Marnel Park Phase 2, Popley, Basingstoke, Hampshire
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Marnel Park Phase 2, Popley, Basingstoke, Hampshire Archaeological Excavation for CgMs Consulting on behalf of David Wilson Homes CA Project: 779044 CA Report: 18136 June 2018 Marnel Park Phase 2, Popley, Basingstoke, Hampshire Archaeological Excavation CA Project: 779044 CA Report: 18136 Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for Approved revision by A 05.03.18 JCC Internal review B 22.05.18 RWM Internal review C 06.06.2018 KEW QA 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 © Cotswold Archaeology Marnel Park Phase 2, Popley, North Basingstoke, Hampshire: Archaeological Excavation CONTENTS Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 2 3. aims and objectives ............................................................................................ 6 4. Methodology....................................................................................................... 6 5. Results OF EXCAVATION (Figs 2–9)................................................................. 7 6. The Finds ........................................................................................................... 12 7. The Biological Evidence ..................................................................................... 12 8. Discussion .......................................................................................................... 13 9. ca project team ................................................................................................... 15 10. Storage, curation and publication ....................................................................... 15 11. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 15 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ................................................................... 20 APPENDIX B: LITHICS 21 APPENDIX C: POTTERY ............................................................................................... 23 APPENDIX D: FIRED/BURNT CLAY .............................................................................. 26 APPENDIX E: WORKED STONE ................................................................................... 26 APPENDIX F: CHARCOAL AND CHARRED PLANT REMAINS .................................... 27 APPENDIX G: OASIS REPORT FORM .......................................................................... 33 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Marnel Park Phase 2, Popley, North Basingstoke, Hampshire: Archaeological Excavation LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Area location plan, showing archaeological features and previous evaluation trenches (1:2000/1:500). Fig. 3 Pits 1002, 1004 and 1014, photographs (0.2m, 0.4m, 0.5m and 1m scales, respectively) Fig. 4 Pits 1002, 1004 and 1014, plan (1:20) and section (1:20) Fig. 5 Pit 1006, section (1:20) and photographs (0.5m and 1m scales) Fig. 6 Pit 1008, section (1:20) and photographs (0.5m and 1m scales) Fig. 7 Pits 1016 and 1031, plan (1:20), section (1:20) and photographs (0.4m, 0.5m and 1m scales) Fig. 8 Pit 1023, section (1:20) and photograph (0.5m scale) Fig. 9 Overall site photograph, with pits numbered (2m and 1m scales) LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Quantification of finds Table 2: Context Descriptions Table 3: Lithics assembage by feature Table 4: Catalogue of Stone Table 5: Charcoal by context Table 6: Chared Plant Material by context 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Marnel Park Phase 2, Popley, North Basingstoke, Hampshire: Archaeological Excavation SUMMARY Project Name: Marnel Park Phase 2 Location: Popley, Basingstoke, Hampshire NGR: 463681 155198 Type: Excavation Date: 15 to 27 February 2018 Planning Reference: BDB/75761 Location of Archive: Hampshire Cultural Trust Accession Number: A2018.6 Site Code: MPP18 An archaeological excavation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in February, 2018, at Marnel Park (Phase 2 area), Popley, Basingstoke, Hampshire. The excavation area was located towards the west of the proposed development site, and was targeted on a group of later prehistoric pits which had been identified during evaluation. The excavation identified a single phase of activity dating to the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age periods, which comprised an apparently isolated group of eight pits, some of which were intercutting. The fills of three pits contained notably more charcoal and charred plant remains, than the others and appeared to be more domestic in character. Other pits appeared to have been backfilled with redeposited natural subsoil, and were difficult to identify. One pit contained quantities of fired clay, together with quern fragments and remains of pottery vessels which appeared to have been broken in situ, and may therefore represent a structured deposit. Pottery was found to be in degraded condition in all features, and correspondingly difficult to excavate. Some of the small assemblage of worked flint recovered from the pits is likely to be residual and thus representative of transient activity on and around the site in earlier prehistoric periods. The Marnel Park (Phase 2) site is principally of local interest, and has provided evidence of possibly peripheral Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age activity within the environs of the excavated Merton Rise site (Marnel Park/Merton Rise Phase1) , to the south and west. 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Marnel Park Phase 2, Popley, North Basingstoke, Hampshire: Archaeological Excavation 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 In February 2018, Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological investigation, at the request of CgMs Consulting, on behalf of David Wilson Homes, at Marnel Park (Phase 2 Area), Popley, North Basingstoke, Hampshire (centred at NGR: 463681 155198; Fig. 1). 1.2 Planning permission (Planning ref: BDB/75761) for the erection of 250 dwellings, including provisions for ancillary access and landscaping, was granted by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC). This permission was conditional on a programme of archaeological work, which comprised an archaeological excavation targeted on a group of prehistoric pits identified by evaluation on the west side of the proposed development area. The archaeological condition was recommended by David Hopkins, County Archaeologist, Hampshire County Council (HCC), on the basis of the results of an archaeological evaluation (TVAS 2017). 1.3 The excavation was undertaken in accordance with a detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2018), and approved by the County Archaeologist. The fieldwork also followed Standard and Guidance: Archaeological Excavation (CIfA 2014); the Hampshire County Council guidance Archaeology and Planning: Guidance for Contractors (HCC 2013), the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MORPHE): Project Manager’s Guide (HE 2015), incorporating the Historic England guidance PPN3: Archaeological Excavation (2008). The site 1.4 The total development site comprises c.14.5ha in area, and is located on a large, roughly rectangular plot of land on the northern margins of Basingstoke, to the west of Marl’s Lane and Jersey Close. At the time of excavation, the site was in use as arable fields. It was bounded to the north, north-east and west by a mixture of woodland and arable land, and by modern residential developments to the south and east (Figs. 1 and 2). The site is situated at an elevation of c.85m above Ordnance Datum (aOD), on a north-west/south-east aligned ridge, which reaches a maximum elevation of 90m aOD towards the east, and falls gradually both to the north and south. 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Marnel Park Phase 2, Popley, North Basingstoke, Hampshire: Archaeological Excavation 1.5 The underlying geology is mapped as Lambeth Group clays, silts and sands of Palaeogene date. This sedimentary bedrock was formed 48-56 million years ago in estuarine or river delta environments (BGS 2018). Superficial patches of gravel and chalk were identified across the site during evaluation (TVAS 2017). Slowly- permeable, grey/brown clay silt soils were present across the site, to a depth of 0.25m (see section 5.4). 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 The archaeological background presented below is derived from the baseline data included in previous reports, including that compiled for the evaluation by Thames Valley Archaeological Services (TVAS 2017), together with the results of an earlier desk-based assessment of the site (CgMs 2016). This information has been augmented for the purposes of this report by additional data from a number of sources, including the Hampshire Archaeology and Historic Buildings Record (AHBR), and the published archaeological record. Earlier Prehistoric 2.2 A number of finds of prehistoric worked flint, principally of Neolithic date, have been recorded within the environs of the Site, including off Popley Way, c. 0.75km to the south. These include not only individual random finds, but more extensive concentrations recorded through systematic fieldwalking and evaluation, particularly at Weybrook Farm, c. 2.5 km to the south-west (Ford