The Hazels, Church Road, Cholsey, Oxfordshire

Home , Cholsey

An Archaeological Watching Brief

For Mr and Mrs Chalmers

by Sarah Coles

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd

Site Code CRC05/36

May 2005 Summary

Site name: The Hazels, Church Road, Cholsey, near Wallingford, Oxfordshire

Grid reference: SU 5848 8711

Site activity: Watching Brief

Date and duration of project: 9th–11th May 2005

Project manager: Steve Ford

Site supervisor: Sarah Coles

Site code: CRC 05/36

Area of site: 72 sq m

Summary of results: Two ditches and two gullies were found. One gully and a ditch produced a small amount of early medieval pottery and are likely to date from this period, as is the other gully dated by association. However, the other ditch dated to the 15th century. A single residual prehistoric struck flint was also found.

Monuments identified: Two ditches and two gullies

Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and it is anticipated that it will be deposited with Oxfordshire Museum Service in due course.

This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder

Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford9 16.05.05 Steve Preston9 17.05.05

The Hazels, Church Road, Cholsey, near Wallingford, Oxfordshire An Archaeological Watching Brief

by Sarah Coles

Report 05/36

Introduction

This report documents the results of an archaeological watching brief carried out at The Hazels, Church Road,

Cholsey, near Wallingford, Oxfordshire (SU 5848 8711) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Mr A L James of James-White Pools Limited, Unit 14, Kennet Weir Business Park, Arrowhead Road, Theale, Reading,

Berkshire, RG7 4AZ on behalf of Mr and Mrs Chalmers, The Hazels, Church Road, Cholsey, Oxon.

A planning consent (PO5/W0070) has been granted by South Oxfordshire District Council for the construction of a new swimming pool. This is subject to a condition which requires the implementation of an archaeological watching brief to be carried out during ground works.

This is in accordance with the Department of the Environment’s Planning Policy Guidance, Archaeology and Planning (PPG16 1990), and the District’s policies on archaeology. The field investigation was carried out based on a brief (Coddington 2005) provided, and to a specification approved, by Mr Hugh Coddington, Deputy

County Archaeological Officer, adviser to South Oxfordshire District Council on archaeological matters. The fieldwork was undertaken by Sarah Coles and Jennifer Lowe between 9th–11th May 2005, and the site code is

CRC05/36.

The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and, given permission for the deposit of the artefacts, will be deposited with Oxfordshire Museum Service in due course.

Location, topography and geology

Cholsey is located in the Thames Valley approximately 3km south-west of Wallingford. The site is found north- east of Church Road, 150m north of the old railway bridge and directly opposite the parish church which has medieval origins. The site lies on a large flat area of lawn in front of a residential dwelling at an elevation of approximately 50m above Ordnance Datum. The underlying geology is 2nd terrace River Gravel deposits (BGS

1980) which were observed on site to overlie Upper Greensand deposits comprising a siltstone.

Archaeological background

The archaeological potential of the site has been highlighted in a brief for the project prepared by Mr. Hugh

Coddington of Oxfordshire County Archaeological Service (Coddington 2005). In summary, interest in the site is derived from its location close to the parish church, which is frequently to be found at the core of the historic medieval settlement. The site also lies within an area of Cholsey where finds and deposits of medieval date (12th and 13th century) have been recorded. To the north and east is an earthwork boundary that encloses an area of ridge and furrow (indicating medieval cultivation). The excavation of a trench for a sewer pipe in Manor Farm revealed evidence of a number of postholes and pits, one of which contained the skeletal remains of four adults and one child. Both Roman and medieval pottery was recovered from the pipe trench.

Objectives and methodology

The purpose of the watching brief was to excavate and record any archaeological deposits affected by the excavation of the swimming pool. This was to involve examination of areas of topsoil/overburden stripping and the digging of trenches for foundations and services. On site the removal of topsoil/overburden and ground reduction for the foundations of the swimming pool and the re-location of services via new trenches was observed and spoil heaps were monitored for finds. The service trenches varied from 0.54m to 0.70m deep and did not penetrate to the natural geology. No archaeology was observed although post-medieval dumping was noted in the south section. The pool was 12.50m by 5.60m, larger than the original design plan, due to the collapse of edges. The depths ranged from 2.50m at the deep end to 1.20m at the shallow end.

Results

Initial observations were carried out on the relocation of service trenches which were 0.60m wide and 0.70m deep and showed 0.24m of topsoil onto 0.29m of mid grey brown sandy silt subsoil over a mid–dark grey brown silty clay soil.

The stratigraphy of the pool excavation area showed a 0.28m of topsoil onto 0.62m of mid brownish yellow sandy silt subsoil onto archaeology, which cut 1.30m of second terrace gravel deposits, giving onto Upper

Greensand siltstone at 2.10m deep.

During the ground reduction for the new swimming pool four archaeological features were observed and partially excavated (Fig. 3). These were all cut from below the subsoil. Features 1 and 2 were gullies aligned

NW–SE. They were 0.70–0.75m wide and 0.38–0.28m deep and both filled with a mid brown sandy silt. Two

pieces of early medieval (11th- or 12th-century) pottery were retrieved from gully 1 (fill 50). The relationship between 1 and 2 was not clear though both were on the same alignment and presumably one respected the other

(Fig. 4).

Ditch 3 traversed the development area NW–SE on a slightly different alignment and was 2.70m wide and

0.90m deep. It was not bottomed as it extended below the formation depth of the pool. Its fill (52) was a mid yellowish brown sandy silt from which 6 pieces of 11th-century pottery were retrieved.

Ditch 4 paralleled ditch 3 across the site and was 1.60m wide and dug to a depth of 0.50m deep and was again not bottomed. Its fill (53) was a mid brown clayey silty sand which contained two sherds of later medieval

(15th-century) pottery.

Finds

Pottery by Paul Blinkhorn The pottery assemblage comprised 10 sherds with a total weight of 44g. The majority of the assemblage was of early medieval (later 11th-12th century) date, although two small sherds of late medieval (15th century)

Brill/Boarstall ware were also noted. The pottery was recorded utilizing the coding system and chronology of the

Oxfordshire County type-series (Mellor 1984; 1994), as follows:

OXAC: Cotswold-type ware, AD975-1350. 1 sherd, 2g. WA27: Wallingford ware, AD1050 – 1250. 3 sherds, 29g. OXBF: North-East Wiltshire Ware, AD1050 – 1400. 4 sherds, 9g. OXAM: Brill/Boarstall ware, AD1200 – 1600. 2 sherds, 4g.

The pottery occurrence by number and weight of sherds per context by fabric type is shown in Appendix 2. Each date should be regarded as a terminus post quem.

Struck flint by Steve Ford A single prehistoric struck flint was recovered from ditch 3. It is not closely datable and only a broad later

Neolithic/Bronze Age date can be suggested. It probably represents a casually lost or discarded item.

Conclusion

The watching brief has successfully identified and recorded number of archaeological deposits on this site which are likely to represent boundary features. Gully 1 and ditch 3 contained a small amount of pottery of late 11th or

12th century date and are likely to date from this period. Gully 2 by association with gully 1 is also considered

likely to be of this period. However, it is possible that these pottery finds are residual. Ditch 4 was orientated in broadly the same north-west–south-east direction as the other three features but contained pottery of the 15th century. It is possible therefore that all of the features are of this latter date, or that the boundary was a long-lived one.

The observation made in this watching brief, whilst of limited extent, has nevertheless added a small amount of new information to the topography and development of medieval Cholsey.

References BGS, 1980, British Geological Survey, 1:50 000, Sheet 254, Solid and Drift Edition, Keyworth Coddington, H, 2005, ‘The Hazels, Church Road, Cholsey; design brief for archaeological watching brief’, Oxfordshire County Archaeological Services Mellor, M, 1984, ‘A summary of the key assemblages. A study of pottery, clay pipes, glass and other finds from fourteen pits, dating from the 16th to the 19th century’ in TG Hassall, CE Halpin and M Mellor, ‘Excavations at St Ebbe's’, Oxoniensia 49, 181–219. Mellor, M, 1994, ‘A Synthesis of middle and late Saxon, medieval and early post-medieval pottery in the Oxford Region’, Oxoniensia 59, 17–217 PPG 16, 1990, Archaeology and Planning, Dept of the Environment Planning Policy Guidance 16, HMSO

Appendix 1: Catalogue of features

Cut Fill Type Date Dating evidence 1 50 Gully 11th century Pottery 2 51 Gully ?11th century Association 3 52 Ditch 11th century Pottery 4 53 Ditch 15th century Pottery

Appendix 2: Pottery occurrence by number and weight (in g) of sherds per context by fabric type

Date OXAC WA27 OXBF OXAM Cut Fill (century AD) No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt 1 50 11th 1 2 1 2 3 52 11th 2 27 4 9 4 53 15th 2 4 Total 1 2 3 29 4 9 2 4

6 SITE

88000

SITE

87000

86000 SU58000 59000 CRC05/36 The Hazels, Church Road, Cholsey, Oxfordshire, 2005 An Archaeological Watching Brief

Figure 1. Location of site within Cholsey and Oxfordshire. Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Pathfinder 1155 SU48/58 at 1:12500 Ordnance Survey Licence 100025880 87200

Church Road

87100

Pool Services

87000

SU58500 58600 CRC05/36 The Hazels, Church Road, Cholsey, Oxfordshire, 2005 An Archaeological Watching Brief

Figure 2. Detailed location of site on Church Road.

Scale 1:1250 The Hazels, Church Road, Cholsey, Oxfordshire, 2005

not bottomed

0 10m

CRC05/36 Figure 3. Plan of archaeological features. The Hazels, Church Road, Cholsey, Oxfordshire, 2005 SW NE

50.4m AOD

subsoil

Not bottomed 3

NE SW

51 50

2 1

SW NE

subsoil

4 Not bottomed

01m

Figure 4. Sections of archaeological features. CRC05/36