Melton Quarry Extension, Melton, North Ferriby East Riding of Yorkshire
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Melton Quarry Extension, Melton, North Ferriby East Riding of Yorkshire Archaeological Excavation: Area Q2 Phase 1 Interim Report Oxford Archaeology North June 2012 Omya UK Ltd Issue No: 1296 OA North Job No: L10480 NGR: SE 9684 2850 Document Title: Melton Quarry Extension, Melton, North Ferriby, East Riding of Yorkshire Document Type: Archaeological Excavation: Area Q2 Phase 1 Interim Report Client: Omya UK Ltd Issue Number: 1296 Job Number: L10480 National Grid Reference: SE 96842850 Prepared by: Andrew Frudd Position: Supervisor Date: June 2012 Checked by: Fraser Brown Signed Position: Project Manager Date: June 2012 Approved by: Alan Lupton Signed Position: Operations Manager Date: June 2012 Oxford Archaeology North © Oxford Archaeology Ltd (2012) Mill 3, Moor Lane Mills Janus House Moor Lane Osney Mead Lancaster Oxford LA1 1GF OX2 0EA t: (0044) 01524 541000 t: (0044) 01865 263800 f: (0044) 01524 848606 f: (0044) 01865 793496 w: www.oxfordarch.co.uk e: [email protected] Oxford Archaeology Limited is a Registered Charity No: 285627 Disclaimer: This document has been prepared for the titled project or named part thereof and should not be relied upon or used for any other project without an independent check being carried out as to its suitability and prior written authority of Oxford Archaeology being obtained. Oxford Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability for the consequences of this document being used for a purpose other than the purposes for which it was commissioned. Any person/party using or relying on the document for such other purposes agrees, and will by such use or reliance be taken to confirm their agreement to indemnify Oxford Archaeology for all loss or damage resulting therefrom. Oxford Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability for this document to any party other than the person/party by whom it was commissioned. Melton Quarry Extension, Melton, North Ferriby, East Riding of Yorkshire, Archaeological Excavation, Area Q2 Phase 1 Interim Report 1 CONTENTS SUMMARY ...............................................................................................................................................2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..............................................................................................................................3 1 I NTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................4 1.1 Circumstances of the Project.....................................................................................................4 1.2 Location, Topography and Geology..........................................................................................5 1.3 Archaeological Background.......................................................................................................5 2 M ETHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................10 2.1 Aims and Objectives................................................................................................................10 2.2 Fieldwork.................................................................................................................................10 3 R ESULTS ...........................................................................................................................................11 3.1 Quantification of the Archive...................................................................................................11 3.2 Discrete Prehistoric Features...................................................................................................11 3.3 Linear Iron Age/Romano-British And Post-Roman Features..................................................12 3.4 Quantification of Finds............................................................................................................14 4 D ISCUSSION ......................................................................................................................................16 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................................17 Primary Sources.............................................................................................................................17 Secondary Sources.........................................................................................................................17 ILLUSTRATIONS .....................................................................................................................................18 For the use of CgMs Consulting and Omya UK Ltd © OA North June 2012 Melton Quarry Extension, Melton, North Ferriby, East Riding of Yorkshire, Archaeological Excavation, Area Q2 Phase 1 Interim Report 2 SUMMARY A conditional planning permission has been granted by East Riding of Yorkshire Council for winning and working of minerals and deposits of minerals waste on 27.8ha of land at Melton Quarry, Melton, North Ferriby, East Riding of Yorkshire (Application number DC/02/05828/STPLFE/STRAT; Fig 1). Oxford Archaeology North (OA North), at the request of CgMs Consulting, produced a project design for two phases of work (Q2 Phase 1 and Q2 Phase 2; Fig 2) scheduled to take place, respectively, during 2012 and 2013, each investigating areas covering approximately 2ha of the application area. This report presents the interim results of the Q2 Phase 1 works. Q2 Phase 1 of the fieldwork took place between 16 th April and 16 th May 2012. A large east-west aligned ditch was investigated both by hand and using a mechanical excavator. This produced Roman/Romano-British pottery from secure deposits in the base of the feature, suggesting its date, as well as human remains. This ditch corresponded to a cropmark feature (CgMs 2002) that continued into the area of the Melton Villa site (Mackey 1981), so it seems likely that the feature represents a major land boundary associated with the villa. Post-medieval pottery in the top of the ditch provides evidence that the ditch remained visible as a feature of the landscape for many centuries. The rest of the site was sparsely populated by a scattering of charcoal-rich pits and postholes, four of which contained prehistoric – probably Neolithic pottery and two of those contained flint blades, further supporting the Neolithic date. For the use of CgMs Consulting and Omya UK Ltd © OA North June 2012 Melton Quarry Extension, Melton, North Ferriby, East Riding of Yorkshire, Archaeological Excavation, Area Q2 Phase 1 Interim Report 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Oxford Archaeology North would like to thank Omya UK Ltd, in particular Peter Minoughan and Steve Allison, for commissioning the work and for their assistance throughout the excavation. Paul Gajos managed the project on behalf of CgMs Consulting, and also had a significant input into the fieldwork process. Paul Chadwick (CgMs) deserves acknowledgement for his role in facilitating the project. David Evans and Ruth Atkinson of the Humber Archaeological Partnership, who monitored the project on behalf of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, are thanked for their useful curatorial advice and for the efficient service they provided. The fieldwork was undertaken by Jim O'Brien and Jenny Ryder, supervised by Andrew Frudd, who also wrote this report. The illustrations were produced by Mark Tidmarsh. This report was edited by Fraser Brown, who also managed the project for OA North. For the use of CgMs Consulting and Omya UK Ltd © OA North June 2012 Melton Quarry Extension, Melton, North Ferriby, East Riding of Yorkshire, Archaeological Excavation, Area Q2 Phase 1 Interim Report 4 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE P ROJECT 1.1.1 A conditional planning permission has been granted by East Riding of Yorkshire Council for winning and working of minerals and deposits of minerals waste on 27.8ha of land at Melton Quarry, Melton, North Ferriby, East Riding of Yorkshire (Application number DC/02/05828/STPLFE/STRAT; Fig 1). This is an extension to the existing quarry, for which permission was originally granted in 1973. Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) at the request of CgMs Consulting, produced a project design for two phases of work within the Q2 area of the quarry (Phase 1 and Phase 2; Fig 2) scheduled to take place, respectively, during 2012 and 2013, each investigating areas covering approximately 2ha of the application area. This report presents the interim results of the Q2 Phase 1 works. It has been agreed with the Humber Archaeology Partnership that the full assessment report of the findings will be produced following the completion of the Q2 Phase 2 works, in order that both phases of work can be included in a single report. 1.1.2 Condition No 9 states: ‘No development shall take place until the applicant has secured the implementation of a programme of archaeological work in accordance with a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) which has been submitted by the applicant and approved by the Planning Authority. 1.1.3 The scheme shall provide for: a) the proper identification and evaluation of the extent, character and significance of archaeological remains within the application area; b) an assessment of the impact of the proposed development on the archaeological remains; c) proposals for the preservation in situ , or for the investigation, recording and recovery of archaeological remains and the publishing of the findings, it being