New Stone House Farm Wendlebury Oxfordshire

Archaeological Evaluation

Accession no. OXCMS: 2014.205

for Pegasus Planning Group acting on behalf of INRG Solar Ltd CA Project: 660354 CA Report: 14495

October 2014 New Stone House Farm Wendlebury Oxfordshire

Archaeological Evaluation

Accession no. OXCMS: 2014.205

CA Project: 660354 CA Report: 14495

prepared by Jeremy Mordue, Project Officer

date 20 October 2014

checked by Nicola Powell, Post-Excavation Manager

date 13 November 2014

approved by Simon Carlyle, Project Manager

signed

date 13 November 2014

issue 01

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. © Cotswold Archaeology

Cirencester Milton Keynes Andover Building 11 41 Burners Lane South Stanley House Kemble Enterprise Park Kiln Farm Walworth Road Kemble, Cirencester Milton Keynes Andover, Hampshire Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ MK11 3HA SP10 5LH t. 01285 771022 t. 01908 564660 t. 01264 347630 f. 01285 771033 e. [email protected] © Cotswold Archaeology New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire: Archaeological Evaluation

CONTENTS

SUMMARY ...... 2

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 3

2. RESULTS ...... 5

3. DISCUSSION ...... 6

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

5. REFERENCES ...... 6

APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ...... 8 APPENDIX B: OASIS REPORT FORM...... 9

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Fig. 1 Site location plan, 1:25,000 Fig. 2 Trench location plan, showing ditch 303, 1:5000 (inset 1:200) Fig. 3: Trench 1, looking west Fig. 4: Trench 2, looking north-east Fig. 5: Trench 3: section and photographs

1 © Cotswold Archaeology New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire: Archaeological Evaluation

SUMMARY

Project Name: New Stone House Farm Location: Wendlebury, Oxfordshire NGR: SP 5589 1879 Type: Evaluation Date: 6-7 October 2014 Location of Archive: Oxfordshire Museum Services Site Code: SHFB14 Accession no: OXCMS: 2014.205

In October 2014, Cotswold Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation at New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire. The evaluation was commissioned by Pegasus Planning Group, acting on behalf of INRG Solar Ltd, and the results will be submitted in support of a planning application for the development of a solar park on the site.

The evaluation comprised the excavation of three 30m trenches, located on the proposed sites of buildings/installations associated with the development of the solar farm. An undated ditch, sealed beneath a thick layer of subsoil/colluvium (hill-wash), was encountered in Trench 3. No field boundary ditches are shown on historic maps of the area, so the ditch is likely to be post-medieval or earlier in date. No archaeological features were encountered in Trenches 1 and 2.

2 © Cotswold Archaeology New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire: Archaeological Evaluation

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 In October 2014, Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation at New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire (site centred at NGR: SP 5589 1879, Fig. 1). The evaluation was commissioned by Pegasus Planning Group, acting on behalf of INRG Solar Ltd, and the results will be submitted in support of a planning application for the development of a solar park on the site.

1.2 The site is located within the administrative boundary of Cherwell District Council and archaeological advice on planning matters has been provided by Richard Oram, Oxfordshire County Archaeological Services (OCAS). The scope of the evaluation was determined following consultation between CA and OCAS and was informed by a Heritage Desk-Based Assessment (HDBA) prepared by CA (2014a) and a geophysical survey undertaken by GSB Prospection Ltd (GSB 2014). The evaluation comprised the excavation of three 30m trial trenches in the positions shown in Figure 2.

1.3 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) prepared by CA (2014b) and approved by OCAS. The project abided by the Institute for Archaeologists’ (IfA) Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluation (IfA 2009) and the English Heritage (EH) procedural documents Management of Archaeological Projects 2 (EH 1991) and Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MoRPHE): Project Manager’s Guide (EH 2006).

The site 1.4 The proposed development site, which covers an area of c . 24ha, is located to the south of the village of Wendlebury, approximately 5km south-west of Bicester town centre. It comprises two arable fields separated by a hedgerow and it is bounded by the M40 Motorway to the south-west, a mainline railway track to the south-east, farmland to the north-east and farmland adjacent to Wendlebury Lane to the north.

1.5 The site is situated on low-lying ground adjacent to a small stream, a tributary of the River Ray, at c. 62m above Ordnance Datum (aOD). The geology comprises Jurassic mudstone of the Peterborough Member, a sub-division of the Oxford Clay

3 © Cotswold Archaeology New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire: Archaeological Evaluation

Formation, overlain by superficial Quaternary River Terrace deposits and alluvium (www.bgs.ac.uk/geoindex ).

Archaeological background 1.6 The historical and archaeological background of the site has been presented in detail in the HDBA prepared by CA (2014a). This concluded that there are currently no known heritage assets within the proposed site and the land is likely to have been in agricultural use from at least the medieval period, if not before. However, the presence of prehistoric and Roman remains in the surrounding area, focussing on the low ridge of ground on which the modern village is situated, raises the potential for remains from these periods to occur within the site.

1.7 A geophysical survey undertaken by GSB (2014) did not identify any features of definitive archaeological interest. Anomalies interpreted as buried services and former field boundaries were identified.

Archaeological objectives 1.8 The objectives of the evaluation, as outlined in the WSI (CA 2014b), were to provide information about the archaeological resource within the site, including its presence/absence, character, extent, date, integrity, state of preservation and quality. In accordance with the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluation (IfA 2009), the evaluation was designed to be minimally intrusive and minimally destructive to archaeological remains. The information gathered will enable Cherwell District Council, with advice from OCAS, to identify and assess the particular significance of any heritage asset, consider the impact of the proposed development upon it, and to avoid or minimise conflict between the heritage asset’s conservation and any aspect of the development proposal, in line with the National Planning Policy Framework (DCLG 2012).

Methodology 1.9 The evaluation comprised the excavation of three trenches in the locations shown in Figure 2. The trenches, each 30m in length (a total of 90 linear metres), were all 1.8m wide and located in areas where the construction of buildings or installation of equipment (transformers/invertors etc.) may have impacted on archaeological remains. Trenches were set out on OS National Grid (NGR) co-ordinates using a Leica 1200 series SmartRover GPS and scanned for live services by trained CA staff using CAT and Genny equipment. All trenches were excavated by a

4 © Cotswold Archaeology New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire: Archaeological Evaluation

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 geological substrate, whichever was encountered first. Where potential archaeological deposits were encountered, they were cleaned and excavated by hand and recorded in accordance with CA ’s Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual (CA 2013).

1.10 Deposits were assessed for their palaeoenvironmental potential in accordance with CA Technical Manual 2: The Taking and Processing of Environmental and Other Samples from Archaeological Sites (2003). No deposits worthy of environmental sampling were encountered.

1.11 CA will make arrangements with Oxfordshire County Museums Service (OCMS) for the deposition of the site archive under accession number OXCMS: 2014.205. A summary of information from this project, as set out within Appendix B, will be entered onto the OASIS online database of archaeological projects in Britain.

2. RESULTS

2.1 The evaluation comprised the excavation of three 30m trenches, located on the proposed sites of buildings/installations associated with the solar farm development. An undated ditch, sealed beneath a thick layer of subsoil/colluvium (hill-wash), was encountered in Trench 3. No archaeological features were encountered in Trenches 1 and 2. Detailed summaries of the recorded contexts are presented in Appendix A.

General stratigraphy 2.2 The geological substrate in Trenches 2 and 3 was firm yellow clay; this also occurred at the western end of Trench 1, but the substrate was predominately firm greyish-orange silty clay in this trench. In Trenches 1 and 2 the geological substrate was overlain by ploughsoil, ranging in thickness between 0.28m and 0.42m. In Trench 3, which was situated near the bottom of a slope, the clay was overlain by a 0.5m thick layer of subsoil/colluvium (hill-wash) and ploughsoil.

5 © Cotswold Archaeology New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire: Archaeological Evaluation

Trench 3 Undated ditch 303 2.3 Beneath the layer of subsoil/colluvium at the eastern end of the trench was a north to south aligned ditch, 303. It measured 2.5m wide by 0.73m deep and was filled with a sequence of four deposits. The earliest of these, 307, which lay against the western slope of the ditch, comprised mid yellowish/greyish-brown sandy silty clay. Occupying the lower third of the ditch was mid greyish-brown silty clay, 306. This was overlain by manganese-flecked mid reddish/brownish-grey silty clay, 305. The uppermost fill was mid brownish-grey clayey silt, characterised by frequent small sub-angular stones and occasional fragments of small snail shells.

3. DISCUSSION

3.1 The evaluation was able to demonstrate that there were no archaeological features in the areas targeted by Trenches 1 and 2. The ditch encountered in Trench 3 was broad and flat bottomed; a possible boundary rather than drainage ditch. The presence of slightly gleyed deposits and a small quantity of snail shell fragments indicates standing water or a moist environment. The ditch is undated, but was sealed beneath more than half a metre of subsoil/colluvium (hill-wash), suggesting that it may be of some antiquity. No field boundary ditches are shown on historic maps of the area (CA 2014a), so the ditch is likely to be post-medieval or earlier in date. The ditch was not identified by the geophysical survey (GSB 2014), probably due to the thickness of the overlying soil.

4. CA PROJECT TEAM

The fieldwork was undertaken by Jeremy Mordue, assisted by Daniel Wojcik. The report was written by Jeremy Mordue, with illustrations prepared by Dan Bashford. The archive has been compiled by Jeremy Mordue and prepared for deposition by Emily Evans. The project was managed for CA by Simon Carlyle.

5. REFERENCES

BGS (British Geological Survey) 2014 Geology of Britain Viewer http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyofbritain/home.html Accessed 19 September 2014

6 © Cotswold Archaeology New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire: Archaeological Evaluation

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2014a New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire: Heritage Desk-Based Assessment CA typescript report 14027

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2014b New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire: Written Scheme of Investigation for an Archaeological Evaluation

GSB (GSB Prospection Ltd) 2014 New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire, Geophysical Survey Report, G1477

7 © Cotswold Archaeology New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire: Archaeological Evaluation

APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS

Context Type Description L W D/T (m) (m) (m) Trench 1 100 Ploughsoil Dark brownish grey clay-silt-loam, firm. - - 0.42 101 Geology Mid greyish orange clay-silt, compact, occupies much of trench. - - - 102 Geology Mid yellow clay, plastic. Occupies western end of trench only. - - - Same as 201 Trench 2 200 Ploughsoil Dark brownish grey clay-silt-loam, firm - - 0.28 201 Geology Mid greyish orange-yellow clay, compact, with frequent gravel - - - pockets. Trench 3 300 Ploughsoil Dark brownish grey clay-silt-loam, firm. - - 0.29 301 Subsoil/ Mid greyish brown silt clay, firm, with moderate small stones - - 0.51 colluvium and flecks of manganese. 302 Geology Mid yellowish brown gravelly clay-sand. - - - 303 Ditch Linear cut, aligned north to south, edges parallel and well- 1.8+ 2.5 0.73 defined, steeply sloping sides and flat base. 304 Fill of 303 Upper fill of ditch. Mid brownish grey clay-silt, firm, with - - 0.37 frequent small sub-angular stones, occasional medium sized sub-angular stones, occasional small snail shells, frequent manganese flecks. 305 Fill of 303 Middle fill of ditch. Mid reddish-brown grey silt-clay, compact, - - 0.23 with occasional small sub-rounded and sub-angular stones, moderate manganese flecks. 306 Fill of 303 Lower fill of ditch. Mid greyish-brown silt-clay, compact, with - - 0.27 occasional small sub-rounded stones. 307 Fill of 303 Edge fill of ditch. Mid yellowish-grey brown silt clay, compact, - - 0.20 with no inclusions.

8 © Cotswold Archaeology New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire: Archaeological Evaluation

APPENDIX B: OASIS REPORT FORM

PROJECT DETAILS Project name New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury Short description The evaluation comprised the excavation of three 30m trenches, located on the proposed sites of buildings/installations associated with the development of the solar farm. An undated ditch, sealed beneath a thick layer of subsoil/colluvium (hill-wash), was encountered in Trench 3. No field boundary ditches are shown on historic maps of the area, so the ditch is likely to be post-medieval or earlier in date. No archaeological features were encountered in Trenches 1 and 2. Project dates 6-7 October 2014 Project type Evaluation Previous work Heritage Desk-Based Assessment (CA 2014a); geophysical survey (GSB 2014) Future work None Monument type Undated ditch Significant finds None PROJECT LOCATION Site location New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire Study area 24ha. Site co-ordinates SP 5589 1879 PROJECT CREATORS Name of organisation Cotswold Archaeology (CA) Project Brief originator - Project Design (WSI) originator CA Project Manager Simon Carlyle (CA) Project Supervisor Jeremy Mordue (CA) PROJECT ARCHIVE Accession no: OXCMS: Content 2014.205 Physical Oxfordshire County None Paper Museums Service Site records Digital Oxfordshire HER Report, digital photos BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cotswold Archaeology 2014 New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxfordshire: Archaeological Evaluation . CA Report 14495

9 N Cirencester 01285 771022 Milton Keynes 01908 564660 Cotswold Andover 01264 347630 Archaeology w www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk e [email protected]

PROJECT TITLE New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury Oxfordshire

FIGURE TITLE Oxfordshire Site location plan

0 1km

FIGURE NO. Reproduced from the 1999 Ordnance Survey Explorer map with PROJECT NO. 660354 DATE 31/10/2014 the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller DRAWN BY IA/AO REVISION 00 of Her Majesty's Stationery Office c Crown copyright Cotswold Archaeology Ltd 100002109 APPROVED BY JB SCALE@A4 1:25,000 1 N 2 FIGURE NO. 200m 01285 771022 01908 564660 01264 347630 www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk [email protected] Andover w e Cirencester Milton Keynes 31/10/2014 00 1:5000 & 1:200 DATE REVISION SCALE@A3 site evaluation trench archaeological feature AO JB/ATB 660354 0 &URZQFRS\ULJKW&RWVZROG$UFKDHRORJ\/WG Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Digital mapping with the permission of APPROVED BY PROJECT TITLE FIGURE TITLE Trench location plan showing ditch 303 PROJECT NO. DRAWN BY Oxfordshire New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury

560 (see below) 185

B Oxford Road Oxford ditch 303 B

555

M40 A41 T3 10m

550 A34

190

P:\660354 New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury, Oxon EVAL\Illustration\Drafts\660354_Fig2.dwg Oxon Wendlebury, Farm, House Stone New P:\660354 (see below) (see 3

Cirencester 01285 771022 Milton Keynes 01908 564660 Cotswold Andover 01264 347630 Archaeology w www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk 3 Trench 1 looking west (1m scales) e [email protected]

PROJECT TITLE New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury Oxfordshire

FIGURE TITLE Trench 1: photograph

PROJECT NO. 660354 DATE 31/10/2014 FIGURE NO. DRAWN BY AO REVISION 00 APPROVED BY JB SCALE@A4 N/A 3 4

Cirencester 01285 771022 Milton Keynes 01908 564660 Cotswold Andover 01264 347630 Archaeology w www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk 4 Trench 2 looking north-east (1m scales) e [email protected]

PROJECT TITLE New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury Oxfordshire

FIGURE TITLE Trench 2: photograph

PROJECT NO. 660354 DATE 31/10/2014 FIGURE NO. DRAWN BY AO REVISION 00 APPROVED BY JB SCALE@A4 N/A 4 Section AA

E W

62m topsoil 300 AOD

subsoil 301

304

305

307

306

ditch 303

01m

Trench 3, looking east (1m scales)

Cirencester 01285 771022 Milton Keynes 01908 564660 Cotswold Andover 01264 347630 Archaeology w www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk e [email protected]

PROJECT TITLE Ditch 303, looking south (2m scale) New Stone House Farm, Wendlebury Oxfordshire

FIGURE TITLE Trench 3: section and photographs

PROJECT NO. 660354 DATE 31/10/2014 FIGURE NO. DRAWN BY AO REVISION 00 APPROVED BY JB SCALE@A3 1:20 5