T H A M E S V A L L E Y ARCHAEOLOGICAL S E R V I C E S
Bronze Age pits and Late Roman boundaries, Bearwood Park, Mole Road, Sindlesham, Berkshire
An archaeological excavation
By Andy Taylor
BPS14/121 (SU 7720 6900) Bronze Age pits and Late Roman boundaries at Bearwood Park, Mole Road, Sindlesham, Berkshire
An Archaeological Excavation
Draft Publication Report for
Reading Football Club Ltd
by Andy Taylor
Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd
Site Code BPS 14/121 Site name: Bearwood Park, Mole Road, Sindlesham, Berkshire
Grid reference: SU 7720 6900
Site activity: Archaeological Excavation
Date and duration of project: 10th October-12th December 2017 and 14th-19th June 2018
Project Coordinator: Tim Dawson
Site supervisor: Andy Taylor
Site code: BPS 14/121
Area of site: c.33 hectares
Summary of results: Three phases of archaeological deposits were observed comprising a Middle Bronze Age and early Iron Age pits along with Late Roman gullies, pits and postholes.
Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited with a local museum willing to accept archive material in due course.
This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. All TVAS unpublished fieldwork reports are available on our website: www.tvas.co.uk/reports/reports.asp.
Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford 06.11.18 Steve Preston 06.11.18
i
Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47–49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading RG1 5NR
Tel. (0118) 926 0552; Fax (0118) 926 0553; email [email protected]; website: www.tvas.co.uk Bronze Age pits and Late Roman boundaries at Bearwood Park, Mole Road, Sindlesham, Berkshire An Archaeological Excavation Draft Publication Report
by Andy Taylor
with contributions by David Dungworth, Jane Timby, Lizzi Lewins and Elspeth St John-Brooks
Report 14/121c
Introduction
This report documents the results of an archaeological recording action carried out on land at Bearwood Park, Mole
Road, Sindlesham, Wokingham, Berkshire (SU 7720 6900) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Mr Martin Sykes of Thornbridge Group on behalf of Reading Football Club Ltd, Madejski Stadium, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 0FL.
Planning consent has been gained from Wokingham Borough Council for the comprehensive redevelopment of the site for a new football training facility. This was to comprise construction of several outdoor pitches, conversion of existing buildings and construction of new buildings. Construction of the pitches comprises extensive areas of cut and fill following topsoil and overburden removal. The consent includes a condition relating to archaeology, which required fieldwork in the form of open area excavation. This was in accordance with the Department of Communities and Local
Government's National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF 2012), and the Borough Council’s policies on archaeology.
The field investigation was carried out to a specification approved by Ms Kathelen Leary, Archaeology Officer with
Berkshire Archaeology, advisers to the Borough on matters relating to archaeology.
The fieldwork was undertaken by the author with assistance from Tim Dawson, Josh Hargreaves, David Sanchez,
Benedikt Tebbitt and Jamie Williams between the 10th October and 12th December 2017 and 14th-19th June 2018. The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited with a local museum willing to accept archive material in due course.
Location, topography and geology
The site comprises a large roughly rectangular area that stretches for around 1km along the east side of Mole Road. It was occupied by the overgrown remains of a golf course, in the north, that had areas of large trees (since removed). The woods of Bearwood Park in the east and buildings associated with a former riding school in the south. The site is bounded by Mole Road to the west, with residential properties to the north-west and fields to the south-west. Bearwood
Lake forms most of the south-eastern boundary with the remainder being parkland. The underlying geology is mapped as London Clay (BGS 2000), which was observed on the eastern side of the site giving way to a sandy silt with gravel
1 patches to the west. The site lies at a height of c.55m above Ordnance Datum in the north sloping up to c.65m south and eastwards.
Archaeological background
The archaeological potential of the site has been highlighted in an archaeological desktop study component (Preston
2014) of an Environmental Statement which accompanied the planning application followed by evaluation (Taylor
2015). In summary the archaeological potential stems from its relatively large size within a par of East Berkshire which has revealed a modest range of sites and finds. The most significant of these are Bronze Age burials and a large Iron
Age iron production site to the east at Sadler's Lane (Lewis et al 2013) and an extensive cropmark complex to the west assumed to be a settlement of Iron Age or Roman date (Gates 1978, map 14). Finds and sites of various periods have been revealed by survey work to the west (Ford 1994-7). Recent fieldwork to the north at Hatch Farm, Winnersh has revealed Middle Iron Age and Roman occupation (McNicoll-Norbury and Ford 2017). Various of the estate structures to be converted are listed buildings and the park itself is registered.
Objectives and methodology
The general objectives of the excavation were:
to excavate and record all archaeological deposits and features within the areas threatened by the proposed development; to produce relative and absolute dating and phasing for deposits recorded on the site; to establish the character of these deposits in attempt to define functional areas on the site such as industrial, domestic, etc.; and to produce information on the economy and local environment and compare and contrast this with the results of other excavations in the region.
Specific research objectives were to attempt to address the following questions:
What is the date, nature and extent of the Iron Age deposits on the site? Are there additional archaeological deposits of same or other dates present on the site? If these deposits are settlement related, are they part of an enclosed or unenclosed settlement. Are the occupation deposits isolated or are they part of a wider settlement complex? What is the date, nature and extent of the Roman deposits on the site? Is the settlement enclosed or unenclosed? Is the settlement part of an extensive landscape?
The excavation area measured c.3.3 hectares in area, as shown in Figure 1. Topsoil and subsoil were removed by a
360° type machine fitted with a toothless grading bucket under constant archaeological supervision (Pl. 1). All archaeological features were to be planned and sectioned as a minimum objective, with excavation by hand or sampling to an agreed sample fraction dependent on the type and significance of the feature.
2 Results
The excavation revealed three phases of activity on the site comprising linear features, pits and postholes of Middle
Bronze Age, Early Iron Age and Late Roman dates. These formed very dispersed activity sporadically evident across the stripped area.
Phase 1: Middle Bronze Age Three slots (100, 101, 102) were dug into what was initially thought to be a small pit cluster. However, after excavation two of these are more likely to represent a treebole. These measured between 0.05m and 0.06m deep with root holes evident across their bases with 100 producing 14 sherds of pottery.
Two postholes came from this phase both of which contained Bronze Age pottery. 129 measured 0.26m wide,
0.16m deep and produced a sherd of pottery and pit 130 measured 0.20m wide and 0.13m deep, producing the remains of an urn, which was Radiocarbon dated to 1218-1042 Cal BC (UBA38896) (Pl. 4).
Phase 2: Early Iron Age Three gullies (1000, 1001, 1002) were aligned approximately NE-SW and may form part of funnelling system. 1000 continued as 1001 with 1002 parallel to them. 1000 measured between 0.40m and 0.50m wide, between 0.15m and
0.19m deep but did not produce any finds. 1001 measured between 0.35m and 0.38m wide, between 0.19m and 0.22m deep and again did not contain any dating evidence. 1002 had its southern end truncated by a pipe. It measured between
0.59m and 0.95m wide, between 0.24m and 0.37m deep and contained a single sherd of pottery. Both 1000 and 1001 did not produce any dating evidence but are on the same alignment as 1002 and as such are likely to be of the same date.
Posthole 108 measured 0.49m in diameter, 0.09m deep and produced 14 sherds of pottery. Pit 115 measured
0.66m in diameter, 0.08m deep and produced four sherds of pottery and 22 pieces of bunt flint. Pit 121 measured 0.70m wide, 0.44m deep and produced 13 sherds of pottery and three pieces of burnt flint. Pit 125 produced material which, while not diagnostic, can only be attributed an Iron Age date and so is included in this phase. It measured 0.88m wide,
0.05m deep and contained seven sherds of pottery and a piece of burnt flint. Tree throw 126 produced three sherds of pottery that could only be attributed a generic prehistoric date. This measured 1.08m wide, 0.10m deep and also contained five pieces of animal bone. Pit 136 also came from this phase producing 77 sherds of pottery and 24 pieces of burnt flint.
3 Phase 3: Roman 1004 a small stretch of gully, was aligned approximately E-W and terminated at both ends. Two slots (127, 128) were dug across it measuring between 0.19m and 0.40m wide, provide 0.06m and 0.15m deep and produced 13 sherds of
Roman pottery. Pit 119 measured 0.37m wide, 0.23m deep and produced 44 sherds of Roman pottery, an iron nail and an indeterminate ferrous object.
Undated Linears Gully 1003 was aligned approximately E-W although its western end had been truncated by tree rooting. It had three slots (116, 117, 118) dug into it measuring between 0.52m and 0.76m wide, between 0.10m and 0.18m deep but no dating evidence was recovered.
1005 was aligned approximately NW-SE and measured between 0.33m and 0.74m wide and between 0.05m and
0.35m deep. It did not produce any dating evidence. This was also the case with gullies 133, 134 and 135 which were truncated away by an old sewage works on the eastern edge of the site.
Discrete Features
Cut Fill(s) Feature Type Diameter(m) Depth(m) Finds 120 171, 172 Pit 1.48 0.14 - 122 176, 177 Pit 1.22 0.08 - 123 178 Posthole 0.40 0.33 - 124 179, 180, 181 Pit 1.18 0.12 Burnt Flint 131 188 Posthole 0.45 0.12 - 132 189 Posthole 0.27 0.23 - 137 197 Pit 0.61 0.18 Burnt Flint
Finds
Pottery by Jane Timby
The fieldwork resulted in the recovery of some 225 sherds of pottery weighing c 2703g accompanied by four fragments of fired clay (22 g). The group comprises material dated to the Bronze Age, Iron Age and later Roman periods.
The assemblage was sorted into fabrics based on the colour, texture and nature of the inclusions present in the clay following the PCRG (1997) and Pottery Standards (2016) guidelines. Traded Roman wares are referenced to the national Roman fabric reference collection (Tomber and Dore 1998; http://romanpotterystudy . org/nrfrc/base/index.php). Freshly broken sherds were counted as single pieces.
The sorted assemblage was quantified by sherd count and weight for each recorded context. A summary of the main fabrics recorded along with provisional spot dates can be found in Appendix 2.
4 In general terms the assemblage was in moderately good condition with quite large sherds but few instances of multiple sherds from single vessels and a very low incidence of diagnostic sherds with which to refine a chronology.
The overall average sherd weight is 12g.
Pottery was recovered from 14 cut features with the highest number of sherds, 127 pieces coming from one pit,
136, and accounting for 56% of the whole assemblage.
Description The earliest material appears to be a group of coarse, calcined flint-tempered ware from posthole 130. One sherd is slackly carinated with finger depressions on the carination. This together with the wall thickness suggests this is probably middle Bronze Age urn. Further, thick-walled, coarse flint-tempered ware came from pit 100 and a single sherd from posthole 129 which are likely to be of similar date.
The remainder of the prehistoric assemblage, some 114 sherds, comprised three main fabrics; sandy ware (coarser and fine); an iron-rich sandy ware and a sandy with flint-tempered ware. This group produced just two jars; one from pit
136 with a finger-tipped rim; the other from gully 109 with a very small everted rim. Some of the bodysherds show evidence of smoothing or vertical wiping. On the basis of the finger-tipped jar and the technology this group of material is provisionally dated to the earlier Iron Age.
Tree-throw 126 and pit 125 only yielded very small pottery crumbs for which a prehistoric date only can be inferred.
The Roman component of the assemblage comprises some 51 sherds all of which suggest a later Roman phase of use. Wares include Alice Holt grey wares (ALH RE); Overwey ware (OVW WH); Oxfordshire colour-coated are (OXF
RS); late grog-tempered ware and a shelly ware. The single jar rim of later grog-tempered ware from pit 119 is attached to a large lump of iron. Most of the Roman pottery, some 44 sherds, came from pit 119 with a further seven sherds and some residual prehistoric wares from gully G1004.
Four fragments of fired clay weighing 22g were recovered from Iron Age pit 136. None of the pieces show any shape or are large enough to suggest any form or function for this material.
Summary The archaeological work produced a moderately small assemblage of pottery which seems to indicate three phases of activity dating to the Bronze Age, early Iron Age and later Roman periods. The quantity of diagnostic material is low for the prehistoric wares. The value of the group lies in its contribution to the wider landscape and the pattern of settlement and exploitation in the prehistoric period. If further work is undertaken the group should be included in any further analysis.
5 Animal Bone by Lizzi Lewins
Five fragments of animal bone, weighing a total of 66g was recovered from pit/tree throw 126 (183). The bone was somewhat eroded and was unidentifiable. No further analysis was conducted.
Metalwork by Andy Taylor
Two iron objects were recovered during the excavation, both from pit 119. One of these was indeterminate, the other was a highly corroded nail stem of 47mm length.
Slag by David Dungworth
The material submitted was examined visually and recorded following standard guidance (HE 2015). The assemblage comprises two fragments of non-diagnostic ironworking slag, one from a tree throw, and the other from a probable Iron
Age Age ditch. (Appendix 5). The colour and density of the slag confirm that this material was produced during the working of iron. The fragments of ironworking debris are small and lack any distinctive morphology that would allow the recognition of a particular sort of ironworking. It is not possible to rule out either iron smelting or iron smithing.
Burnt Flint by Andy Taylor
144 pieces of burnt flint were recovered weighing a total of 1853g (Appendix 6).
Macrobotanical plant material and charcoal by Elspeth St John-Brooks
A programme of soil sampling was implemented during the excavation, which included the collection of soil samples from sealed contexts. The aim of the sampling was:
To assess the type of preservation and the potential of the biological remains
To record any human activities undertaken on the site – both domestic and industrial
To provide information on the past environment of the area
6 Eighteen samples of between 8 and 40L were floated and sieved using a 0.25mm mesh then air dried. The flots were examined under a low-power binocular microscope at magnifications between x12 and x40. Charred plant macrofossils were present in only a single sample. The preservation was relatively good and the identifications based on the overall size and morphological characteristics of the seeds. Eight seeds were found in total of <3mm size (Appendix 8A). These have been identified as indeterminate weed seeds and they were found in one sample107 from undated Pit 122 (177).
The preservation of the charcoal fragments was relatively poor and fragments were smaller than 47mm in size.
The results of this analysis can be seen in Appendix 7 below. Most of the samples produced varying but small amounts of charcoal apart from sample <106> which had 360+ fragments which presented with fragments under 50mm in size.
Conclusion
The excavation has revealed at least three phases of archaeological deposits dispersed widely across the site but at low density (Fig. 5). The earliest activity is from the Middle Bronze Age and comprising just a few pits and probably contemporary postholes nearby. A radiocarbon date of 1218-1042 Cal BC (UBA 38896) places this towards the end of the Middle Bronze Age. The settlement record for the Middle Bronze in the region is erratic in that whilst some sites are represented by enclosures, field systems, post-built houses and a range of other below ground features, many other sites are best ephemeral being only represented by isolated or small groups of pits as here. The extensive excavation at
Sadler’s Lane, Sindlesham to the east similarly found ephemeral traces of Middle Bronze Age settlement with just two pits containing pottery from an area of nearly 6 ha (Lewis et al 2013).
It was not possible to obtain a radiocarbon date on the Early Iron Age deposits on the site, and thus it is unclear if there was or was not a substantial hiatus between them and the Middle Bronze Age use of the site. However, the nature of the landuse changed with a number of shallow gullies forming a rectilinear arrangement that suggest traces of a field system, though again deposits suggestive of occupation areas are few in number and dispersed. Prehistoric field systems seem to have their floruit in the Middle to Late Bronze with extensive landscapes recorded as at Heathrow Airport and Colnbrook, with smaller systems recorded as at Green Park, Reading to name but a few local sites ( Lewis et al
2005; Taylor et al 2012; Moore and Jennings 1992). However, these systems have been abandoned by the Iron Age though now a few modest, less formalised arrangements are recorded for the Middle Iron Age as at Cippenham and
Croft Road, Spencers Wood ( Taylor 2012; Dawson et al. 2017). A more comparable site might be presented at
7 Ridgeway School, Reading where ephemeral traces of a rectilinear field system belonging to the Early Iron Age have been recorded (Ford 2017).
The final archaeological phase of site use is in later Roman times. Again this is represented by just a small cluster of pits and a short length of gully. However, these features are located at the western margins of the site and rather than being some sort of localised, isolated cluster of features in the middle of an agricultural landscape (which are sometimes recorded), they could indicate the presence of a settlement site further to the west beyond the site boundary.
References
BGS, 2000, British Geological Survey, 1:50000, Sheet 268, Solid and Drift Edition, Keyworth CIfA, 2014a, Standard and guidance for the creation, compilation, transfer and deposition of archaeological archives, Chartered Institute for Archaeologists, Reading Colyer, A, 2018, Reddam House School, Astro Pitch, Sindlesham, Berkshire, an archaeological recording action, Thames Valley Archaeological Services report 17/255, Reading Ford, S, 1987, East Berkshire Archaeological Survey, Berkshire County Counc Dept Highways and Planning Occas Pap 1, Reading Ford, S, 1994-7, Loddon Valley (Berkshire) fieldwalking survey, Berkshire Archaeol J, 75, 11-33 Ford, S, 2017, ‘A Late Bronze Age burnt mound, Bronze Age occupation and Roman enclosure at Ridgeway School, Whitley, Reading’, in T Dawson, S Ford and A Taylor, Archaeological Excavations on Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Medieval Sites in Reading and Wokingham, Berkshire, TVAS Occas Pap 21, Reading, 1–33 Gates, T, 1975, The Thames Valley, An archaeological Survey of the River Gravels, Berkshire Archaeol Comm Pubn 1, Reading HE 2015 Archaeometallurgy. Guidelines for best practice, Historic England, London Lewis, J, Brown, F, Batt, A, Cooke, N, Barrett, J, Every, R, Mepham, L, Brown, K, Cramp, K, Lawson, A, Roe, F, Allen, S, Petts, D, McKinley, J, Carruthers, W, Challinor, D, Wiltshire, P, Robinson, M, Lewis, H and Bates, M, 2006, Landscape Evolution in the Middle Thames Valley, Framework Archaeology Monogr 1, Oxford Lewis, J, Crabb, S and Ford, S, 2013, ‘Bronze Age urns, Iron Age iron smelting and Saxon charcoal production at Sadler’s End, Sindlesham, Wokingham, Berkshire’, in S Preston (ed) Iron Age Iron Production Sites in Berkshire: Excavations 2003–2012, TVAS Monogr 16, Reading, 1–34 McNicoll-Norbury J and Ford S, 2017, Middle Iron Age, Late Iron Age and Roman occupation at Hatch Farm, Winnersh, Reading, Berkshire, an Archaeological Excavation, Thames Valley Archaeological Services Occ Pap 25, Reading Milbank, D, 2010, ‘Roman landscape features at Mereoak Lane, Three Mile Cross’, in S Preston (ed), Archaeological Investigations to the South of Reading, 2002-2008: Exploring Late Iron Age and Roman settlement south of Reading, Berkshire, TVAS Monograph 13, Reading, 1–19 Moore, J and Jennings, D, 1992, Reading Business Park: a Bronze Age landscape, Oxford Archaeol Thames Valley Landscapes: the Kennet Valley, 1, Oxford NPPF, 2012, National Planning Policy Framework, Dept Communities and Local Govt, London Preston, S, 2014, Bearwood Park, Sindlesham, Wokingham, Berkshire, an archaeological desk-based assessment, Thames Valley Archaeological Services report 14/121, Reading Taylor, A, 2012, ‘An Early Neolithic pit, Bronze Age occupation, Iron Age occupation and fields and Roman landscape features at Cippenham, Slough, Berkshire’, in S Preston (ed), Settlement and Landscape Archaeology in the Middle Thames Valley: Slough and Environs, TVAS Monograph 14, Reading, 1–44 Taylor, A, McNicoll-Norbury, J and Ford, S, 2012, ‘Horton Brook Quarry, Horton Road, Colnbrook, Berkshire, Extraction Phases 1-3, a draft publication report’, TVAS unpubl rep 05/116c, Reading Taylor, A, 2015, Bearwood Park, Mole Road, Sindlesham, Wokingham, Berkshire, an archaeological evaluation, Thames Valley Archaeological Services report 14/121b, Reading Taylor, A and Dawson, T, 2017, ‘Middle Iron Age field boundaries at Croft Road, Spencers Wood, Reading’, in T Dawson, S Ford and A Taylor, Archaeological Excavations on Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Medieval Sites in Reading and Wokingham, Berkshire, TVAS Occas Pap 21, Reading, 59–65
8 APPENDIX 1: Catalogue of Excavated Features
Cut Deposit Group No Type Date 50 Topsoil 51 Subsoil 1 52 Pit (elongated) 2 53-4 Pit Roman 3 55 1004 Ditch Roman 4 56 1004 Gully Roman 5 57 Pit Roman 6 58 Pit Roman 7 59 Pit Roman 8 60 Same as 119 Pit Roman 9 61 Gully 10 62-3 Pit 11 64-7 Pit 12 68 Pit 13 69-71 Same as 136 Pit Early Iron Age 14 72 Pit Early Iron Age 15 73 Gully 16 74 Pit 18 76 Pit 17 75 Pit 100 150 Pit Middle Bronze Age 101 151 Poss tree throw Middle Bronze Age 102 152 Poss tree throw Middle Bronze Age 103 153 1001 Gully Early Iron Age 104 154 1002 Gully Early Iron Age 105 155 1001 Gully Early Iron Age 106 156 1000 Gully terminus Early Iron Age 107 157 1000 Gully terminus Early Iron Age 108 158 Post hole Early Iron Age 109 159 1002 Gully Early Iron Age 110 160 1002 Gully Early Iron Age 111 161 1002 Gully Early Iron Age 112 162 1001 Gully terminus Early Iron Age 113 163 1002 Gully terminus Early Iron Age 114 164-5 1002 Gully Early Iron Age 115 166 Pit/posthole Early Iron Age 116 167 1003 Gully 117 168 1003 Gully 118 169 1003 Gully terminus 119 170 Same as 8 Pit Roman 120 171-2 Pit 121 173-5 Pit Early Iron Age 122 176-7 Pit 123 178 Posthole 124 179-81 Pit 125 182 Pit Early Iron Age 126 183 Tree throw/pit Early Iron Age 127 184 1004 Gully terminus Roman 128 185 1004 Gully terminus Roman 129 186 Posthole Middle Bronze Age 130 187 Posthole Middle Bronze Age, C14 131 188 Posthole 132 189 Posthole 133 190 1006 Gully 134 191 Gully terminus 135 192 1006 Gully 136 193-6 Same as 13 Pit Early Iron Age 137 197 Pit 138 198 1005 Gully terminus
9 139 199 1005 Gully 140 250 1005 Gully 141 251 1005 Gully 142 252 1005 Gully 143 253 1005 Gully terminus
10 APPENDIX 2: Catalogue of Pottery
AL- Cut Fill Type Flint SAFE SA SAFL Other OXFRS HRE OVWWH Other Tot No Tot Wt 100 150 pit 13 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 14 91.25 108 158 posthole 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 27 109 159 gully 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 115 166 pit/phole 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 22 119 170 pit 0 0 0 0 0 2 10 29 3 44 569 121 175 pit 0 0 2 11 0 0 0 0 0 13 101 125 182 pit 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 7 5 126 183 tree throw 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 0.5 127 184 G1004 gully 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 6 31.5 128 185 G1004 gully 0 0 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 71 129 186 posthole 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 17 130 187 posthole 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 34 904 136 193 pit 0 2 11 14 0 0 0 0 0 27 265 136 195 pit 0 34 11 5 0 0 0 0 0 50 597 TOTAL 48 51 33 30 11 2 16 30 3 225 2703.25
11 APPENDIX 3: Catalogue of Animal Bone
Cut Deposit Type Area No Frags Wt (g) 1 52 Ditch Tr31 1 2 126 183 Tree throw/pit 5 66
12 APPENDIX 4: Catalogue of Metalwork
Cut Deposit Type Material object no Wt (gr) 119 170 Pit fe Nail 1 10 119 170 Pit fe ? 1 37
13 APPENDIX 5: Catalogue of Slag
Cut Deposit Type Sample Material no Wt (gr) Non-diagnotic 113 163 Pit 105 ironworking slag 1 10 Non-diagnotic 126 183 Pit 111 ironworking slag 1 37
14 APPENDIX 6: Catalogue of Burnt Flint
Cut Deposit Type Area Sample No Wt (g) 12 68 Pit Tr75 1 1 13 70 Pit Tr78 7 194 17 76 Pit Tr80 3 6 100 150 Pit 2 7 100 150 Pit 100 42 313 108 158 Posthole 1 65 115 166 Pit/posthole 22 139 121 175 Pit 3 27 124 180 Pit 109 5 40 125 182 Pit 110 1 10 126 183 Tree throw/pit 1 6 126 183 Tree throw/pit 111 2 15 127 184 Gully terminus 112 2 7 128 185 Gully terminus 113 3 38 129 186 Posthole 114 7 55 130 187 Posthole 1 15 130 187 Posthole 115 7 71 136 195 Pit 3 117 136 193 Pit 19 561 137 197 Pit 2 14 51 Subsoil 4 16 Tr79 6 136
15 APPENDIX 7: Radiocarbon Date
Lab ID Context Material Radiocarbon Age (BP) Calibrated Age (BC) Probability (%) UBA38896 Pot 130 (187) Charcoal 2931+ 26 1218-1042 95.4
16 APPENDIX 8: Environmental Samples
Table 7a: Plant Macrofossils - Complete list of taxa recovered
Sample No. 107 Feature No. 122 Context No. 177 Feature Type Pit
LATIN BINOMAL COMMON NAME Indeterminate Weed 8 Indeterminate weed
Table 8b: Charcoal - Complete list of taxa recovered
Feature Type Pit Pit Pit Pit Pit Gully Posthole Posthole Posthole terminus Sample No. 100 106 107 109 110 112 114 115 117 Feature No. 100 120 122 124 125 127 129 130 132 Context No. 150 171 177 180 182 184 186 187 189 No. fgts. 24 360+ 36 121 23 5 40 36 17 Max. size (mm) 21 29 30 25 18 8 47 19 9
17 Slough
READING Maidenhead
Windsor
Hungerford Thatcham Bracknell Newbury Wokingham SITE
70000
Reddam Sadler's House site End site
SITE
69000
68000
SU77000 78000 BPS 14/121 Bearwood Park, Mole Road, Sindlesham, Berkshire, Archaeological Excavation Figure 1. Location of site within Sindlesham and Berkshire.
Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Explorer 159 at 1:12500 Ordnance Survey Licence 100025880 54.2m
Pulse 8
(Health Club) 2
HARROW WAY 15
El Sub Sta
17
10 5 CR Gypsy Lane Corbridge 1
23
ESS Kielder 69500 20
10
25
Council Houses 5
41
Track
55.3m Toad Cottage
Badgers Barn 1
MOLE ROAD Sunnyside
Pond The Bungalow
Oak Cottage Fair View
2 The Gamblers 1 25
Little Dean 19 136 GIPSY LANE
Oaklands 137
CR 22 26 BETTY GROVE LANE 15 29 Old Oak WHEATSHEAF 30
14 CLOSE 12 8 7 121
36 6 El Sub Sta 122 56.2m 1005 2
1 119 120 126 5 1004 123 125 124
Tank B 3030 Woodview Newlands Cottages 1002 1000 1
Lynncrest
Field View Orchard View
1 Rock Garden 117 2 MOLE ROAD 116 134 56.7m 118 1006 Path 1003 132 1 115 131 4 129
5 West Lawn 130 Track
FS
B 3030
56.6m
Tennis Court
Park Lodge
69000 Statue Path (um) 56.4m
Drain
Statue Statue Path (um)
62.5m
Golf Course
Issues Path (um)
52.1m
West Lodge Boat House
West Park Slipway House
Landing Stage Landing Stage Boat House Landing Stage
Bearwood Riding Centre
1
2 Garden Cottages Monument 48.8m
5
Farm House
Farm Bungalow
Drain Farm Cottage
Landing Stages Mole Lodge 77500 Bear Wood Lake SU77000 1003 00 Ho Bearwood Park, Mole Road, Sindlesham, Berkshire Archaeological Excavation
Figure 2. Location of areas stripped
0 250m Sunnyside
The Bungalow 18
Fair View
The Gamblers
Little Dean 136
Oaklands 137
29 Old Oak 30 12 CLOSE
7 121
36 122 138 El Sub Sta 139 1005 56.2m 140 2 15 141 142
1 143 69250 10,11 119 16 5-7 127 3/4 14 2 128 120 9 126 5 1004 123 125 124 113 112 114 B 3030 1002 103 104 105 1 106 1000 107 109 110 111
108 Orchard View 1 117 2 MOLE ROAD 116 134 56.7m 118 1003 1006 133 135 132 115 131 129 130 1218-1042 Cal BC Track
1 Park Lodge 69000
Drain
Path (um)
62.5m
SU77000 77250 BPS 14/121
N Bearwood Park, Mole Road, Sindlesham, Berkshire Archaeological Excavation
Figure 3. Detailed location of site.
0 125m NE SW NESW NE SW 198 138 199 250
139 140
NESW NE SW SW NE
252 253 251 LAND DRAIN 142 143
141
0 1m
BPS 14/121 Bearwood Park, Mole Road, Sindlesham, Wokingham, Berkshire Archaeological Excavation
Figure 4. Sections. Sunnyside
The Bungalow 18
Fair View
The Gamblers
Little Dean 136
Oaklands 137
29 Old Oak 30 12 CLOSE
7 121
36 122 El Sub Sta 1005 56.2m 2 15
1 69250 10,11 119 16 5-7 14 2 120 9 126 5 1004 123 125 124
B 3030 1002 1 1000
108 Orchard View 1
2
MOLE ROAD
56.7m 1003 1006 132 115 131 129 130 1218-1042 Cal BC Track
1 Park Lodge 69000
Drain
Path (um)
SU77000
Middle Bronze Age Early Iron Age Roman 62.5m
77250 BPS 14/121
N Bearwood Park, Mole Road, Sindlesham, Berkshire Archaeological Excavation Figure 5. Phase plan
0 125m Plate 1: General view of site during overburden Plate 2: Pit 120 looking north, Scales: 1m and 0.1m stripping
Plate 3: Posthole 132 looking north, Plate 4: Pit 130 looking west, Scales: 0.1m Scales: 0.3m and 0.1m
BPS 14/121 Bearwood Park, Mole Road, Sindlesham, Berkshire, Archaeological Excavation Plates 1-4. TIME CHART
Calendar Years
Modern AD 1901
Victorian AD 1837
Post Medieval AD 1500
Medieval AD 1066
Saxon AD 410
Roman AD 43 AD 0 BC Iron Age 750 BC
Bronze Age: Late 1300 BC
Bronze Age: Middle 1700 BC
Bronze Age: Early 2100 BC
Neolithic: Late 3300 BC
Neolithic: Early 4300 BC
Mesolithic: Late 6000 BC
Mesolithic: Early 10000 BC
Palaeolithic: Upper 30000 BC
Palaeolithic: Middle 70000 BC
Palaeolithic: Lower 2,000,000 BC Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47-49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading RG1 5NR
Tel: 0118 9260552 Email: [email protected] Web: www.tvas.co.uk
Offices in: Brighton, Taunton, Stoke-on-Trent and Ennis (Ireland)