Woodsmith Mine Sneaton North Yorkshire
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Woodsmith Mine Sneaton North Yorkshire Programme of Archaeological Work for Collins Earthworks on behalf of Sirius Minerals PLC CA Project: 660829 CA Report: 18716 Document Number: TBC December 2018 Woodsmith Mine Sneaton North Yorkshire Archaeological Watching Brief CA Project: 660829 CA Report: 18716 Document Number: TBC Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for Approved revision by A 18/11/2018 Ed Grenier SRJ Internal Quality Assurance SRJ review 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 Woodsmith Mine, Sneaton, North Yorkshire: Programme of Archaeological Works CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 3 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 4 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................ 5 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................... 9 4. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 10 5. RESULTS (FIGS 2-22) ....................................................................................... 10 6. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 25 7. CA PROJECT TEAM .......................................................................................... 26 10. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 27 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................... 29 APPENDIX B: OASIS REPORT FORM........................................................................... 33 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Woodsmith Mine, Sneaton, North Yorkshire: Programme of Archaeological Works LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Site location plan, showing area of observed groundworks and archaeological features (1:5000) Fig. 3 Plan of observed groundworks, showing location of archaeological features (1:1500) Fig. 4 Plan of observed groundworks, showing location of archaeological features (1:300) Fig. 5 Trench 11, looking north-east (photograph) Fig. 6 Trench 22, looking north-east (photograph) Fig. 7 Ditch 2010: section (scale 1:20) Fig. 8 Wheel ruts 2012 & 2014, looking west (photograph) Fig. 9 Ditch 2016 and wheel ruts 2012 & 2014 (photograph) Fig. 10 Lidar, showing palaeochannels 2004 and 2018 and ditch 2016 Fig. 11 Trench 23, looking north-west (photograph) Fig. 12 Palaeochannel 2004, looking west (photograph) Fig. 13 Ditch 2002, looking west (photograph) Fig. 14 Ditch 2002: section (1:20) Fig. 15 Trench 24, looking south-west (photograph) Fig. 16 Trench 25, looking north-west (photograph) Fig. 17 Trench 25, showing disturbance prior to site strip (photograph) Fig. 18 Wheel ruts 1007, looking east (photograph) Fig. 19 Ditch 1002, looking north (photograph) Fig. 20 Pit 1014: section (1:20) Fig. 21 Ditch 1018: section (1:20) Fig. 22 Trench 26, looking east (photograph) Fig. 23 Culvert 5003, looking south-east (photograph) 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Woodsmith Mine, Sneaton, North Yorkshire: Programme of Archaeological Works SUMMARY Project Name: Woodsmith Mine Location: Sneaton, North Yorkshire NGR: 489446 505168 Type: Programme of Archaeological Works Date: June to December 2018 Planning Reference: North York Moors Park Authority Planning Reference: NYM/2014/0676/MEIA Location of Archive: To be deposited with Scarborough Museum Site Code: DNF 17 An Archaeological Watching Brief was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology between June and December 2018 at Woodsmith Mine, Sneaton, North Yorkshire. The fieldwork was undertaken to satisfy the requirements of condition 95 of planning permission NYM/2014/0676/MEIA. Archaeological interest in the site is derived from its location within the North York Moors National Park, which is known to contain extensive examples of Late Neolithic rock art and is rich in well preserved prehistoric funerary and settlement remains. The works comprised a watching brief during the mechanical stripping of overburden from six areas down to the natural geological substrate. This revealed two sinuous features, interpreted as silted palaeochannels, as well as partial elements of at least two field systems. Although these field systems remained undated artefactually, they have been assigned to either the pre-medieval period or the post- medieval period based on their relationships with one another, their morphological characteristics and cartographic analysis In addition, a stone lined culvert of probable post-medieval date and two undated pits were also identified. 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Woodsmith Mine, Sneaton, North Yorkshire: Programme of Archaeological Works 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Between June and December 2018, Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out a programme of archaeological works at Woodsmith Mine, Sneaton, North Yorkshire (centred at NGR: 489446 505168; Fig. 1). The programme of archaeological works was commissioned by Collins Earthworks on behalf of Sirius Minerals PLC. Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) 1.2 The programme of archaeological works was undertaken to fulfil a condition (Condition 95) attached to a planning consent granted by North York Moors National Park Authority (NYMNPA; the local planning authority) for the winning and working of polyhalite by underground methods (Planning reference: NYM/2014/0676/MEIA). 1.3 The planning condition requiring a WSI was approved by the NYMNPA via a commitment by Sirius Minerals to follow the methodology as previously approved within detailed Written Schemes of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2016 & 2017) and approved by the NYMNPA acting on the advice of Graham Lee. The 4 © Cotswold Archaeology Woodsmith Mine, Sneaton, North Yorkshire: Programme of Archaeological Works fieldwork also followed Standard and guidance: Archaeological watching brief (CIfA 2014) and Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Excavation (CIfA 2014). The site 1.4 The consented site is situated approximately 5km to the south of Whitby and 20km to the north-west of Scarborough. The site encompasses an area of approximately 50ha (Fig. 2); the north-western part of which comprised a series of rectilinear fields, with an associated farmhouse and ancillary farm buildings. The south-eastern part of the site is occupied by a combination of Whinny Wood and the Haxby and Belt Plantations. The site lies at approximately 212m above Ordnance Datum aOD in the west and south, sloping downwards to approximately 170m aOD in the north-east. 1.5 The underlying bedrock geology of the area is mapped as sandstone and mudstone of the Moor Grit, Scarborough, Cloughton and Saltwick Formations, formed during the Jurassic Period. This comprised siltstone and mudstone in the west of the site and mudstone, sandstone and siltstone in the east of the site (BGS 2018). The encountered geological substrate comprising firm mid-yellow orange to mid-blue grey sandy clay was observed across the site. 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 The site has been the previous subject of desk-based assessments (CA 2012a, 2012b and 2014a), and an Environmental Statement (Royal Haskoning DHV 2014). A geophysical survey has also been undertaken (GSB Prospection 2012) as well as watching briefs (CA 2014b) and archaeological monitoring (CA 2018). The following section is summarised from these sources. 2.2 A small number of non-designated heritage assets have been identified within the mine head development area. Prehistoric (pre-43 AD) 2.3 A prehistoric findspot has been recorded beyond the immediate south-eastern boundary of the site within the Haxby Plantation. This comprised an unstratified assemblage of Mesolithic and later material, including Bronze Age arrowheads, scrapers and knives. Within the wider landscape, Ugglebarnby Moor, located to the immediate west of the site, contains a dense concentration of recorded prehistoric sites. 5 © Cotswold Archaeology Woodsmith Mine, Sneaton, North Yorkshire: Programme of Archaeological Works Insert Fig 2 6 © Cotswold Archaeology Woodsmith Mine, Sneaton, North Yorkshire: Programme of Archaeological Works 2.4 Moorland within this part of the North York Moors National Park contains extensive examples of Late Neolithic rock art. Moorland within the Park is also typically rich in well preserved prehistoric funerary and settlement remains. This includes cairns, barrows, and numerous other features, particularly of Bronze Age and Iron Age date (2400 BC to AD 43). Roman (AD 43) to modern 2.5 There are no recorded heritage assets of Roman or early medieval date within the site. However, the parish boundary between Sneaton and Eskdaleside-cum- Ugglebarnby may have its origins in the medieval period. By the middle of the 11th century the village of Sneaton, in the Hundred (Saxon administrative division) of Langbaurgh, had a population of 40 villagers, three smallholders and eight freemen (Domesday Book). It is not known when the area of Dove’s Nest Farm was first enclosed from the surrounding moorland for cultivation.