Land at Midgham, Near Thatcham, Berkshire

LAND AT MIDGHAM, NEAR THATCHAM, BERKSHIRE

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION

C.A.T. JOB: 1211 C.A.T. REPORT: 01091

SEPTEMBER 2001

This report has been researched and compiled with all reasonable skill, care, and attention to detail within the terms of the project as specified by the Client and within the general terms and conditions of Cotswold Archaeological Trust Ltd. The Trust shall not be liable for any inaccuracy, error or omission in the report or other documents produced as part of the Consultancy and no liability is accepted for any claim, loss or damage howsoever arising from any opinion stated or conclusion or other material contained in this report or other documents supplied as part of the Consultancy.

This report is confidential to the Client. Cotswold Archaeological Trust Ltd accept no responsibility whatsoever to third parties to whom this report, or any part of it is made known. Any such party relies upon this report entirely at their own risk.

Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ...... 2

SUMMARY ...... 3

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 4

1.1 Introduction ...... 4 1.2 Landuse, geology and topography ...... 5 1.3 Archaeological background ...... 5 1.4 Archaeological specification and methodology ...... 6

2. EVALUATION RESULTS ...... 8

2.1 Geological deposits ...... 8 2.2 Palaeochannel ...... 8 2.3 Post-medieval or modern feature ...... 8

3. DISCUSSION ...... 9

4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... 9

5. PROJECT TEAM ...... 10

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 10

APPENDIX 1 ...... 13

Trench Stratigraphy ...... 13

1 Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure 1: Location map ...... 11 Figure 2: Trench location plan, showing former stream course [804] and ditch [404] ... 12

2 Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

SUMMARY

Site name: Land at Midgham

Location: Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire

NGR: SU 554 665

Type: Evaluation

Date of fieldwork: 17th-20th September 2001

Site code: BRM01

Location of Archive: West Berkshire Museum

In September 2001 Cotswold Archaeological Trust (CAT) carried out an archaeological evaluation, in advance of proposed gravel extraction, of land adjoining existing works at Midgham Quarry, near Thatcham, Berkshire.

The site lies in an area of archaeological potential as identified by previous archaeological fieldwork in the site locality which has recovered stray finds and occupation-related features of Mesolithic date.

Evaluation trenching has revealed no features of prehistoric or later date, with the exception of a single ditch noted within trench 4a and a natural palaeochannel within trench 8. The ditch yielded no dating evidence but contained settled topsoil within it, alluding to a probable post-medieval or early-modern date. Natural palaeochannel contained a basal silt fill, containing wood fragments, and a secondary peaty fill. No artefactual material was present, however, from the stream channel fills, or from subsoil and topsoil horizons within the site, to suggest the presence of settlement or activity across the application area.

3 Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 In July 2001 Cotswold Archaeological Trust (CAT) was commissioned by D.K. Symes Associates, on behalf of Marley Building Materials Limited, to carry out an archaeological evaluation of land at Midgham Quarry, near Thatcham, Berkshire (centred on NGR: SU 554 665; Figs. 1 and 2). An application has been made for the extraction of gravel from a site adjoining the existing works.

1.1.2 The local planning authority, West Berkshire Council, has requested that an archaeological field evaluation of the site be carried out in advance of determination of the application.

1.1.3 The fieldwork has been undertaken in accordance with a detailed project design (CAT 2001) approved by Veronica Fiorato, Archaeological Officer, Heritage Section, West Berkshire Council. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Evaluations issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (IFA 1994) and the Management of Archaeological Projects (MAP2) issued by English Heritage. Notification of the start of site works was made to Ms. Fiorato and the opportunity given to monitor the progress and quality of the fieldwork.

1.1.4 The report is structured as follows. The remainder of section 1 sets the background to the fieldwork, examining the site landuse, geology and topography, the archaeological background and the objectives and adopted methodology of field evaluation. Section 2 summarises the fieldwork results, whilst section 3 presents a discussion of these results.

4 Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

1.2 Landuse, geology and topography

1.2.1 The application area lies on the southern side of the A4, between Thatcham and Woolhampton, and to the east of the Midgham to Brimpton Road. The site, approximately 0.8ha in size, is currently rough grassland with evidence for past drainage and water management features visible on the surface of the pasture.

1.2.2 The underlying geology of the site is recorded as river terrace gravels and sands overlying London Clay deposits (O.S 1977; Institute of Geological Sciences 1979).

1.2.3 The proposed extraction area lies on the floodplain of the River Kennet, c. 3m below the level of the terrace gravels, at approximately 61m O.D.

1.3 Archaeological background

1.3.1 The Kennet Valley in this area is particularly noted archaeologically for its evidence of Mesolithic occupation. This generally takes the form of stray finds of worked flint (at SU 5550 6605, SU 5440 6610 and SU 5536 6610) but a Mesolithic occupation site with intact deposits and associated artefactual assemblages was excavated by Wessex Archaeology c. 200m to the south of the application site at Kennetholme Farm (at SU 555 561).

1.3.2 In 1987 Wessex Archaeology carried out a field evaluation of the land immediately to the east of the application site in advance of gravel extraction (Heaton & Lobb 1987). The evaluation suggested that the main river channel may have been further north than its present course and that Mesolithic occupation may have been removed by river action or lay on the higher ground to the south-west. Earthwork features relating to a ?post-medieval water meadow system were noted.

5 Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

1.3.3 Another evaluation of land at Midgham Bridge, Brimpton, to the south-east (at SU 537 563) was carried out in 1988 by Wessex Archaeology (Trott & Lobb 1988). A single Mesolithic flint blade was recovered from a former stream channel but no other evidence of settlement was recovered. Again, evidence for several palaeochannels associated with the Kennet river system was recovered, particularly within the northern part of the site.

1.3.4 The application site has previously been the subject of a detailed pilot auger survey carried out by Mike Allen of Wessex Archaeology. This showed the existence of peat and later calcareous deposits associated with palaeochannels and the changing riverine environment, and the possible existence of gravel islands within the river system. It did not prove possible however to map the palaeochannels over any distance to determine the exact extent of the gravel islands within the site, although it was suggested that the islands were less than 175m in extent.

1.3.5 Occupation from the later prehistoric, Roman and historic periods is recorded within the locality but no previous archaeological finds or features are known from the application area.

1.4 Archaeological specification and methodology

1.4.1 The evaluation was designed to establish whether archaeological deposits lay within the study area and, if so, to determine their extent, date, character and degree of preservation. This information would allow an informed decision on their importance in a local, regional or national context to be made. The information would clarify whether any remains were of sufficient importance to warrant consideration for preservation in situ, or alternatively form the basis of mitigation measures that might seek to limit damage to significant remains.

1.4.2 A specific aim of the evaluation was to seek to characterise the palaeo- topography in order to have a better understanding of the potential use of land

6 Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

in the river Kennet valley, and to monitor the success of augering as a technique for mapping buried topography on other similar sites.

1.4.3 The fieldwork methodology followed that set out within the evaluation project design (CAT 2001). Seven 50m trenches and one 25m trench were machine-excavated under archaeological supervision in the positions shown on Figure 2. All trenches were 1.50m wide. Trench positions were varied slightly from those shown in the original project design due to overhead power cables, machine access requirements and the presence of deep drainage ditches. Trenches 4 and 5 were split into two parts due to the presence of a fence.

1.4.4 Machining was halted at the top of the first significant archaeological horizon or otherwise at the level of the natural geological substrate. Excavation and recording then continued by hand in accordance with CAT Technical Manual 1: Site Recording Manual (1996). A full written record was compiled and photographs taken using both black and white and colour transparency film. Levels taken on site were related back to a spot height on the A4 with a value of 62.9m OD. CAT will make arrangements for the site archive to be deposited with West Berkshire Museum.

7 Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

2. EVALUATION RESULTS

2.1 Geological deposits

2.1.1 The natural geological substrate as encountered across the site varied from clean yellow sands and gravels to dirtier, brown to black, gravels and white calcareous sand/silts. The natural substrate was encountered at an average depth of 0.40m below existing ground level.

2.2 Palaeochannel

2.2.1 A natural palaeochannel, or stream course, was partially exposed within the south-east end of trench 8. The channel was in excess of 8m wide and 1m deep with a gently-sloping NW side. It contained a basal fill of sand and silt lenses (805), containing abundant twig fragments, and a secondary fill (806) of dark brown peat. No artefactual material was discernible within either fill.

2.3 Post-medieval or modern feature

2.3.1 An E-W aligned ditch [404] was recorded at the NW end of trench 4a. The ditch was approximately 0.90m in width and 0.40m deep with steeply-sloping sides dropping to a flat base. A primary fill (405) of grey silt yielded no artefactual material. Ditch [404] appeared, however, to have been cut through subsoil (402) and subsoil and topsoil layers had both settled into the silted ditch, suggesting a post-medieval or modern date for this ?drainage feature.

8 Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

3. DISCUSSION

3.1 Extensive evaluation trenching across the application area has revealed only one former stream course, within trench 8, and a probable post-medieval or modern drainage ditch within trench 4. The absence of archaeological features predating the post-medieval and/or modern period from the site is reflected in a lack of artefactual material recoverable during visual scanning of evaluation spoil.

3.2 The evaluation results in part correlate with those of the earlier pilot augering exercise along the eastern edge of the site, which identified the presence of a N-S aligned peat-filled palaeochannel. Sand and gravel deposits, however, appear not to be confined to small ‘islands’ as previous augering results suggested since these deposits are widely distributed throughout the site at depths of 0.20-0.40m below present ground level (occasionally overlain by thin lenses of calcareous sediment). No other former stream courses could be discerned, although it is conceivable that more may lie within the site.

3.3 The absence of occupation-related features, and of finds either within palaeochannel fills or subsoil/topsoil horizons, suggests that prehistoric activity is either entirely absent in this area or has been removed by subsequent river action within the site. In summary no significant deposits have been encountered susceptible to damage from proposed gravel extraction.

4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Cotswold Archaeological Trust would like to thank the following for their assistance and advice over the course of the project: Douglas Symes, D.K. Symes Associates; Mike Cox, John Larkham, Marley Building Materials Limited; Veronica Fiorato, West Berkshire Council.

9 Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

5. PROJECT TEAM

The project was managed for CAT by Mark Collard and the fieldwork carried out by Alistair Barber and Jon Hart. This report was compiled by Alistair Barber and the illustrations prepared by Gail Stoten.

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allen, M.J, 1987 Kennet Valley Survey Middle: Pilot Auger Survey in Archaeological Survey of the Lower Kennet Valley ed. S.J. Lobb and P.G. Rose.

CAT, 2001 Land at Midgham. Project Design for an Archaeological Evaluation. Cotswold Archaeological Trust.

Heaton, M & Lobb, S, 1987 Bath Road, Woolhampton, Berkshire. Archaeological Evaluation 1987. Trust for Wessex Archaeology typescript report.

IFA, 1994 Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Evaluations.

Institute of Geological Sciences, 1979 Geological map of the United Kingdom, South.

O.S, 1977 Quaternary map of the United Kingdom, South.

Trott, M.R & Lobb, S.J, 1988 Kennetholme Farm, West of the Brimpton Road, Midgham. Archaeological Evaluation. Trust for Wessex Archaeology typescript report.

10 Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

Figure 1: Location map

11 Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

Figure 2: Trench location plan, showing former stream course [804] and ditch [404]

12 Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

APPENDIX 1

Trench Stratigraphy

Trench 1 Present ground level: 61.40m OD. Context no. Description (101) Turfline/topsoil; dark grey-brown to black humic loam, 0.20m thick. (102) Subsoil: mid-brown clay-sand soil, 0.30m thick. (103) Natural substrate: yellow-buff sands and gravels and white calcareous silts/sands.

Trench 2 Present ground level: 61.48-61.59m OD. Context no. Description (201) Turfline/topsoil; dark grey-brown to black humic loam, 0.20m thick. (202) Subsoil: mid-brown clay-sand soil, 0.30m thick. (203) Natural substrate: grey-brown gravels.

Trench 3 Present ground level: 61.45-61.72m OD. Context no. Description (301) Turfline/topsoil; dark grey-brown to black humic loam, 0.15m thick. (302) Subsoil: mid-brown clay-sand soil, 0.25m thick. (303) Natural substrate: yellow-buff sands and gravels

Trenches Present ground level: 61.43-61.50m OD. 4a and 4b Context no. Description (401) Turfline/topsoil; dark grey-brown to black humic loam, 0.15m thick. (402) Subsoil: mid-brown clay-sand soil, 0.25m thick. (403) Natural substrate: yellow-buff sands and gravels. [404] Ditch cut: E-W aligned. 0.70m wide and 0.20m deep with 45 degree sides and flat base (405) Primary fill of ditch [404]: light grey silt.

Trenches Present ground level: 61.14-61.19m OD. 5a and 5b Context no. Description (501) Turfline/topsoil; dark grey-brown to black humic loam, 0.15m thick. (502) Subsoil: mid-brown clay-sand soil, 0.25m thick. (503) Natural substrate: yellow-buff sands and gravels.

Trench 6 Present ground level: 61.48-61.60m OD. Context no. Description (601) Turfline/topsoil; dark grey-brown to black humic loam, 0.10m thick. (602) Subsoil: mid-brown clay-sand soil, 0.30m thick. (603) Natural substrate: yellow-buff sands and gravels and white calcareous silts/sands.

Trench 7 Present ground level: 61.36-61.73m OD. Context no. Description (701) Turfline/topsoil; dark grey-brown to black humic loam, 0.15m thick. (702) Subsoil: mid-brown clay-sand soil, 0.20m thick. (703) Natural substrate: yellow-buff sands and gravels and white calcareous silts/sands.

13 Land at Midgham, near Thatcham, Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

Trench 8 Present ground level: 60.89-60.94m OD. Context no. Description (801) Turfline/topsoil; dark grey-brown to black humic loam, 0.20m thick. (802) Subsoil: mid-brown clay-sand soil, 0.30m thick. (803) Natural substrate: yellow-buff sands and gravels and white calcareous silts/sands. [804] Palaeo-channel edge, stream course in excess of 8m wide. 1m deep. (805) Basal fill of [804]: white sands and silt interspersed with mid-brown silts and containing roots and twigs. (806) Secondary fill of [804]: dark brown humic, peat, layer containing roots, twigs and leaf matter.

14 Study area

Fig 1 Location plan Evaluation trenches N Study area Archaeological features 0 250m

Reproduced from the 2001 Ordnance Survey digital map with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, c Crown copyright Cotswold Archaeological Trust AL50196A

667

Bath Road

666 Drain

ain Dr Sluice

665 2 Sluice

4b ditch [404] Sluice 5a 4a 5a

664 8

palaeochannel [804] 6 7 Drain

Drain

663

555 556 557 558

Fig. 2 Trench location plan showing former stream course [804] and ditch [404]