Bayston Hill, Nr Shrewsbury, Shropshire

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION

CA PROJECT: 1998 CA REPORT: 05120

Author: Laurent Coleman

Approved: Mary Alexander

Signed: …………………………………………………………….

Issue: 01 Date: JULY 2005

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.

Bayston Hill, Nr Shrewsbury Shropshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

CONTENTS

SUMMARY...... 2

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 3

The site ...... 3 Archaeological Background ...... 3 Archaeological objectives ...... 4 Methodology ...... 4

2. RESULTS ...... 5

3. DISCUSSION...... 5

4. CA PROJECT TEAM ...... 6

5. REFERENCES ...... 6

APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS...... 7

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan (1:5,000)

1 Bayston Hill, Nr Shrewsbury Shropshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

SUMMARY

Site Name: Bayston Hill Location: Nr Shrewsbury, Shropshire NGR: SJ 4950 0950 Type: Evaluation Date: 4-7 July 2005 Location of Archive: Shropshire Museum Service Site Code: BHQ 05

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in July 2005 at the request of SLR Consulting (on the behalf of Tarmac Ltd) at Bayston Hill, Nr Shrewsbury, Shropshire. In compliance with an approved Written Scheme of Investigation, eight trenches were excavated across the development area.

No archaeological features, deposits or finds were found during the evaluation.

2 Bayston Hill, Nr Shrewsbury Shropshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 In July 2005 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for SLR Consulting (on behalf of Tarmac Ltd) at Bayston Hill, Nr Shrewsbury, Shropshire (centred on NGR: SJ 4950 0950; Fig. 1). An application has been made for an extension to the existing quarry at Bayston Hill and an archaeological evaluation was requested prior to determination of planning consent.

1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a brief for an archaeological field evaluation (Shropshire County Council 2005) prepared by Mr M. D. Watson (Historic Environment Officer, Shropshire County Council), the archaeological advisors to the Local Planning Authority (LPA), and with a subsequent detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2005) and approved by the LPA acting on the advice of Mr M. D. Watson. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluation issued by the Institute of Field Archaeologists (1999) and the Management of Archaeological Projects II (EH 1991). It was monitored by Mr M. D. Watson, including a site visit on 7 July 2005.

The site 1.3 A distinct ridge of wooded higher ground (c. 95m AOD) bounded the site to the north-west, at the base of this ridge (c. 90m AOD) the ground started to drop more gently downward through the fields to the south-east (75m AOD) (Fig. 2).

1.4 The underlying geology of the area is mapped as hard greywackes and conglomerates of the Bayston Group of the Wentnor Series of the Longmyndian Pre-Cambrian period. The bedrock is overlain by Boulder Clay (BGS 1932).

1.5 The proposed development area encloses an area of approximately 50ha immediately adjacent to the southeast side of the quarry, and comprises mainly mixed agricultural land although the southwest extent of the proposed development includes existing quarry structures and stockpiles and the north-western edge includes a band of woodland and a trackway.

Archaeological Background 1.6 Archaeological interest in the site arises from a series of multi-period findspots and features identified within the site and its immediate vicinity in a desk-based

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archaeological assessment of the area (Hannaford 2001) and subsequent field walking and geophysical surveys undertaken in November 2001 (Hannaford 2002 for a situation report). Neolithic and Bronze Age ditches and a cemetery, middle Bronze Age barrows and late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age field ditches were recorded in rescue excavations during construction of large-scale housing developments north of the study area in the 1960s. The site also lies immediately north-east of an Iron Age hill fort known as The Burgs, and rectilinear cropmark enclosures are also recorded 800m north of the site. The latter were also excavated in the 1960s and were found to have been occupied during the Iron Age and Early Romano-British periods and to have been built over the remains of two Bronze Age ring ditches (ibid.).

1.7 The site is also thought to be crossed by one or possibly two Roman roads and lies close to an unenclosed Roman roadside settlement on the west side of Sharpstone Hill. A programme of field walking and geophysical survey west of the quarry confirmed the alignment of the southern road, although there is no evidence to support the location of these roads within the site itself. The site also occupies land that lay within the medieval manors of Pulley, Betton, Betton Alkmere and Condove. Two medieval or post-medieval roads or trackways, one running between Betton and Bayston Hill and one between Bayston Hill and Sutton Hall, are also recorded together with a group of three parish boundary stones (Hannaford 2001).

Archaeological objectives 1.8 The objectives of the evaluation were to establish the character, quality, date, significance and extent of any archaeological remains or deposits surviving within the site. This information will assist the Local Planning Authority in making an informed judgement on the likely impact upon the archaeological resource by the proposed development.

Methodology 1.9 The fieldwork comprised the excavation of 8 trenches (trenches 1 to 6 were 20m in length, trench 7 was 60m in length and trench 8 was 30m in length and all trenches were 2m in width). Trenches 1 to 4 were placed to locate and evaluate ditches identified from cropmarks and trenches 5 to 8 were placed to locate and evaluate postulated Roman roads and any associated features. Trench 8 was extended by 20m to the south-west to allow for any discrepancies in the plotting of the postulated Roman road.

4 Bayston Hill, Nr Shrewsbury Shropshire: Archaeological Evaluation © Cotswold Archaeology

1.10 All trenches were excavated by mechanical excavator equipped with a toothless grading bucket. All machine excavation was undertaken under constant archaeological supervision to the top of the first significant archaeological horizon or the natural substrate, whichever was encountered first. Where archaeological deposits were encountered they were excavated by hand in accordance with the CA Technical Manual 1: Excavation Recording Manual (1996).

1.11 Deposits were assessed for their palaeoenvironmental potential and, where appropriate, sampled and processed in accordance with the CA Technical Manual 2: The Taking and Processing of Environmental and Other samples from Archaeological Sites (2003). All artefacts recovered were processed in accordance with the CA Technical Manual 3: Treatment of Finds Immediately After Excavation (1995).

1.12 The archive from the evaluation is currently held by CA at their offices in Kemble. Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the site archive will be deposited with Shropshire Museum Service.

2. RESULTS

2.1 No archaeological features, deposits or finds were found during the evaluation. The natural substrate, a red clay containing inclusions of pebbles and rock fragments was identified at a depth of c. 0.35m. Detailed summaries of the recorded contexts and details of the relative heights of the principal deposits expressed as metres Above Ordnance Datum (m AOD) appear in Appendix 1.

3. DISCUSSION

3.1 No archaeological features, deposits or finds were found during the evaluation. Plough scars were identified on the surface of the natural and it is possible that the cropmark features were very shallow and have been destroyed by ploughing. It is also possible that the remains of any Roman roads have been obliterated by ploughing.

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4. CA PROJECT TEAM

Fieldwork was undertaken by Laurent Coleman, assisted by Emily King and Andrew Loader. The report was written by Laurent Coleman. The illustrations were prepared by Liz Hargreaves. The archive has been compiled by Laurent Coleman, and prepared for deposition by Ed McSloy. The project was managed for CA by Mary Alexander.

5. REFERENCES

BGS (British Geological Survey) 1932 Geological Survey of England and Wales; Solid; Shrewsbury, Sheet 152

Barker, P., Haldon, R. and Jenks, W. 1991 Excavations on Sharpstone Hill near Shrewsbury, 1965-71 in Carver 1991

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2005 Bayston Hill, Near Shrewsbury, Shropshire: Written Scheme of Investigation for an Archaeological Evaluation

Carver, M. (ed) 1991 ‘Prehistory in Lowland Shropshire’ TSAHS LXVII

Hannaford, H. 2001 A Proposed Extension to the Bayston Hill Quarry: A Desk-Based Archaeological Assessment, Shropshire, Archaeology Service typescript report no. 195

Hannaford, H. 2002 A Proposed Quarry Extension at Bayston Hill: A Situation Report on the Archaeological Evaluation, Shropshire Archaeology Service typescript report

Shropshire County Council 2005 Brief for an Archaeological Field Evaluation at Bayston Hill, Nr Shrewsbury, Shropshire

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APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS

Trench 1

E end of trench: 92.49m AOD, W end of trench: 96.39m AOD

101 Ploughsoil, dark red brown sandy silt, 0.35m thick 102 Natural, mid orange brown clay with inclusions of pebbles and rock fragments

Trench 2

NW end of trench: 89.34m AOD, SE end of trench: 89.94m AOD

201 Ploughsoil, dark red brown sandy silt, 0.4m thick 202 Natural, mid orange brown clay with inclusions of pebbles and rock fragments

Trench 3

E end of trench: 85.57m AOD, W end of trench: 87.41m AOD

301 Ploughsoil, dark red brown sandy silt, 0.4m thick 202 Natural, mid orange brown clay with inclusions of pebbles and rock fragments

Trench 4

NW end of trench: 78.58m AOD, SE end of trench: 78.58m AOD

401 Ploughsoil, dark red brown sandy silt, 0.4m thick 402 Natural, mid orange brown clay with inclusions of pebbles and rock fragments

Trench 5

N end of trench: 90.60m AOD, S end of trench: 89.58m AOD

501 Ploughsoil, dark red brown sandy silt, 0.3m thick 502 Natural, mid orange brown clay with inclusions of pebbles and rock fragments

Trench 6

NW end of trench: 90.92m AOD, SE end of trench: 90.6m AOD

601 Ploughsoil, dark red brown sandy silt, 0.3m thick 602 Natural, mid orange brown clay with inclusions of pebbles and rock fragments

Trench 7

NE end of trench: 88.01m AOD, SW end of trench: 87.73m AOD

701 Ploughsoil, dark red brown sandy silt, 0.3m thick 702 Natural, mid orange brown clay with inclusions of pebbles and rock fragments

Trench 8

SW end of trench: 85.51m AOD, NE end of trench: 85.79m AOD

801 Ploughsoil, dark red brown sandy silt, 0.3m thick 802 Natural, mid orange brown clay with inclusions of pebbles and rock fragments

Levels are expressed as metres below current ground level and as metres Above Ordnance Datum (AOD), calculated using spot heights on the site survey.