remains unclear although they are likely to relate to land management or drainage. An undated pit/posthole was identified in Trench 15. However, due to its isolated nature the exact function of this feature remains unclear. 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Cannington Flood Defence Scheme, Cannington, Somerset: Archaeological Evaluation 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 In October 2013 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for the Environment Agency at Cannington Flood Defence Scheme, Cannington, Somerset (centred at NGR: ST 25391 38920; Fig. 1). An archaeological evaluation of the site was recommended by Dr. Richard Brunning, Senior Levels and Moors Heritage Officer, Somerset County Council Heritage Service, Somerset County Council (SCC) prior to the commencement of groundworks associated with the construction of a flood relief channel to the south of Cannington. 1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2013) and approved by Dr. Brunning. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and guidance for archaeological field evaluation (IfA 2009), the Heritage Service Archaeological Handbook (SCC 2009), 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 Dr. Brunning, including a site visit on 25 October 2013. The site 1.3 The proposed development area comprises agricultural land, bounded to the north, east and west by the A39 and to the south by further agricultural land. The trenches were target on the location of a proposed flood defence channel and bund. The site lies at approximately 19m AOD, with the ground level dropping away to the east. 1.4 The underlying bedrock geology of the area is mapped as Mercia mudstone of the Triassic period (BGS 2013). Borehole investigations in the northern part of the site, adjacent to the A39, revealed the natural mudstone at a depth of between 1.4m and 1.65m below present ground level (bpgl). This was sealed by alluvial deposits measuring between 0.6m to 0.95m in thickness (WYG 2013). The natural substrate, comprising mid red brown sandy gravel with frequent patches of light brown silty sand, was identified in all of the excavated trenches. 4 © Cotswold Archaeology Cannington Flood Defence Scheme, Cannington, Somerset: Archaeological Evaluation Archaeological background 1.5 Few artefacts of early prehistoric date have been found within the vicinity of the site, consisting of a small collection of Mesolithic flints allegedly found near Brymore School (HER 10296). A tanged bronze knife was also found at Cynwit Castle to the north (HER 16250). Immediately to the north of the current site a large sherd of Bronze Age pottery was recovered from the subsoil during trial trenching undertaken by CA in 2010 (CA 2010a). 1.6 1.5km to the north of the site lies the Scheduled Iron Age hill fort of Cynwit Castle (HER 10439), which has been investigated several times in the last hundred years (AMEC 2010). An associated extra-mural farmstead has also been excavated to the north of the Castle (HER 10302), and a further Scheduled Iron Age settlement and related field system lies to the south-east of the hill fort. 1.7 Evidence for Roman occupation has been found 1.5km to the north of the site. A layer of Roman material and a possible Roman structure were uncovered during an excavation of Cynwit Castle (HER 12770) suggesting that the hillfort had been reoccupied during the Roman period. The site of a probable Roman settlement also lies 1.5km to the south-west of the study area at Ashford Farm (NMR 191082). 1.8 A large early Christian inhumation cemetery (HER 10503) dating from the Late Roman to the Early Medieval period was identified at Cannington Park Quarry 1.5km to the north of the site. It was in use from AD 350-800,