Southampton Archaeology Unit

Home , Gomeldon, Time Team (series 16), Time Team (series 17), Time Team (series 2), Time Team (series 20), Time Team (series 8)

Report 1258

Desk-based assessment of the archaeological potential of land south of East Gomeldon Road, Gomeldon, Wiltshire.

Dr AD Russel BA PhD MCIfA

2017

Client: Mr A Pool and Mr D Bowyer.

Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

Contents

1. Summary ...... 2 2. Introduction ...... 2 3. Aims of the Desk-based assessment ...... 3 4. Assessment methodology ...... 3 5. Site location, topography and geology ...... 3 6. Historical background ...... 4 7. Cartographic evidence ...... 5 8. Archaeological Evidence ...... 7 9. Scheduled monuments ...... 14 10. Historic Buildings ...... 15 11. The present condition of the site ...... 17 12. The proposals ...... 17 13. Conclusions ...... 18 14. Mitigation Strategy ...... 19

1 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

Desk-based assessment of the archaeological potential of land south of East Gomeldon Road, Gomeldon, Wiltshire. Dr AD Russel BA PhD MCIfA Archaeology Unit report 1258 Ordnance Survey grid reference 504010 135625 1. SUMMARY The Archaeology Unit of Southampton City Council was commissioned by Mr A Pool and Mr D Bowyer to draw up a desk-based assessment of the archaeological potential of some 2000sq m of land south of East Gomeldon Road in Gomeldon, Wiltshire.

Archaeological sites of all periods lie in the vicinity of the site. No prehistoric settlements are known, but a cemetery of 13 Bronze Age burials lies to the southeast. It is unlikely that it extends as far as the present site. The location of the settlement that buried their dead here is not known, but Bronze Age sherds and flints have been found to the south of the present site, both on the valley floor and on the plain to its east.

The Roman road from Salisbury to Silchester, known as The Portway runs in the bottom of the valley to the west of the site, a possible settlement/enclosure lies some 300m southwest of the site, and Romano-British pottery and box-tile fragments were found during the excavation of the Gomeldon deserted medieval village downslope from the site; the box tile, however, had been collected to use in a hearth and it may have come from further afield.

The excavations at the medieval villages of Winterbourne Gunner to the south, and Gomeldon to the immediate west of the site were important archaeological discoveries and the Gomeldon site, now a Scheduled Monument with its extant house platforms and trackways, lies just down-slope from the present site, which partly borders on the scheduled area. The excavators concluded that there were no house platforms to the east of the main road across the settlement (that is in the area of the present site) but the plan of the earthworks shows a number of linear features heading towards the present site.

Given the presence of sites of all periods in the vicinity of the site, and the surviving medieval village of Gomeldon to the west, just outside the site boundary, the archaeological potential of the site is considered to be High. Given the high potential for archaeological remains to survive on the site best practice would dictate that further information is obtained on the date and nature of the archaeology prior to construction, and any damage to the archaeology be mitigated. This could be achieved by a condition for a two-phase programme of archaeological work being placed on the planning permission; the first phase evaluation, and the second phase a programme of further work as required by the planning authority.

2. INTRODUCTION 2.1 The Archaeology Unit of Southampton City Council was commissioned by Mr A Pool and Mr D Bowyer to draw up a desk-based assessment of the archaeological potential of some 00 acres of land at Gomeldon in Wiltshire (fig 1).

2.2 The site lies on the edge of the valley of the River Bourne, to the northeast of Salisbury.

2 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

3. AIMS OF THE DESK -BASED ASSESSMENT 3.1 The aims of the assessment were to identify the likely scope of the area’s archaeological heritage and its sensitivity to development. This was to be achieved by characterising the archaeology of the site through all periods to the modern day, suggesting the likely range and locations of the archaeological evidence, and establishing areas where archaeology is unlikely to survive due to modern disturbance.

4. ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY 4.1 Wiltshire County Council provided details of nearby Heritage Assets, and the results of archaeological investigations in the area. Historic maps were consulted to gain a view of land use over the last 250 years.

5. SITE LOCATION , TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY 5.1 The site (fig 1) is centred at Ordnance Survey Grid reference 504010 135625.

3 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

Figure 2. The site in September 2016. (Solent Surveys).

5.2 The site lies on the edge of the river valley which lies to the west of the site and slopes from c79m OD in the northeast corner to c73m OD to the south east corner and c77m OD in the west corner (fig 2).

5.3 The British Geological Survey records the bedrock geology as consisting of Seaford Chalk Formation - Chalk. Sedimentary Bedrock formed approximately 84 to 89 million years ago in the Cretaceous Period. (http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyofbritain/ home.html).

5.4 The overlying soils are recorded as 343h Andover 1 a brown rendzina (Soil Survey of England and Wales, Sheet 6 South East England).

6. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Synthesised from: https://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=124 and Musty and Algar 1986.

6.1. Gomeldon lies within the parish of Idmiston. Gomeldon is derived from Gumela's Hill and the Saxon settlement was on the lower slopes of the Bourne Valley. There was substantial prehistoric settlement in this area with two large Neolithic flint mines at Easton Down and Martin's Clump, that were probably occupied for around 500 years. Bronze Age round barrows are a feature of the landscape while on Thorney Down there was a late Bronze Age farmhouse with eight outbuildings. There are several Bronze Age enclosures. During the Iron Age there were various small farms and these probably continued into the Romano-British period. On Roche Court Down there is an early 6th century Saxon cemetery with 17 graves with a further 18 graves of victims of a mass execution. It is most likely that settled Saxon occupation of the valley took place soon after this. By the early 10th century Glastonbury Abbey held 20 hides here, including the manor of Gomeldon, and Saxon burials have been found at Gomeldon.

4 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

6.2 Gomeldon is not mentioned as such in the Domesday Book (1086) it is generally assumed that the 5-hide estate entered as Wintreburne is in fact Gomeldon. There were three distinct communities, Idmiston being the largest with about 70-75 people, then Gomeldon with 50 to 55 and in the middle, geographically, Porton with about 30 inhabitants. Idmiston had the most land, sufficient for seven plough teams, Gomeldon had land for three plough teams and Porton enough for two. All had meadow and pastureland but only Idmiston had woodland (10 acres). Both Gomeldon and Porton had water mills. The total population was between 150 and 160.

Part of the deserted medieval village of Gomeldon, to the east of the river, has been excavated. It was originally sited on the lower slopes of Gomeldon Hill and in the early 12th century consisted of long houses, home to humans at one end and animals at the other. By the late 13th century/early 14th century the animals were housed in a separate building and the houses were reserved for humans. The houses were of unmortared flint and set on a village street, which remains as a hollow way. By the later medieval period the houses had moved further up the hillside and set on prepared platforms. The earliest existing building in the parish is the timber-framed Old Vicarage at Idmiston that dates from the early 15th century. It is likely that the settlement at Gomeldon was in decline by this time and in 1518 the mill is described as 'decayed' and there were only six households.

7. CARTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE 7.1 A brief overview of the known cartographic evidence from the late 18th century onwards follows. Andrews’ and Dury’s Map of Wiltshire, 1773, (Map 1) shows the site as fields. Later map from 1806 onwards show a similar state of affairs.

Map 1. Extract from Andrews’ and Dury’s Map of Wiltshire, 1773. Approximate position of site marked by red circle.

5 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

Map 2. Ordnance Survey First Edition 1817 1:63360. Approximate position of site marked by red circle.

Map 3. Wiltshire sheet LXI.13, surveyed 1877, published ca. 1879. 25 inch to the mile. Approximate position of site marked by red triangle.

6 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

Map 4. Wiltshire sheet LXI.13 revised 1939, published: 1947. 25 inch to the mile. Approximate position of site marked by red triangle.

8. ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE 8.1 The Historic Environment Record for Wiltshire was searched for Heritage Assets within 1km of the site. Figure 3 below shows their locations. Each heritage asset, including historic buildings and archaeological sites, is described below.

Bronze Age MWI10446 SU 1822 352 Bronze Age pottery fragments. The base of a 'B' beaker with comb decoration and 3 fragments of a cord impressed beaker found in grave 7 of the Saxon cemetery.

MWI10448 SU 1805 353 Bronze Age sherds found during excavation by Algar in 1965 of the medieval earthworks. Three sherds of Bronze Age pottery were found in Trenches 2, 3 and 7.

MWI10456 SU 1786 3578 A flint blade, probably Bronze Age.

7 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

MWI10457 SU 1827 3549 Flint tools, probably Bronze Age. A core and 19 flakes (4 with retouch).

MWI10522 SU 1837 352 A bowl barrow was excavated between 1897 and 1901, probably Bronze Age as it had a primary crouched skeleton.

MWI10523 SU 1852 354 A bowl barrow, site of. It has been overlapped by a railway embankment.

MWI10524 SU 1860 353

8 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

A bowl barrow, site of. Excavated by EA Rawlence who found ashes, animal bones and part of an antler pick.

MWI10525 SU 1857 3544 A bowl barrow, site of. Excavated by EA Rawlence who found a primary cremation with a fragment of an urn of enlarged food vessel type covered with large flints.

MWI10526 SU 1863 3533 Horse Barrow, a mutilated bowl barrow.

MWI10527 SU 1867 3536 Site of a bowl barrow. Excavated by EA Rawlence who found a primary skeleton in a chalk grave.

MWI10528 SU 1867 3542 Site of a bowl barrow, excavated by EA Rawlence who found a primary skeleton and a secondary or subsidiary cremation.

MWI10529 SU 1872 3541 Site of a bowl barrow, excavated by Rawlence who found a primary skeleton of a 6-7 year old female child with a bead, and a skeleton of an adult female above. Both displayed hydrocephalic symptoms. There was also a secondary cremation.

MWI10530 SU 1842 3542 A ring ditch, approximately 33m diameter is visible on an aerial photograph.

MWI10572 SU 1825 3522 Pond barrow discovered during excavation by AC Archaeology in 1994. Two cremation urns and a crouched burial appeared to lie beneath former bank. A section through the barrow revealed a central cremation pit (not excavated). Associated with SU13SE400. Two bronze age cremation urns excavated by the Channel 4 "Time Team" from a barrow at Winterbourne Gunner Wiltshire are in Salisbury Museum.

MWI10573 SU 1827 3522 Ring ditch of barrow found during trenching for an evaluation by AC Archaeology in May 1994. Ditch which in one area appeared to contain a cremation urn.

MWI10574 SU 1848 352 Ring ditch discovered during the laying of British gas pipeline in 1989. Two sections were excavated across the ditch in addition to the central cremation pit, presumed to be human. The ditch was 1.8 -2m wide and 0.8m deep.

9 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

MWI10587 SU 1828 353 Part of a ring ditch is visible on an aerial photograph.

MWI73259 SU 1848 3547 A Bronze Age barrow cemetery comprising at least thirteen barrows, including the Horse Barrow. Four barrows to the north of the Horse Barrow have been excavated in advance of house building. A further two barrows, a pond barrow and a round barrow, have also been excavated at the south end of the known extents of the cemetery, in the vicinity of Salt Lane. The remaining seven round barrows, are visible as cropmarks and have been mapped from aerial photographs. The largest barrow is not completely visible and is defined by a ring ditch, with a diameter of 12.5 metres, surrounded by another ring ditch with a diameter of 58 metres. It is possibly a disc barrow or the two ring ditches may be the remains of two different phases of construction. A central pit may be the site of a burial pit. To the south, east and west of this barrow are five further ring ditches. These have diameters of 12 metres, 42 metres, 24 metres, 25 metres and 30 metres. The seventh barrow is visible as a ring ditch surrounding a mound and has a diameter of 35.5 metres. It is possible that this barrow has not been completely ploughed level as the mound is the slight chalk rise. The barrows are situated on a west facing ridge overlooking the River Bourne, between 75 metres and 65 metres above OD.

Iron Age MWI10467 SU 1810 3533 Twenty two sherds of Iron Age pottery were recovered from an excavation of Medieval earthworks in 1965-1968. Three fabric types were identified:- a dark brown/black fabric with soft limestone inclusions and exterior voids, an orangey fabric with mixed large and small flint inclusions, grey core and external spalling, and an orange buff/grey fabric with grey core and small calcareous inclusions and external voids. One sherd of flint tempered pot with an everted bead rim of probable 1st century AD date was recovered from the topsoil plus two body sherds from the mixed Context 104 south of a buried wall. Two body sherds were found in Trench 3 which represented the southern extent of the early settlement (the original land surface below the bank with associated post-hole). Trench 2 on the eastern boundary ditch, produced two sherds of pottery.

Prehistoric undated MWI10509 SU 1820 3549 A 3ft thick layer of peat with a layer of 'pot-boilers' (burnt stone).

MWI10510 SU 1827 3550 1 flint core and 19 flint flakes, 4 with retouch, found from field walking/topsoil stripping during laying of gas pipeline in 1989.

MWI10511 SU 1812 352 Worked flint and burnt flint found during excavation ahead of a housing development in 1995.

10 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

Roman MWI10477 SU 1853 3609 (2928m by 2192m) The Roman road from Salisbury to Silchester, known as The Portway. 300 metres of bank, centred at SU 1979 3699, are visible to the south of the modern village of Idmiston. The bank is situated just to the south of the line of the road marked on the OS map.

MWI10479 SU 1807 3536 Probable site of a Romano-British enclosure. Thirty-one sherds of pottery were recovered during an excavation during 1965-1968, mainly from Trenches 1, 3, and 9. It was felt that the vicinity where the pottery was found may represent the original enclosed area. Further sherds were recovered from Trench 8 within the enclosure and Trench 7 representing a later division of the original larger enclosure. Trench one produced a fine ceramic tile and base or lid of a Savernake-type ware vessel. Test-pit 9 produced a sherd of North Gaulish wheel-turned fine white ware.

MWI10481 SU 1822 3522 Five fragments of Romano-British pottery were found in the top of the grave fill of the Saxon cemetery in 1960.

MWI10485 SU 1820 3559 Romano-British pottery and box-tile fragments were found during an excavation the Deserted Medieval Village.

MWI10486 SU 1811 3526 A Romano-British ditch or oval pit was revealed during an excavation ahead of a housing development in 1995. One sherd of fine quartz-tempered pottery, possibly black burnished ware, was used to date the feature.

Saxon MWI10490 SU 1826 3520 The Winterbourne Gunner Anglo-Saxon cemetery, discovered in 1960. Salisbury Museum Archaeological Research Group excavated 10 6th century graves. Watching briefs and excavations in 1992-4 by Wiltshire County Council staff and AC Archaeology on 3 bungalows have located 72 graves. Those to the east dated to the 8th century. Time Team in 1994 uncovered the graves of two adult females and one child which had been placed around the edge of the site of a Bronze Age round barrow (see SU13NE660 and 661). Grave goods include an encrusted bronze saucer brooch, an amber bead and an iron pin.

MWI10492 SU 1808 353 8th century Athelred II penny, first hand type of the Winchester mint. Eight sherds of burnished pottery were recovered from the incomplete excavation of Trench 8 during an excavation in 1965-1968. Further sherds were recovered as residual finds from the topsoil layers of Trench 3.

11 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

Medieval MWI10496 SU 1822 356 'Gomeledona' in AD1189. Deserted Medieval Village excavated by Musty and Algar. 5 houses, 1 barn and associated structures uncovered. Slight earthworks to the west including a double lynchet trackway, surveyed by RCHM. A resistivity survey conducted during February and March 1997 provided indications of structures beneath the surface of a small area at the western end of the site. A large collection of iron objects from this site is in Salisbury Museum.

Figure 4. The surviving earthworks of Gomeldon deserted village. From Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, vol. 80 (1986), pp. 127-169. Excavations at the Deserted Medieval Village of Gomeldon, near Salisbury by John Musty and David Algar

MWI10497 SU 1810 3540 1) Earthworks in St Marys Field, Winterbourne Gunner were excavated in 10 investigatory trenches by Algar in 1965-1968. Major banks were thought to be the remains of a manorial enclosure of the 13th century. Level platform sites were perhaps of lesser domestic buildings. The excavation succeeded in establishing

12 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

settlement prior to the 12th century occupation of the hilltop Gomeldon site. The excavation revealed much pottery including early, developed, and decorated Laverstock-type wares. The coarse hand-made, deeply incised scratched ware is thought to represent the Saxo-Norman period, making up 35% of the total Medieval fabric found on the site. Non-local wares are exclusively the later products of the Crockerton area kilns near Warminster, whose products are found on most 12th century sites. An iron knife with the remains of the tang is comparable with the 12th century Type C whittle tang ferrous knives from Winchester. Trench 3 produced an unusual ferrous ring-bow key with an S-shaped bit and rectangular solid shank. The pear-shaped bow makes it unlikely to be later than the 11th century. 2) King Alfred's College, Winchester carried out a geophysical survey in February and March 1997 and revealed the existence of foundation trenches associated with the earthworks alongside St Mary's Church. Further structures were identified in St Mary's Field. The line of an early roadway is clearly visible running alongside and then under the existing metalled road at the eastern end of the field, Mole activity in the surveyed field revealed much pottery, brick, tile and animal bone of early medieval date. 3) English Heritage, NMR Aerial Photograph, NMR SU 1835/12-15 (18741/13-16) 16- JAN-2000; NMR SU 1835/18-19 (18651/32-33) 16-JAN-2000 (Aerial Photograph). SWI9475. Parts of the possible Medieval and/or Post Medieval settlement remains are visible as earthworks and have been mapped from aerial photographs. These comprise a series of bank defined boundaries which possibly form crofts, perpendicular to the present road through the village. Several small rectangular enclosures to the east and south of the church may be the remains of house platforms and tofts. An enclosure to the north of the church is also thought to be associated with medieval settlement in the vicinity. To the north of the earthworks described above, across the parish boundary, are more medieval settlement remains thought to be the deserted settlement of Gomeldon.

MWI10500 SU 1796 3524 Winterbourne Gunner, a village with Medieval origins.

MWI73296 SU 1820 3567 Some possible medieval and/or post medieval remains are visible as earthworks and have been mapped from aerial photographs. Indistinct bank defined boundaries and a possible hollow way have been noted. Some have been built over with modern houses.

Post-medieval MWI10503 SU 1829 3620 Post Medieval water meadows are visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs. They extend, along either side of the River Bourne, from the parish boundary between Winterbourne and Idmiston as far as the modern village of Idmiston and therefore pass through the modern villages of Gomeldon and Porton. The main drains and feeders have been mapped. They are visible on either side of the River Bourne.

MWI6962 SU 1799 359 West Gomeldon Farm, Idmiston. Extant 17th century farmstead formed of an L-plan regular courtyard. Three sides of the loose courtyard are formed by working agricultural

13 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA buildings with additional detached elements to the main plan. The farmhouse is set away from the yard.

MWI70884 SU 1810 3611 Site of Outfarm northeast of Gomeldon Farm, Idmiston. Demolished 19th century outfarm constructed as a singular structure.

MWI70885 SU 1821 3584 Manor Farm, Gomeldon, Idmiston. Partially extant 19th century farmstead of dispersed plan.

Modern MWI10504 SU 1888 3553 World War II remains associated with barracks to the east of Winterbourne Dauntsey and Winterbourne Gunner. The camp appears to have been used as an airfield as aeroplanes, buildings, trenches and other features are visible on aerial photographs taken in 1942 and 1947. An area of buildings is also visible, detached from the main camp, to the north and north east of the school in Gomeldon.

9. SCHEDULED MONUMENTS 9.1. Important monuments in England are scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. There are no Scheduled Monuments within the site but three lie within 1km of the site centre (fig 3).

DWI13178 SU 1826 3522 A pond barrow and a bowl barrow 200m south-east of St Mary's Church forming outliers to a round barrow cemetery at Winterbourne Gunner

DWI14022 Gomeldon deserted village SU 1816 3567 (195m by 243m) Area (Ha): 2.50 Deserted medieval village. The scheduled area is contiguous with the present site boundary in the northwest corner of the site (fig 5).

DWI13600 Horse Barrow SU 1862 3533 (28m by 28m) A bowl barrow situated on a low spur on the eastern valley side of the River Bourne. A circular mound measuring approximately 16m in diameter and 1.4m high surrounded by a buried quarry ditch from which the construction material was derived. It lies on the parish boundary between Winterbourne and Idmiston.

14 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

Figure 5: The Scheduled area encompassing the medieval village of Gomeldon.

10. HISTORIC BUILDINGS 10.1 There are six listed buildings within 1km of the site centre (fig 6). These are described below.

DWI7888 SU1805635355 Winterbourne Gunner Church of St Mary the Virgin Listed Grade 1 on 18.2.58 Anglican parish church. C12-C13, c1687, 1810 restored 1886 and 1977. Flint with limestone dressings, tower rendered to exposed quoining, and whitewashed. Tiled roofs. Short late C12-early C13 nave, chancel, C12 tower at west end, and south porch erected after removal of south aisle. Entrance through reset chamfered arch to porch with moulded hood and block terminals. Two-light plate tracery windows to nave, C19, ogee headed lancet to south wall of chancel and an early C19 brick arched window. Late C19 east window. Chancel north wall rebuilt with brick banding 1810. Reset date stone in east wall 1687. Window head of Saxo-Norman type in north nave wall. Tower has north door and 3- iight west window. Bell openings ?C12 and early C14. Pyramidal tiled roof. Interior: Nave of 2 bays, late C12-early C13 arcade of chamfered arches on octagonal column and responds, blocked on outside face, apparently a late medieval reduction. C14 roof with arch braced trussed rafters and moulded central tie beam. Old plaster. Blocked north door. Chancel arch also simply chamfered on chamfered responds with bar stops. Chancel plastered -and ceiled, 1810, with simple cornice. Tower arch full width of tower.

15 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

DWI7808 SU1798235901 West Gomeldon Farmhouse and End House Listed Grade II on 10.1.53 Farmhouse, now 2 dwellings. C17 and C18. Brick and flint with brick dressings, expanded in brick. Tiled roofs. Two storeys, cellar and attics. First build, two-bay block, gable to road, of brick and flint. Lobby entry plan. Chamfered and rebated stone mullioned windows, those to ground floor with brick relieving arches. Timber leaded windows above. Roof half hipped to road. Early-mid C18 block added at right angles to rear bay. Two bays, Flemish bond with 3-course plat band. Timber doorcase with pediment on shaped brackets in left bay against earlier build. Panelled C17 door with overlight. Stone ovolo moulded windows of 2 lights, but single light to end bay upper floor. Gable stack before addition of later C18 third build, a wide single bay in header bond also with 2 and 3-light windows, stone mullioned and leaded. Roof half hipped to right. C19 single storey service room with slated roof added, to rear gable of first build. Interior: refitted in early C18. South-west room has chamfered ceiling beam and run-out steps, and moulded cornice to fielded panelling. Hall has fielded panelled dado and C18 stair with 3 turned vase balusters to each tread.

16 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

Lowest flight reset. Kitchen in second build has open fireplace with chamfered stone jambs. Panelling in south-west bedroom, and panelled dado in north-west bedroom. Roof of first build of 5 bays. Some C17 doors in later build.

DWI7887 SU1793335474 Outbuilding at Winterbourne Gunner Mill Listed Grade II on 29/05/1987 Outbuilding on south side of yard of mill. C18 or early C19. Timber framed and thatched, 3 bays, comprising stable in the left, wider bay with stable door and vent, and 2 bay open cart shelter on right. Roof half hipped, and central wind vane.

DWI7890 SU1805035345 Tanner Monument in churchyard, approximately 6m south of tower, Church of St Mary Listed Grade II on 29/05/1987 Chest tomb. 1823. Limestone. Moulded table and base. Panelled sides and ends. Enclosed in wrought iron railings with javelin heads and urns at corners. To Frances Tanner, died 1823, and Jane Tanner, died 1840.

DWI7889 SU1807435361 Unidentified monument 5m east of chancel, Church of St Mary Listed Grade II on 29/05/1987 Chest tomb. Early-mid C19. Limestone. Moulded table and base. Fielded panelled sides. Inscription on table.

DWI7886 SU1792735495 Winterbourne Gunner Mill Listed Grade II on 29/05/1987 House and mill. Early C19. Brick with slate roofs. House of 2 storeys, 2 bays extended left by a third, rendered, bay. Entrance to yard on south side. Tuscan portico with 6-panelled door and fanlight. Sixteen-paned sashes within openings with cambered heads. Roof hipped, with brick stack central to original 2 bays. Attached to rear the mill, 2 storeys, 3 bays, heightened in later C19 with raised gables to form attic. Six-paned top hung windows and loading door on first floor. Stone sundial on wall.

11. THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SITE 11.1 The site is at present a mixture of grass, deciduous trees, and conifers. There is a small mound in the centre of the site and a scarp slope facing northeast which suggests earthmoving at some stage in the past.

12. THE PROPOSALS 12.1 It is proposed to create a car park in the east part of the site, the remaining land being divided into two plots, on each of which it is proposed to build a detached house with garage (fig 7).

17 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

Figure 7: The proposals. 13. CONCLUSIONS 13.1 Archaeological sites of all periods lie in the vicinity of the site. No prehistoric settlements are known, but a cemetery of 13 Bronze Age burials lies to the southeast. It is unlikely that it extends as far as the present site. The location of the settlement that buried their dead there is not known, but Bronze Age sherds and flints have been found to the south of the present site, both on the valley floor and on the plain to its east.

13.2 The Roman road from Salisbury to Silchester, known as The Portway, runs in the bottom of the valley to the west of the site, a possible settlement/enclosure lies some 300m southwest of the site, and Romano-British pottery and box-tile fragments were found during the excavation of the Gomeldon deserted medieval village downslope from the site; the box tile however had been collected to use in a hearth and it may have come from further afield.

13.3 Musty and Algar’s excavations at the medieval villages of Winterbourne Gunner to the south, and Gomeldon to the immediate west of the site were important archaeological discoveries and the Gomeldon site, now a Scheduled Monument with its extant house platforms and trackways, lies just down-slope from the present site, which partly borders on the scheduled area. The excavators concluded that there were no house platforms to the east of the main road across the settlement (marked R—R on figure 8) but the plan of the earthworks (fig 8) shows a number of linear features heading towards the present site.

18 Southampton City Council Archaeology Unit: East Gomeldon Road DBA

Figure 8: The earthworks of the Gomeldon medieval village with approximate position of site marked by red triangle.

13.4 Given the presence of sites of all periods in the vicinity of the site, and the surviving medieval village of Gomeldon to the west, just outside the site boundary, the archaeological potential of the site is considered to be High. There may have been some earthmoving in the recent past but the extent and depth of this is not known.

14. MITIGATION STRATEGY 14.1 Given the high potential for archaeological remains to survive on the site best practice would dictate that further information is obtained on the date and nature of the archaeology prior to construction, and any damage to the archaeology be mitigated. This could be achieved by a condition for a two-phase programme of archaeological work being placed on the planning permission; the first phase evaluation, and the second phase a programme of further work as required by the planning authority.