White Wicket Farm Gassons Peasedown St.John Bath & North
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White Wicket Farm Gassons Peasedown St.John Bath & North East Somerset Archaeological Watching Brief for A.G. Weeks on behalf of Weeks Family Partnership CA Project: 6260 CA Report: 18432 July to December 2018 White Wicket Farm Gassons Peasedown St.John Bath & North East Somerset Archaeological Watching Brief CA Project: 6260 CA Report: 18432 Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for Approved revision by A 12 Monica Internal December Fombellida review 2018 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 White Wicket Farm, Gassons, Peasedown St. John, BANES .Watching Brief CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 2 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 3 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................ 4 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................... 5 4. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 6 5. RESULTS (FIGS 2-4) ......................................................................................... 7 6. THE FINDS ........................................................................................................ 7 7. THE BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE .......................................................................... 8 8. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 8 9. CA PROJECT TEAM .......................................................................................... 9 10. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 9 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................... 11 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS .............................................................................................. 13 APPENDIX C: THE PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL EVIDENCE ......................................... 14 APPENDIX D: OASIS REPORT FORM .......................................................................... 15 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan (1:3000) Fig. 3 Section and photograph of pit 307 Fig. 4 Photographs 1 © Cotswold Archaeology White Wicket Farm, Gassons, Peasedown St. John, BANES .Watching Brief SUMMARY Project Name: White Wicket Farm Location: Gassons, Peasedown St. John, Bath & North East Somerset NGR: 370837 156156 Type: Watching Brief Date: July-December 2018 Planning Reference: Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANESC) ref.16/06158/FUL Location of Archive: To be deposited at Roman Bath Museum Accession Number: BATRM: 2018.31 Site Code: WWFG 18 An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology during groundworks for the construction of a gallop and soakaways at White Wicket Farm, Gassons, Peasedown St. Jonhn, The watching brief identified an archaeological mid to late Iron Age pit, pit 307, in trench 3, located close to the north-east boundary of the top field. An assemblage of mid to late Iron Age pottery and several animal bones were recovered within its fills. No further archaeological features or artefacts were observed during the groundworks. 2 © Cotswold Archaeology White Wicket Farm, Gassons, Peasedown St. John, BANES .Watching Brief 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 From July to December 2018 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological watching brief for Week Family Partnership at White Wicket Farm, Gassons, Peasedown St. John, BANES (centred at NGR: 370837 156156; Fig. 1). The watching brief was undertaken to fulfil two conditions attached to a planning consent for a change of use of existing agricultural buildings to equestrian uses, along with the construction of a manure clamp and an all-weather arena (BANESC, ref: 16/06158/FUL; conditions 2 and 3). 1.2 The watching brief was carried out in accordance with a detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2018) and approved by Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANESC), acting on the advice of Richard Sermon, archaeological officer, BANESC. The fieldwork also followed Standard and guidance: Archaeological watching brief (CIfA 2014). The site 1.3 The proposed development area is approximately 1.2ha and comprises four fields and two agricultural buildings. The site is bounded to the north and east with Green Street, to the west with Braysdown Lane and to the south to agricultural fields separated by a hedge. The top field lies approximately at 138m AOD, with ground levels sloping down to approximately 100m AOD at the southeast field. The two agricultural buildings are located at the top field at the east of Braysdown Lane. 1.4 The underlying bedrock geology of the area is mapped as Inferior Oolite Group, Limestone, Ooidal, to the west and Charmouth Mudstone Formation, Mudstone, to the east, both formed in the Jurassic Period (BGS 2017). Limestone natural substrate was encountered on the top field and mudstone natural substrate was encountered in the lower two fields. 3 © Cotswold Archaeology White Wicket Farm, Gassons, Peasedown St. John, BANES .Watching Brief 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 The archaeological and historical background of the site has not previously been the subject of any former assessment. The following section is a summary of information recorded from known sites of archaeological interest in the surrounding area. Prehistoric 2.2 A Neolithic chambered tomb or long barrow is purported to be located in close proximity to the eastern boundary of site. Excavated during 1815, the barrow is now a low, circular, ditchless mound and not identifiable as a long barrow in its present form. 2.3 Bronze Age material has been documented in the vicinity of the site. A Bronze Age palstaves was recovered at Peasedown St. John, c.500m from site (Ashton 1987, 30). A Bronze Age burial (MNB30339) was found during the excavations at Bath Business Park, Wellow Lane, c.700m from site, alongside with shallow pits. Pottery and flint arrowheads were found during the excavation of Eckweek House, c.500m north-east of site. 2.4 Iron Age activity was recorded in the vicinity of the site. An isolated inhumation was recorded in Peasedown St. John, c.500m from site (Ashton 1987, 49). A deep ditch part of a possible field system and a pit with pottery was recorded during the excavation at Bath Business Park, Wellow Lane (CA 2005), c.500m north-east of site. Iron Age settlement and burials were recorded at Camerton c.3km at the north- west of site (Wadlake 1985). Roman 2.5 Extensive Roman remains exist approximately 1.8km to the west of site, at Camerton Romano-British town (Scheduled Monument ID: 11509). Roman settlement is also known to be common in the area, which is c.10km southwest of the large Roman centre of Bath. A Roman villa is located at Upper Hayes, c.1.5km to the north-east of site (BANES HER ref: MBN1604). The Fosse Way (the modern A367 that used to pass through the centre of Peasedown St. John and now has been bypassed), pass c.500m to the north of site. During the excavations at Bath 4 © Cotswold Archaeology White Wicket Farm, Gassons, Peasedown St. John, BANES .Watching Brief Busines Park, one enclosure ditch, several linear ditches and a series of pits were recorded. Medieval 2.6 No artefacts or features dated to the medieval period are recorded within site. Historic mapping shows the site to have lain within the agricultural hinterland of Peasedown St. John and Shoscombe village. However, numerous medieval and Saxon settlements have been recorded within the surrounding area, with several relevant entries within the Domesday Book, 1086. 2.7 Excavations at the medieval settlement of Eckweek Farm, located c.1.2km north of site, recorded a Saxon timber structure. A Saxon enclosure, further structures and burials were also excavated at Bath Business Park Wellow Lane, c.800m north-east of site. Post-Medieval 2.8 No artefacts or features of post-medieval date are recorded within the site. The site itself has remained in agricultural use since the medieval period, first as an open field system and later changing to a strip-field system. Nonetheless, the post- medieval period saw significant expansion of the villages surrounding site due to the development of a number of collieries and quarries, with the closest quarry to site approximately c.300m east, as shown on 1884 map of the area. 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 3.1 The objectives of the archaeological works were: to monitor groundworks, and to identify, investigate and record all significant buried archaeological deposits revealed on the site during the course of the development groundworks; at the conclusion of the project, to produce an integrated archive for the project work and a report setting out the results of the project and the archaeological conclusions that can be drawn from the recorded data. 5 © Cotswold Archaeology White Wicket Farm, Gassons, Peasedown St. John, BANES .Watching Brief 4. METHODOLOGY 4.1 The fieldwork followed the methodology set out within