Land at Leckhampton Leckhampton Gloucestershire Archaeological
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Land at Leckhampton Leckhampton Gloucestershire Archaeological Evaluation for RPS Planning and Development CA Project: 3581 CA Report: 11301 January 2012 Land at Leckhampton Leckhampton Gloucestershire Archaeological Evaluation CA Project: 3581 CA Report: 11301 prepared by Stuart Joyce date 31 January 2012 checked by Cliff Bateman, Project Manager date 31 January 2012 approved by Simon Cox, Head of Fieldwork signed date 31 January 2012 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 Building 11, Kemble Enterprise Park, Kemble, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ t. 01285 771022 f. 01285 771033 e. [email protected] © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Leckhampton, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation CONTENTS SUMMARY........................................................................................................................ 2 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 3 2. RESULTS (FIGS 2-7) .......................................................................................... 5 3. DISCUSSION....................................................................................................... 15 4. CA PROJECT TEAM ........................................................................................... 17 5. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 18 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ..................................................................... 19 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS ............................................................................................... 35 APPENDIX C: OASIS REPORT FORM............................................................................ 36 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan (1:3500) Fig. 3 Trench location plan, Areas A and B, showing archaeological features (1:1250) Fig. 4 Trench location plan, Areas B, C and D, showing archaeological features (1:1250) Fig. 5 Trench location plan, Areas B, C and D, showing archaeological features (1:1250) Fig. 6 Trenches 24, 27, 38, 79 and 130: plans (1:500) Fig.7 Trenches 24, 27 and 32: sections and photographs (1:20) Fig.8 Trenches 38, 79 and 130: sections and photographs (1:20) 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Leckhampton, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation SUMMARY Project Name: Land at Leckhampton Location: Leckhampton, Gloucestershire NGR: SO 9384 1998 Type: Evaluation Date: 31 October to 25 November 2011 Location of Archive: To be deposited with Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum Site Code: LLG 11 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology between October and November 2011 on land at Leckhampton, Gloucestershire. The fieldwork comprised the excavation of 78 trenches. The evaluation identified a limited number of archaeological features across the site, ranging in date from the Romano-British to the modern period. Early prehistoric activity is represented by residual lithic material from a single pit and ditch. The earliest feature identified within the site comprised a ditch containing 2nd to 3rd-century AD pottery. Ditches containing medieval pottery were identified within Trenches 38 and 79, as well as both extant and ploughed out remnants of ridge and furrow. Pits, ditches and postholes of post-medieval or modern date were identified across the site and generally appear to relate to agricultural activity and land division. The majority of the features encountered, comprising pits, ditches, postholes and an undated post-lined pit/well did not contain any dating evidence and could not be associated with any otherwise dated features. 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Leckhampton, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Between October and November 2011 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for RPS Planning and Development (RPS) on land at Leckhampton, Gloucestershire (centred on NGR: SO 9384 1998; Fig. 1). The evaluation was undertaken prior to the submission of any future planning application for residential development of the site. 1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) for archaeological evaluation produced by RPS (2010a) and approved by Mr Charles Parry, the archaeological advisor to Cheltenham Borough Council. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluation (IfA 2008), the Statement of Standards and Practices Appropriate for Archaeological Fieldwork in Gloucestershire (GCC 1995), the Management of Archaeological Projects (English Heritage 1991) and the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MORPHE): Project Manager’s Guide (EH 2006). It was monitored by Mr Parry, including site visits on the 1 and 11 November 2011. The site 1.3 The site is located on the on the southern edge of Leckhampton, to the south of Cheltenham. It is bounded to the north by Shurdington Road (A46), to the east by Merlin Way with associated residential properties, and by open sports fields. The southern boundary of the site comprises residential properties as well as agricultural land and light industrial units along Church Road. To the west the site is bounded by open fields and residential properties along Farm Lane and Kidnappers Lane (Fig. 2). The site lies at approximately 70m AOD in the north, rising gently to 80m AOD in the south. 1.4 The site measures approximately 77 hectares and comprises predominantly small pasture fields, with areas of commercial nurseries. The north-eastern part of the site contains a number of small holdings and allotments. 1.5 The underlying solid geology of the area is mapped as Lower Lias Clay of the Jurassic era, overlain in places by Pleistocene Fan Gravels (RPS 2010a). Blue grey clay was identified across the site, overlain in the central portion by sand and gravel. 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Leckhampton, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation Archaeological background 1.6 The archaeological and historical background to the site has been presented in detail in the desk-based assessment prepared by RPS (2010b), the results of which are summarised below. 1.7 No archaeological sites or findspots are recorded within the site. Several areas of ridge and furrow earthworks have been identified, which are indicative of arable cultivation practices in the medieval and early post-medieval periods (RPS 2010a). It was concluded that the site had been in agricultural use through the medieval and post-medieval periods into the modern era. 1.8 Archaeological investigation has been undertaken on land adjacent to the site on land at Farm Lane (ASUD 2006, CA 2006) and at Brizen Farm (OA 2008). These identified archaeological remains of later prehistoric and Roman date. Archaeological objectives 1.9 The objectives of the evaluation were to establish the character, quality, date and extent of any archaeological remains or deposits surviving within the site. This information will assist Cheltenham Borough Council in making an informed judgement on the significance of the archaeological resource, and the likely impact upon it of the proposed development. Methodology 1.10 The fieldwork was initially to comprise the excavation of 138 trenches, however, Trenches 1, 3, 4, 7-9, 11, 50-52, 66, 74, 75, 78, 81 and 84-119 were not excavated due to lack of access. A total of 77 trenches was excavated, each measuring 30m in length and 1.8m in width, in the locations shown on the attached plan (Fig. 2). The positions of Trenches 2, 5, 6, 10-12, 39, 53, 61, 62, 65, 80, 82, 120, 121 and 127 were amended from those agreed in the WSI, due to buried services and environmental constraints, with the approval of Mr Parry. Trenches were set out on OS National Grid (NGR) co-ordinates using a Leica 1200 series SmartRover GPS and surveyed in accordance with CA Technical Manual 4 Survey Manual (2009). 1.11 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 4 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Leckhampton, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation deposits were encountered they were excavated by hand in accordance with CA Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual (2007). 1.12 Deposits were assessed for their palaeoenvironmental potential in accordance with CA Technical Manual 2: The Taking and Processing of Environmental and Other Samples from Archaeological Sites (2003), however no deposits were identified that required sampling. All artefacts recovered were processed in accordance with Technical Manual 3 Treatment of Finds Immediately after Excavation (1995). 1.13 The archive and artefacts from the evaluation are currently held by CA at their offices in Kemble. Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the artefacts will be deposited with Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum, along with the site archive. A summary of information from this project, set out within Appendix C,