Land to the Rear of Ebrington Arms Ebrington Gloucestershire Archaeological Evaluation
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Land to the Rear of Ebrington Arms Ebrington Gloucestershire Archaeological Evaluation for Carver Knowles CA Project: 6430 CA Report: 17678 November 2017 Land to the Rear of Ebrington Arms Ebrington Gloucestershire Archaeological Evaluation CA Project: 6430 CA Report: 17678 Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for Approved revision by A27Liam Wilson Richard Draft Laurie November and Daniel Young Coleman 2017 Sausins B 23 January Liam Wilson Richard Final Client comment Laurie 2018 and Daniel Young Coleman Sausins 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 © Cotswold Archaeology Land to the Rear of Ebrington Arms, Ebrington, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation CONTENTS SUMMARY .....................................................................................................................2 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................3 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND................................................................3 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES...................................................................................5 4. METHODOLOGY...............................................................................................5 5. RESULTS (FIGS 2-5).........................................................................................6 6. THE FINDS ........................................................................................................7 7. THE BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE ..........................................................................8 8. DISCUSSION.....................................................................................................8 9. CA PROJECT TEAM..........................................................................................9 10. REFERENCES...................................................................................................9 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ....................................................................10 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS..............................................................................................12 APPENDIX C: THE PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL EVIDENCE.........................................12 APPENDIX D: OASIS REPORT FORM ..........................................................................13 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan showing archaeological features, overlaid on proposed development plan (1:200) Fig. 3 Trench location plan showing archaeological features with location of glasshouse shown. Inset; 1972 Ordinance Survey maping with trenches overlaid (1:500) Fig. 4 Trench 1: plan, section and photographs (1:20) Fig. 5 Trench 3: photographs 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Land to the Rear of Ebrington Arms, Ebrington, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation SUMMARY Project Name: Land to the Rear of Ebrington Arms Location: Ebrington, Gloucestershire NGR: 418520 239933 Type: Evaluation Date: 1-3 November 2017 Location of Archive: To be deposited with Corinium Museum Site Code: REA 17 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in November 2017 at land to the rear of Ebrington Arms. Three trenches were excavated. Post-medieval furrows and the structural remains associated with a modern glasshouse depicted on the 1972 Ordnance Survey map were identified. An undated ditch was also recorded. 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Land to the Rear of Ebrington Arms, Ebrington, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 In November 2017 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for Carver Knowles at land to the rear of Ebrington Arms, Ebrington, Gloucestershire (centred at NGR: 418520 239933; Fig. 1). The evaluation was undertaken to accompany a planning application which will be made to Cotswold District Council (CDC) for construction of a residential development and car park at the site. 1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a recommendation by Charles Parry, Archaeologist, Gloucestershire County Council (GCC), archaeological advisor to CDC, for archaeological evaluation and with a subsequent detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2017) and approved by Charles Parry. The fieldwork also followed Standard and guidance: Archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014). The site 1.3 The site is approximately 0.58ha in extent, whilst the built development area is approximately 0.234ha in extent. The area of proposed built development comprises the western half of a single pasture field which lies at approximately 145m AOD and slopes up gently towards the north. No development is proposed in the eastern half of site, which will remain as pasture. The site is bounded to the north by residential properties, to the east by a pasture field, to the south by a farm track and to the west by May Lane. 1.4 The underlying bedrock geology of the area is mapped as Dyrham Formation – interbedded siltstone and mudstone of the Jurassic period. No information is recorded concerning the superficial geology (BGS 2017). Clay and mudstone was identified during the evaluation. 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 An archaeological evaluation undertaken in 2002 on Home Farm, approximately 60m to the south of the current site identified a ‘v’-shaped gully and a pit of likely prehistoric date (GCC Historic Environment Record (HER) no. 21515). A later 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Land to the Rear of Ebrington Arms, Ebrington, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation watching brief on the same site recovered three worked flint flakes and a sherd of possible Early Bronze Age pottery (ibid). 2.2 There is extensive evidence for Roman settlement in and around the village of Ebrington. The site of a Roman villa, designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM 1003431), lies approximately 250m to the east of the current site. This was subject to a small excavation in 1958-9 which identified mosaic floors, evidence of under floor heating, a plunge bath faced with white marble, painted plaster and walls clearly extending to the north-west and south-west of the excavated area (GCC HER no. 368). 2.3 Excavations during the restoration of Harrowby House, approximately 150m to the north-west of the current site, uncovered Roman stone walls, hearths, slots, post holes and ditches, one of which measured 3.6m wide and 2.6m deep (GCC HER no. 4937). 2.4 Evaluation and watching brief work undertaken at 1, New Road, 50m to the north- east of the villa site, in 1996 and 1998 respectively, uncovered substantial quantities of Roman brick and tile residual within medieval plough soils, suggesting demolition rubble from the adjacent villa had been imported to infill natural hollows (GCC HER no. 17263). 2.5 The evaluation and watching brief undertaken at Home Farm discussed in Section 2.1 above also identified a ditch containing slag and a sherd of Roman pottery and a rectangular clay lined pit of probable Roman date (GCC HER 21515). 2.6 Anglo-Saxon remains revealed in the village include a cemetery located to the north of Elm Grove, approximately 500m to the north-east of the current site. This contained at least 68 burials, some of which included grave goods (HEC 2009). 2.7 The church of St. Eadburga, 175m to the north-west of the site, has origins dating back to at least the 13th century (GCC HER 43071). 2.8 The 1884 Ordnance Survey map depicts the site as an orchard, whilst the 1972 Ordnance Survey map shows an agricultural field with glasshouses in the north- western corner. 4 © Cotswold Archaeology Land to the Rear of Ebrington Arms, Ebrington, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 3.1 The objectives of the evaluation are to provide information about the archaeological resource within the site, including its presence/absence, character, extent, date, integrity, state of preservation and quality, in accordance Standard and guidance: Archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014). This information will enable Cotswold District Council to identify and assess the particular significance of any heritage asset, consider the impact of the proposed development upon it, and to avoid or minimise conflict between the heritage asset’s conservation and any aspect of the development proposal, in line with the National Planning Policy Framework (DCLG 2012). 4. METHODOLOGY 4.1 The fieldwork comprised the excavation of three trenches measuring between 20- 26m in length and were targeted within the footprint of the proposed built development area (Fig. 2), with the approval of Charles Parry. Trenches were set out on OS National Grid (NGR) co-ordinates using Leica GPS and surveyed in accordance with CA Technical Manual 4 Survey Manual. 4.2 All trenches were excavated by mechanical excavator equipped with a toothless grading bucket. All machine excavation was undertaken under constant archaeological supervision to the top of the first significant archaeological horizon or the natural substrate, whichever was encountered first. Where archaeological deposits were encountered they were excavated by hand in accordance with CA Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual. 4.3 Deposits were assessed for their palaeoenvironmental