Land at Churchend Lane Charfield South Gloucestershire
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Land at Churchend Lane Charfield South Gloucestershire Archaeological Evaluation for Orion Heritage on behalf of CEG CA Project: 6527 CA Report: 18173 April 2018 Land at Churchend Lane Charfield South Gloucestershire Archaeological Evaluation CA Project: 6527 CA Report: 18173 Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for Approved by revision A 20/03/2018 D Sausins C Bateman C Bateman B 23/04/2018 D Sausins C Bateman Comments C Bateman from Orion Heritage 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 at Churchend Lane, Charfield, South Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 2 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 3 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................ 4 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................... 5 4. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 5 5. RESULTS (FIGS 2-8) ......................................................................................... 6 6. THE FINDS ........................................................................................................ 11 7. THE BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE .......................................................................... 13 8. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 14 9. CA PROJECT TEAM .......................................................................................... 17 10. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 17 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................... 19 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS .............................................................................................. 27 APPENDIX C: THE PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL EVIDENCE ......................................... 28 APPENDIX D: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS AND STRUCTURES ..................... 28 APPENDIX E: OASIS REPORT FORM........................................................................... 29 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan showing archaeological features, geophysical survey results and cropmarks (1:5000) Fig. 3 Plan showing Trenches 10-12 (1:400) Fig. 4 Trench 10: section (1:20) and photographs Fig. 5 Trench 10; sections (1:20) and photographs Fig. 6 Trench 11: section (1:20) and photographs Fig. 7 Trench 12; sections (1:20) and photograph Fig. 8 Trench 6: photograph 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Churchend Lane, Charfield, South Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation SUMMARY Project Name: Land at Churchend Lane Location: Charfield, South Gloucestershire NGR: 372228 191439 Type: Evaluation Date: 16 February-9 March 2018 Location of Archive: To be deposited with Bristol Museum and Art Gallery Site Code: LCL 18 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology between February and March 2018 on land at Churchend Lane, Charfield, South Gloucestershire. Sixty-six trenches were excavated. The evaluation identified a limited number of archaeological features within the proposed development area, predominately within the northwest of the site. This principally comprised evidence for a Roman road, with evidence for remodelling and flanking ditches, which correlated closely with both documentary and cartographic evidence for the Roman road between Bitton and Berkeley and equally with the results from recent geophysical and aerial imagery assessments. The recovery, albeit a limited number, of medieval and post- medieval artefacts from the fill of the associated flanking ditches hints that the road may have been long-lived and subject to various stages of remodelling possibly into the later medieval and/or post-medieval period. The remaining features either remained undated or could be associated with post-medieval field boundaries and enclosures. 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Churchend Lane, Charfield, South Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Between February and March 2018 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for Orion Heritage, on behalf of CEG, on land at Churchend Lane, Charfield, South Gloucestershire (centred at NGR 372228 191439; Fig. 1). The site is being promoted for strategic housing growth through the Joint Spatial Plan for the West of England (November 2016). Following consultations between Orion Heritage and Paul Driscoll, Archaeology and Historic Environment Record Officer, South Gloucestershire Council (SGC), it was agreed that a phased programme of archaeological evaluation would be undertaken. This current, initial phase (for which this report has been generated) will allow the determination of an outline application for residential development. 1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2018) and approved by Paul Driscoll. The fieldwork also followed Standard and guidance: Archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014). It was monitored by Paul Driscoll, including a site visit on 7 March 2018. The site 1.3 The site is currently part of an agricultural landscape containing pasture and arable fields as well as discrete wooded areas. A watercourse flows north from Devil’s Lane to Little Bristol Lane in the eastern half of the site. Charfield is located to the north and the smaller settlement of Churchend is located to the southwest. 1.4 The underlying bedrock geology throughout the majority of the site is mapped as Mercia Mudstone Group (Mudstone, Siltstone and Sandstone). Blue Anchor Formation (Mudstone) is present in the southwestern and southeastern parts of the site and along the southern half of land running parallel with Churchend Lane. Damery Beds (Mudstone and Sandstone Interbedded) extend southward from the 20th-century housing development adjacent to Little Bristol Lane. No superficial geological deposits are recorded within the site (BGS 2018). Silts, clays and limestone brash were identified during the evaluation 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Churchend Lane, Charfield, South Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 The archaeological and historical background of the site has been assessed in detail in an Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment (Orion 2017). In addition, the site has been subject to geophysical survey and aerial imagery assessment (Magnitude Surveys 2017 and Air Photo Services 2017 respectively). The following is a summary of these investigations. 2.2 The desk-based assessment noted that there are no prehistoric entries within the current site on the South Gloucestershire Historic Environment Record (HER) and that none of the archaeological investigations carried out within the immediate vicinity had recorded evidence for prehistoric activity (Orion 2017). T h e assessment also noted that the geophysical survey and aerial imagery analysis did not identify anomalies likely to represent prehistoric activity (ibid.). 2.3 The assessment established that there is a moderate to high potential for evidence of a Roman road surviving within the northwestern extent of the application area and a moderate potential for the remainder of the site to contain further evidence of Roman activity (ibid.). 2.4 The Roman road, which extends from Bitton to Berkeley (Margary 1973; road 541a Berkeley Road to Iron Acton), has been identified from RAF aerial photographs dated to 1946 and these records are further enhanced by site observations and excavations elsewhere along its route (ibid.). Within, and immediately outwith, the proposed development area, the Roman road is recorded on the HER (PRN 6052) extending northeast from the scheduled Roman small town at Wickwar (NHLE 1021404) which is located over 3km to the southwest. Geophysical survey and aerial imagery analysis confirmed the presence of the Roman road within the current site; the remains being recorded as two parallel ditches and a slight bank (Magnitude Surveys 2017 and Air Photo Services 2017). 2.5 During the medieval period, the proposed development area lay within an agricultural landscape, punctuated by nucleated farmstead settlements (Orion 2017). The assessment noted that there was little potential for such settlement extending into the current site, but that there was a moderate potential for artefactual and agricultural evidence (ridge and furrow) being identified. It also noted the potential for a former deer park within the southeastern part of the study site, however no 4 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Churchend Lane, Charfield, South Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation definite elements were identified by aerial imagery analysis and there may no longer be any clear markers of this feature remaining within the modern landscape (ibid.). 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 3.1 The objectives of the evaluation were to provide information about