WOODCOTE WOOD NEWPORT SHROPSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION For RMC AGGREGATES LTD CA REPORT: 05107 MAY 2006 WOODCOTE WOOD NEWPORT SHROPSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION CA PROJECT: 1984 CA REPORT: 05107 Author: Tim Havard and Richard Morton Approved: Neil Holbrook Signed: ……………………………………………………………. Issue: 02 Date: 11 MAY 2006 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 Tel. 01285 771022 Fax. 01285 771033 E-mail: [email protected] Woodcote Wood, Newport, Shropshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology CONTENTS SUMMARY........................................................................................................................3 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 4 The site ................................................................................................................ 4 Archaeological background.................................................................................. 4 Archaeological objectives .................................................................................... 5 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 5 2. EVALUATION RESULTS..................................................................................... 6 3. INTERPRETATION OF EVALUATION RESULTS ............................................. 8 4. ANALYSIS AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS............................................................. 9 Summary history of the Woodcote administrative boundary................................ 9 Potential date and function of the Woodcote earthwork ...................................... 11 Survival of the earthwork ..................................................................................... 12 Importance of the Woodcote boundary................................................................ 12 Potential development impacts ............................................................................ 13 Proposed next-stage survey and mitigation......................................................... 13 5. CA PROJECT TEAM ........................................................................................... 14 6. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 14 APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS...................................................................... 15 APPENDIX 2: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS AND STRUCTURES...................... 16 1 Woodcote Wood, Newport, Shropshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan (1:1,000) Fig. 3 Trenches 1 & 2: sections (1:50) 2 Woodcote Wood, Newport, Shropshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology SUMMARY Site Name: Woodcote Wood Location: Newport, Shropshire NGR: SJ 7700 1470 Type: Evaluation Date: 15-17 June 2005 Location of Archive: Shropshire County Museum Service Accession no. applied for Site Code: WWN 05 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in June 2005 at the request of Cemex on land at Woodcote Wood, Newport, Shropshire. This followed earlier stages of archaeological survey, comprising an archaeological desk-based assessment and archaeological walkover survey. In compliance with an approved WSI (CA 2005), two trenches were excavated across the historic boundary of the medieval chapelry of Woodcote which lay within the development area. The evaluation has shown that the Woodcote Wood boundary varies between around 5.5- 9m in total width, and comprises a rounded bank with external ditch. It is likely that the earthwork evolved as a woodbank, defining the Woodcote chapelry boundary and an area of medieval (or possibly earlier) managed woodland. Although the chapelry boundary also represented the Anglo-Saxon and medieval shire and hundred boundaries, its function probably did not intrinsically relate to these administrative units. No dating was retrieved from the evaluation to date the initial construction of the feature more closely. The Woodcote boundary is undoubtedly of some local interest, although not of sufficient importance to warrant preservation in situ. It is recommended that the length of the boundary through the wood is archaeologically surveyed through measured survey, preferably using Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM), prior to development. This will ensure a detailed record of the extant earthwork. It is recommended that a limited programme of archaeological recording takes place during development along the earthwork, in order to retrieve any dateable material within its composite elements. 3 Woodcote Wood, Newport, Shropshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 In June 2005 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for Cemex on land at Woodcote Wood (centred on NGR: SJ 7700 1470; Fig. 1). The evaluation was undertaken in advance of the determination of planning permission for the extraction and processing of sand and gravel. The evaluation followed an earlier archaeological desk-based assessment (CAT 1999) and archaeological walkover survey (CAT 2000). 1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a brief for archaeological recording (Watson 2005) prepared by Mike Watson, Historic Environment Officer, Shropshire County Council, as archaeological advisor to the Local Planning Authority (LPA), and with a subsequent detailed WSI produced by CA (2005) and approved by Mr Watson. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluation issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (1999) and the Management of Archaeological Projects II (English Heritage 1991). It was monitored by Mike Watson, including site visits on 15th and 17th June 2005. The site 1.3 The proposed extraction site is approximately 16.5ha in size. It lies within Woodcote Wood, which is some 40 ha in extent and bordered by the B4379 to the south and A41 Trunk Road to the east. At the time of the evaluation the site was under fairly dense deciduous and evergreen tree cover together with heather and bramble. The land rises gradually from east to west, and falls steeply from the west-facing scarp slope. Ground level rises from approximately 120m OD within the eastern part of the site to around 168m OD at the highest point. 1.4 The solid geology of the site is mapped as Permian and Triassic sandstone of the Sherwood Sandstone group. This is overlain by sands and gravels of fluvioglacial origins (CAT 1999). Archaeological background 1.5 Archaeological interest in the site arises from a desk-based archaeological assessment and walk-over survey of the wood (CAT 1999 and 2000). These 4 Woodcote Wood, Newport, Shropshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology identified the existence of a linear earthwork coinciding with the historic boundary of the medieval chapelry of Woodcote. Archaeological objectives 1.6 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 1.7 The fieldwork comprised the excavation of two trenches, the location of which was agreed on site with Mike Watson of Shropshire County Council. The location of the trenches is depicted on Fig. 2. Trench 1 (measuring 10.8m in length by 2m in width) was located to examine the former boundary where it was only visible as a bank. Trench 2 (measuring 12m in length by 2m in width) was located to examine the boundary where it was only visible as a ditch. 1.8 The existing ground surface in both trenches was removed by mechanical excavator equipped with a toothless grading bucket. All further excavation was done by hand. Where archaeological deposits were encountered they were excavated by hand in accordance with the CA Technical Manual 1: Excavation Recording Manual (1996). 1.9 Deposits were assessed for their palaeoenvironmental potential in accordance with the CA Technical Manual 2: The Taking and Processing of Environmental and Other samples from Archaeological Sites (2003); no samples were taken. All artefacts recovered were processed in accordance with the CA Technical Manual 3: Treatment of Finds Immediately After Excavation (1995). 1.10 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 site archive (including artefacts) will be deposited with Shropshire County Museum Service. 5 Woodcote Wood, Newport, Shropshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology 2. EVALUATION RESULTS 2.2 This section provides an overview of the evaluation results; detailed summaries of the recorded contexts can be found in Appendix 1. Details of the relative heights of the principal deposits and features expressed as metres Above Ordnance Datum (m AOD)