Land at Castlethorpe Road Hanslope Milton Keynes
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Land at Castlethorpe Road Hanslope Milton Keynes Archaeological Evaluation for Triskelion Heritage on behalf of Bloor Homes CA Project: 661019 CA Report: 17737 January 2017 Land at Castlethorpe Road Hanslope Milton Keynes Archaeological Evaluation CA Project: 661019 CA Report: 17737 Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for Approved revision by A 06/12/17 RSB, AKM SRJ Interim QA SRJ Draft B 04/01/2018 SRJ SRJ Draft for Full report SRJ Consultant 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 Castlethorpe Road, Hanslope, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Evaluation CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 5 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................ 6 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................... 8 4. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 8 5. RESULTS (FIGS 2 - 14) ..................................................................................... 9 6. THE FINDS ........................................................................................................ 19 7. THE BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE .......................................................................... 21 8. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 25 9. CA PROJECT TEAM .......................................................................................... 29 10. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 30 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................... 32 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS .............................................................................................. 43 APPENDIX C: THE PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL EVIDENCE ......................................... 45 APPENDIX D: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS....................................................... 47 APPENDIX E: OASIS REPORT FORM........................................................................... 48 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Castlethorpe Road, Hanslope, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Evaluation LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan showing archaeological features, geophysical survey results and registered artefacts (1:1,500) Fig. 3 Site, looking north-east (photograph) Fig. 4 Site, looking north-west (photograph) Fig. 5 Extract of the 1779 Watts Estate Map of Hanslope Fig. 6 Extract from the 1881 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Map Fig. 7 Trench 1: section and photograph (1:20) Fig. 8 Trench 4: sections and photographs (1:20) Fig. 9 Trench 14: ditch 1405, looking south-east (photograph) Fig. 10 Trench 19: ditch 1903, looking south-east (photograph) Fig. 11 Trench 21: walls 2104 and 2017, looking south-west (photograph) Fig. 12 Trench 29: section and photographs (1:20) Fig. 13 Trench 39 (photograph) Fig. 14 Trench location plan, showing projected alignments (1:1,500) 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Castlethorpe Road, Hanslope, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Evaluation Summary Project Name: Land at Castlethorpe Road Location: Hanslope, Milton Keynes NGR: 479895 246880 Type: Evaluation Date: 20 November to 5 December 2017 Planning Reference: Milton Keynes Council 16/02106/OUT Location of Archive: To be deposited with Buckinghamshire County Museum Site Code: CAST 17 Between November and December 2017, Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation of land at Castlethorpe Road, Hanslope, Milton Keynes. The evaluation was undertaken to inform an outline application to Milton Keynes Council for residential development of up to 150 dwellings, an estate road, open space and associated works. The fieldwork comprised the excavation of 42 trenches. Archaeological interest in the site is derived from its location within the historic settlement of Hanslope, which has pre-Norman origins. The Milton Keynes Historic Environment Record records an extensive scatter of medieval finds across the site, with a concentration of finds within the north-western area. A previous geophysical survey identified a number of linear anomalies indicative of field boundaries, some of which correspond with boundaries marked on historic mapping. The evaluation identified a concentration of archaeological remains within the northern part of the site, with a lower density of archaeological remains within the remainder of the site. Archaeological features encountered comprised ditches, pits and walls, provisionally dated between the Middle Iron Age and the post-medieval periods, although a number of features could not be attributed to any of the identified periods. Where archaeological features were encountered during the current trenching there was generally a good correlation with the results of the geophysical survey, although some of the identified features were not predicted by the geophysical survey. 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Castlethorpe Road, Hanslope, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Evaluation Early prehistoric activity is limited to a single flake of residual lithic material. Although not closely dateable, it is probably attributable to the Neolithic or Early Bronze Age period. The earliest features encountered comprised ditches containing pottery dating broadly to the Iron Age period, concentrated within the northern-central part of the site. Roman pottery, most likely residual within later ditches was also recorded. A single pit and a midden, both containing pottery of probable medieval date were identified within the northern part of the site. Further presumed evidence of medieval activity comprised the flanking ditches of a possible trackway identified within the northern part of the site. The trackway appears to lead to, and from, the settlement identified at Green End to the west. The character of the archaeology found in the northern part of the site is characteristic of the periphery of rural settlement during the medieval period. The evaluation identified ditches and agricultural features across the site. The alignments of the ditches aligned broadly north-east/south-west and north-west/south-east suggest a common field system, although dating and cartographic evidence suggests remodelling over time and indicate that not all the elements were extant during the same phases of activity. Based on the finds and cartographic evidence as well as morphological characteristics elements of the field systems clearly have their origins within the medieval period, with subsequent post-medieval/modern additions and remodelling. The remains of a stone building, which appears on the 1779 Watts Estate map, were identified in the northern part of the site. Part of a trackway was also recorded near to the southern boundary of the site, which contained artefactual evidence dating from the post- medieval period. An undated ditch, which could not be attributed to either the identified Iron Age or medieval/post-medieval activity was identified within the western part of the site. 4 © Cotswold Archaeology Land at Castlethorpe Road, Hanslope, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Evaluation 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Between November and December 2017, Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation of land at Castlethorpe Road, Hanslope, Milton Keynes (centred at NGR: 479895 246880; Fig. 1). The fieldwork was commissioned by Triskelion Heritage on behalf of Bloor Homes. 1.2 The evaluation was undertaken to inform an outline application (ref: no. 16/02106/OUT) to Milton Keynes Council (MKC; the local planning authority) for residential development of up to 150 dwellings, an estate road, open space and associated works. The scope of the archaeological work, which comprised the excavation of 42 trial trenches, was defined during discussions between Gerry Wait, Triskelion Heritage, and Nick Crank, Senior Archaeological Officer, Milton Keynes Council (SAOMKC; Milton Keynes Council’s archaeological advisor). 1.3 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2017) and approved by Nick Crank. The fieldwork also followed Standard and guidance: Archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014). It was monitored by Nick Crank, including a site visit on 28 November 2017. The site 1.4 The proposed development site measures approximately 10ha in area and is situated on the western extent of the village of Hanslope (Fig. 2). It comprises a single field, crossed by a number of public footpaths (Figs 3 and 4). It is bounded to the north and west by agricultural land, to the east by residential development and to the south by the route of Castlethorpe Road and residential properties and their associated gardens. The site lies at approximately 115m AOD in the east with the ground sloping downwards to 100m AOD in the west. 1.5 The solid geology of the site comprises Blisworth Clay Formation, mudstone of the Jurassic period. This is overlain by superficial Quaternary deposits of Oadby Member Diamicton (BGS 2017).