South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 50.05 Land West of Aberyscir Court Yscir Powys Archaeological Excavation
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South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 50.05 Land West of Aberyscir Court Yscir Powys Archaeological Excavation for Rhead Group on behalf of National Grid CA Project: 9150 CA Report: 13256 Event: CPAT102846 April 2014 South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 50.05 Archaeological Excavation CA Project: 9150 CA Report: 13256 Event: CPAT102846 prepared by Christopher Leonard, Project Officer date 24 April 2014 checked by Karen E Walker, Post-Excavation Manager date 20 July 2015 approved by Martin Watts, Project Director, Head of Publications signed date 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 Cirencester Milton Keynes Andover Building 11 Unit 4 Office 49 Kemble Enterprise Park Cromwell Business Centre Basepoint Business Centre Kemble, Cirencester Howard Way, Newport Pagnell Caxton Close, Andover Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ MK16 9QS Hampshire, SP10 3FG t. 01285 771022 t. 01908 218320 t. 01264 326549 f. 01285 771033 e. [email protected] © Cotswold Archaeology South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 50.05: Archaeological Excavation CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 2 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 3 2. RESULTS (FIG. 2) ............................................................................................. 6 3. PROJECT TEAM ............................................................................................... 9 4. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 10 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................... 12 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS .............................................................................................. 14 APPENDIX C: THE PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL EVIDENCE BY JAMES RACKHAM .... 18 APPENDIX D: THE RADIOCARBON DATES BY SEREN GRIFFITHS ........................... 26 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Excavation site plan and sections (1:500 and 1:50) GLOSSARY CA – Cotswold Archaeology CAP – Cambrian Archaeological Projects CPAT – Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust DAT – Dyfed Archaeological Trust GGAT - Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust FTP – Felindre to Brecon gas pipeline HER – Historic Environment Record MHA – Milford Haven to Aberdulais gas pipeline NAL – Network Archaeology Ltd NLMJV – Nacap Land & Marine Joint Venture UPD – Updated Project Design 1 © Cotswold Archaeology South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 50.05: Archaeological Excavation SUMMARY Project Name: South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Location: Site 50.05, Land West of Aberyscir Court, Yscir, Powys NGR: SN 9952 2960 Type: Excavation Date: 21 June–10 July 2007 Location of Archive: To be deposited with RCAHMW (original paper archive) and Brecknock Museum (material archive and digital copy of paper archive; accession number BRCNM 2013.19.50) Site Code: MHA06 An archaeological excavation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology during groundworks associated with construction of gas pipelines (part of the South Wales high pressure gas pipeline scheme) between Milford Haven and Aberdulais, and Felindre and Brecon, which were conducted between 2005 and 2007. Later Mesolithic and Early Neolithic flints were recovered as residual items and are suggestive of nearby occupation during these periods, as are a hazelnut shell fragments which produced a Mesolithic radiocarbon date and unstratified but probably Early Neolithic pottery sherds. The main findings were of at least four, probably more, ovens. The functions of these remained unclear as little paleoenvironmental evidence was forthcoming from samples recovered from their fills. However, one of the ovens was associated with a Roman radiocarbon date (cal. AD 80–330), and this dating most probably pertains for all of the cut features on the site. Two undated cairns were found during a preceding evaluation. 2 © Cotswold Archaeology South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 50.05: Archaeological Excavation 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 NACAP Land and Marine Joint Venture (NLMJV), on behalf of National Grid, commissioned RSK Environment (part of the RSK Group) to manage the archaeological works (non-invasive surveys, desk based assessment, evaluation, watching brief, and open area excavation) on a 216km-long section of pipeline from Milford Haven (Pembrokeshire) to Brecon (in Powys). The high pressure gas pipeline (part of the 316km long pipeline route from Milford Haven to Tirley in Gloucestershire) was required to reinforce the gas transmission network. The archaeological work performed in advance of this pipeline was undertaken in a number of sections by a number of archaeological companies. The westernmost section of 122km, from Milford Haven to Aberdulais, was investigated by CA (then Cotswold Archaeological Trust) during 2005–2007 with some additional excavation work carried out by CAP. The section of 89km, from Felindre to Brecon was investigated by CA during 2006–2007 and CAP during 2007. Assessment reports on the works were completed in January 2012 (NLM 2012a, 2012b) and the current reporting stage was commissioned in February 2013. 1.2 In June and July 2007 CA carried out an archaeological excavation at Site 50.05, Land West of Aberyscir Court, Yscir, Powys (centred on NGR: SN 9952 2960; Fig. 1). The objective of the excavation was to record all archaeological remains exposed during the pipeline construction. 1.3 The excavation was carried out in accordance with professional codes, standards and guidance documents (EH 1991; IfA 1999a, 1999b, 2001a, 2001b, 2001c and IfA Wales 2008). The methodologies were laid out in an Archaeological Framework Document (RSK 2007) and associated Written Statements of Investigation (WSIs) and Method Statements. The site 1.4 The site is located at 150m AOD within a field on the floodplain alongside the north bank of the River Usk, near its confluence with the River Yscir (Fig. 1). Either side of the valley floor, the ground rises steeply to 340m–360m AOD. The underlying solid geology of the area is mapped as St Maughans Formation (Argillaceous Rocks and Sandstone) of the Devonian Period overlain by superficial deposits of Quaternary Alluvial Silts and River Terrace Sand and Gravel (BGS 2013). 3 © Cotswold Archaeology South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 50.05: Archaeological Excavation Archaeological background 1.5 No archaeological remains were identified within the site during the preliminary Archaeology and Heritage Survey (CA 2006). In the wider landscape archaeological investigations along the pipeline also recorded Early Neolithic pits 2.7km and 3.5km to the north-east at Sites 51.02 and 51.07. 1.6 Bronze Age barrows are present 1.2km north-west of the site and a number of Iron Age hilltop defended enclosures overlook the site, including Twyn-y-Gaer, 2.6km to the north-west, (PRN583) and Coed Fenni-Fach, 2km to the east (PRN300895) (Fig. 1). 1.7 The site is also overlooked by Brecon Gaer Roman camp (PRN 92001; Scheduled Monument BR001; Fig. 1) 700m to the east. The camp was an auxiliary fort dating to the late 1st–2nd centuries AD. It was enclosed by a ditch and stone walls and had an associated cemetery and Aberyscir Roman practice camp to the north (PRN 6039; Fig. 1). Two Roman roads, one leading directly from the fort, pass within 270m to the north and 70m south of the site (PRN 14105, 69702, 11304). The northernmost road, leading from Llandovery to Brecon was investigated at several points along the pipeline route, and 2nd–4th-century AD pottery was found in the roadside ditch at Site 50.11 (CA 2013a), 850m to the north-west of the site. The southernmost road leads within 70m of the site, running from Neath to Brecon. 1.8 The motte of the medieval castle at Aberyscir lies 550m to the east of the site (PRN 597, Scheduled Monument BR002; Fig. 1), and is associated with a deserted medieval settlement (PRN 15946), the environs of which were developed into the current Aberyscir Court in the post-medieval period. South Wales Pipeline Site 50.10 (CA 2013b), located within the grounds of Aberyscir Court identified the remains of stone building foundations belonging either to a deserted medieval village associated with the castle, or to buildings in the post-medieval manorial gardens. 1.9 South Wales Pipeline Site 50.06 (CA 2013c), located in the adjacent field to the north-west, recorded a single undated pit. A small number of Mesolithic and Neolithic flints were recovered from an alluvial layer. 1.10 The field within which the site lays was the subject of an archaeological evaluation undertaken in 2007 in advance of the pipeline construction works. The results of this evaluation are included in this report but, in summary, two field clearance cairns 4 © Cotswold Archaeology South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 50.05: Archaeological Excavation were recorded, both of which were undated (CA 2009, Site 50.05 trenches 1–4). Due to re-routing of the pipeline, the excavation area lay to the east of the evaluation area (Fig. 2, inset). Archaeological objectives 1.11 The objectives of the archaeological works were:- • to monitor groundworks,