Land Off Witchcombe Lane Great Cheverell Devizes Wiltshire
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LAND OFF WITCHCOMBE LANE GREAT CHEVERELL DEVIZES WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION CAT PROJECT: 1358 CAT REPORT: 02048 Author: Franco Vartuca Approved: Cliff Bateman Signed: ……………………………………………………………. Issue: 01 Date: June 2002 This report is confidential to the client. Cotswold Archaeological Trust Ltd 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 Archaeological Trust Ltd. Headquarters Building, Kemble Business Park, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ Tel. 01285 771022 Fax. 01285 771033 E-mail:[email protected] Land off Witchcombe Lane, Great Cheverell, Devizes, Wiltshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeological Trust CONTENTS SUMMARY........................................................................................................................3 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 4 The site ................................................................................................................ 4 Archaeological background.................................................................................. 4 Archaeological objectives .................................................................................... 5 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 5 2. RESULTS ............................................................................................................ 5 The Finds ............................................................................................................. 6 3. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ..................................................................... 6 4. CAT PROJECT TEAM ......................................................................................... 7 5. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 7 APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS..................................................................... 8 APPENDIX 2: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS ....................................................... 9 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan Fig. 2 Location of trenches 2 Land off Witchcombe Lane, Great Cheverell, Devizes, Wiltshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeological Trust SUMMARY Site Name: Land off Witchcombe Lane Site Code: WSD 02 Location: Great Cheverell, Devizes, Wiltshire NGR: ST 9799 5400 Type: Evaluation Date: 28-29 May 2002 Planning Reference: K/041506 Location of Archive: Devizes Museum An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeological Trust in May 2002 at the request of Hannick Homes and Developments Ltd on land off Witchcombe Lane, Great Cheverell, Devizes, Wiltshire. In compliance with an approved project design a total of 4 trenches, each measuring 30m in length, were excavated throughout the proposed development area. Natural greensand was revealed at a height of between 105.47m and 106.92m AOD, sealed by subsoil and topsoil. One irregular feature of probable natural origin was revealed cutting the Greensand within Trench 1. 3 Land off Witchcombe Lane, Great Cheverell, Devizes, Wiltshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeological Trust 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 In May 2002 Cotswold Archaeological Trust (CAT) carried out an archaeological evaluation for Hannick Homes and Developments Ltd on land off Witchcombe Lane, Great Cheverell, Devizes, Wiltshire (centred on NGR: ST 9799 5400, Fig. 1). The evaluation was undertaken to accompany a planning application for the construction of 20 dwellings with vehicular access. 1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a detailed project specification produced by CAT (2002) and approved by Sue Farr, Archaeological Officer, Wiltshire County Council on behalf of Kennet District Council. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluations issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (1999) and the Standards for Archaeological Assessment and Field Evaluation issued by Wiltshire County Council Archaeological Service (1995). It was monitored by Sue Farr who also visited the site on 28th May 2002. The site 1.3 The site is approximately 0.9 ha in area and lies to the west of the village, adjacent to Witchcombe Lane (Fig. 2). It lies at approximately 107m AOD, with the ground rising gently to the north. 1.4 The underlying geology of the area is mapped as Upper Greensand of the Cretaceous period (Geological Survey of England and Wales, Sheet 282). 1.5 The site is currently open grassland and is traversed by the Fawley to Avonmouth petroleum pipeline (see Fig. 2 for location). Archaeological background 1.6 The proposed development site lies within an area of archaeological potential. In particular Wiltshire SMR records the presence of third to fourth century Romano- British coins, pottery, and metalwork, possibly indicative of contemporary settlement, 200m to the north of the site. 4 Land off Witchcombe Lane, Great Cheverell, Devizes, Wiltshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeological Trust Archaeological objectives 1.7 The objectives of the evaluation were to establish the character, quality, date, significance, and extent of any archaeological remains or deposits surviving within the site. This information will assist the Local Planning Authority in making an informed judgement on the likely impact upon the archaeological resource by the proposed development. Methodology 1.8 The fieldwork comprised the mechanical excavation of 4 trenches, each 30m long and 1.5m wide, representing a two per-cent sample of the proposed development area. 1.9 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 the CAT Technical Manual 1: Excavation Recording Manual (1996). 1.10 Deposits were assessed for their palaeoenvironmental potential and, where appropriate, sampled and processed in accordance with the CAT Technical Manual 2: The Taking of Samples for Palaeoenvironmental/Palaeoeconomic Analysis from Archaeological Sites (1994). All artefacts recovered were processed in accordance with the CAT Technical Manual 3: Treatment of Finds Immediately After Excavation (1995). 1.11 The archive and artefacts from the evaluation are currently held by CAT at their offices in Kemble. Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the site archive (including artefacts) will be deposited with Devizes Museum. 2. RESULTS 2.1 A broadly similar stratigraphic sequence was identified throughout the site. The natural geological substrate, comprising Greensand with occasional patches of 5 Land off Witchcombe Lane, Great Cheverell, Devizes, Wiltshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeological Trust sandstone, was revealed at an average depth of 0.85m below the present ground surface. This was overlain by mid green-brown clay sand subsoil typically 0.50m in depth, which in turn was sealed by mid brown clay sand topsoil typically 0.35m in thickness. 2.2 Within Trench 1, feature 104 was identified cutting the natural substrate. It was shallow (typically less than 0.05m in depth) and irregular in nature, and no artefactual material was retrieved from associated fill 105. The Finds 2.3 Two residual sherds of Roman pottery were recovered from the topsoil within trench 1. They comprise a rim fragment from a flanged bowl in a coarse greyware fabric and a mortarium base fragment in Oxfordshire red colour-coated ware. Both pieces are datable to the later third or fourth centuries AD. 3. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 3.1 Despite the archaeological potential of the application area (see archaeological background above), the evaluation has demonstrated that no significant archaeological deposits exist within the development area. Although a cultural origin can not be entirely dismissed for feature 104, its poorly defined profile and its seeming isolation would suggest it is of probable natural origin. 3.2 Interpretation of the depositional history of the moderate accumulation of subsoil throughout the site remains problematic. It remains unclear whether the deposit is of geological origin, possibly resulting from geo-fluvial activity, or is the ploughed out remnants of a medieval ridge and furrow cultivation soil. 6 Land off Witchcombe Lane, Great Cheverell, Devizes, Wiltshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeological Trust 4. CAT PROJECT TEAM Fieldwork was undertaken by Franco Vartuca, assisted by Jo Williams. The report was written by Franco Vartuca. The illustrations were prepared by Peter Moore. The archive has been compiled by Franco Vartuca, and prepared for deposition by Ed McSloy. The project was managed for CAT by Cliff Bateman. 5. REFERENCES CAT 2002 Land at Witchcombe Lane, Great Cheverell, Devizes, Wiltshire: Project Design for an Archaeological Evaluation. Geological Survey of Great Britain (England and Wales) 1959 Sheet 282: Devizes. 7 Land off Witchcombe Lane, Great Cheverell, Devizes, Wiltshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeological