T H A M E S V A L L E Y ARCHAEOLOGICAL S E R V I C E S
Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire
Archaeological Desk-based Assessment
by Tim Dawson
Site Code SRB14/130
(ST 9028 6251) Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire
Archaeological Desk-based Assessment
for Mark Chard & Associates
by Tim Dawson
Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd
Site Code SRB 14/130
July 2014 Summary
Site name: Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire
Grid reference: ST 9028 6251
Site activity: Archaeological desk-based assessment
Project manager: Steve Ford
Site supervisor: Tim Dawson
Site code: SRB 14/130
Area of site: 7.7ha
Summary of results: The proposal site lies within an area of high archaeological potential with a medieval settlement to the west, possible prehistoric monuments to the north-west and medieval farmland and the line of the post-medieval Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal on the site itself. The site has undergone very little alteration since the early 19th century, suggesting that any buried archaeological deposits will have been well preserved. It is anticipated that it will be necessary to provide further information about the potential of the site from field observations in order to draw up a scheme to mitigate the impact of development on any below-ground archaeological deposits if necessary. Such a scheme could be implemented as an appropriately worded condition attached to any consent gained.
This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. All TVAS unpublished fieldwork reports are available on our website: www.tvas.co.uk/reports/reports.asp.
Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford 23.07.14 Steve Preston 24.07.14
i
Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47–49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading RG1 5NR Tel. (0118) 926 0552; Fax (0118) 926 0553; email: [email protected]; website: www.tvas.co.uk Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire Archaeological Desk-based Assessment
by Tim Dawson
Report 14/130 Introduction
This report is an assessment of the archaeological potential of a parcel of land located to the east of Semington
Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire (Fig. 1). The project was commissioned by Mr Simon Handy of Strutt &
Parker LLP, 269 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7LL on behalf of Mark Chard & Associates and comprises the first stage of a process to determine the presence/absence, extent, character, quality and date of any archaeological remains which may be affected by redevelopment of the area.
Site description, location and geology
The site currently consists of three sub-rectangular fields and an adjacent house on the eastern side of Semington
Road to the east of the village of Berryfield and south of Melksham. The site is centred on NGR ST 9028 6251, covers a total area of 7.7ha and is at a height of c.40m above Ordnance Datum. At the time of a site visit (18th
July 2014) the western field was under pasture and the central and eastern fields were in the process of being harvested for silage (Pls 1–6). The house in the north-western corner of the proposal area lies within fenced grounds which extend across half of the width of the western field. The fields are bounded by mature hedgerows on all sides and internally except for the western edge where the field is divided from the neighbouring houses by wooden post-and-rail fencing. Beyond the site lies a sewage farm to the south, housing to the west, a caravan park to the north and fields to the north and east. The ground across the whole site slopes gently downhill from north to south with the underlying geology recorded as First River Terrace deposits for the majority of the area with a band of Oxford Clay along the southern edge (BGS 1965).
Planning background and development proposals
Planning permission is to be sought for the demolition of the existing structures on the site and the redevelopment of the whole area for 172 new dwellings.
The Department for Communities and Local Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF
2012) sets out the framework within which local planning authorities should consider the importance of conserving, or enhancing, aspects of the historic environment, within the planning process. It requires an
1 applicant for planning consent to provide, as part of any application, sufficient information to enable the local planning authority to assess the significance of any heritage assets that may be affected by the proposal. The
Historic Environment is defined (NPPF 2012, 52) as:
‘All aspects of the environment resulting from the interaction between people and places through time, including all surviving physical remains of past human activity, whether visible, buried or submerged, and landscaped and planted or managed flora.’ Paragraphs 128 and 129 state that
‘128. In determining applications, local planning authorities should require an applicant to describe the significance of any heritage assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting. The level of detail should be proportionate to the assets’ importance and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on their significance. As a minimum the relevant historic environment record should have been consulted and the heritage assets assessed using appropriate expertise where necessary. Where a site on which development is proposed includes or has the potential to include heritage assets with archaeological interest, local planning authorities should require developers to submit an appropriate desk-based assessment and, where necessary, a field evaluation. ‘129. Local planning authorities should identify and assess the particular significance of any heritage asset that may be affected by a proposal (including by development affecting the setting of a heritage asset) taking account of the available evidence and any necessary expertise. They should take this assessment into account when considering the impact of a proposal on a heritage asset, to avoid or minimise conflict between the heritage asset’s conservation and any aspect of the proposal.’ A ‘heritage asset’ is defined (NPPF 2012, 52) as
‘A building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest. Heritage asset includes designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority (including local listing).’ ‘Designated heritage asset’ includes (NPPF 2012, 51) any
‘World Heritage Site, Scheduled Monument, Listed Building, Protected Wreck Site, Registered Park and Garden, Registered Battlefield or Conservation Area designated under the relevant legislation.’
‘Archaeological interest’ is glossed (NPPF 2012, 50) as follows:
‘There will be archaeological interest in a heritage asset if it holds, or potentially may hold, evidence of past human activity worthy of expert investigation at some point. Heritage assets with archaeological interest are the primary source of evidence about the substance and evolution of places, and of the people and cultures that made them.’ Specific guidance on assessing significance and the impact of the proposal is contained in paragraphs 131 to 135:
‘131. In determining planning applications, local planning authorities should take account of: the desirability of sustaining and enhancing the significance of heritage assets and putting them to viable uses consistent with their conservation; the positive contribution that conservation of heritage assets can make to sustainable communities including their economic vitality; and the desirability of new development making a positive contribution to local character and distinctiveness. ‘132. When considering the impact of a proposed development on the significance of a designated heritage asset, great weight should be given to the asset’s conservation. The more important the asset, the greater the weight should be. Significance can be harmed or lost through alteration or destruction of the heritage asset or development within its setting. As heritage assets are 2 irreplaceable, any harm or loss should require clear and convincing justification. Substantial harm to or loss of a grade II listed building, park or garden should be exceptional. Substantial harm to or loss of designated heritage assets of the highest significance, notably scheduled monuments, protected wreck sites, battlefields, grade I and II* listed buildings, grade I and II* registered parks and gardens, and World Heritage Sites, should be wholly exceptional. ‘133. Where a proposed development will lead to substantial harm to or total loss of significance of a designated heritage asset, local planning authorities should refuse consent, unless it can be demonstrated that the substantial harm or loss is necessary to achieve substantial public benefits that outweigh that harm or loss, or all of the following apply: the nature of the heritage asset prevents all reasonable uses of the site; and no viable use of the heritage asset itself can be found in the medium term through appropriate marketing that will enable its conservation; and conservation by grant-funding or some form of charitable or public ownership is demonstrably not possible; and the harm or loss is outweighed by the benefit of bringing the site back into use. ‘134. Where a development proposal will lead to less than substantial harm to the significance of a designated heritage asset, this harm should be weighed against the public benefits of the proposal, including securing its optimum viable use. ‘135. The effect of an application on the significance of a non-designated heritage asset should be taken into account in determining the application. In weighing applications that affect directly or indirectly non designated heritage assets, a balanced judgement will be required having regard to the scale of any harm or loss and the significance of the heritage asset.
Paragraph 139 recognizes that new archaeological discoveries may reveal hitherto unsuspected and hence non- designated heritage assets
‘139. Non-designated heritage assets of archaeological interest that are demonstrably of equivalent significance to scheduled monuments, should be considered subject to the policies for designated heritage assets.’ Paragraph 141 requires local planning authorities to ensure that any loss of heritage assets advances understanding, but stresses that advancing understanding is not by itself sufficient reason to permit the loss of significance:
‘141. Local planning authorities should make information about the significance of the historic environment gathered as part of plan-making or development management publicly accessible. They should also require developers to record and advance understanding of the significance of any heritage assets to be lost (wholly or in part) in a manner proportionate to their importance and the impact, and to make this evidence (and any archive generated) publicly accessible. However, the ability to record evidence of our past should not be a factor in deciding whether such loss should be permitted.’ In determining the potential heritage impact of development proposals, ‘significance’ of an asset is defined
(NPPF 2012, 56) as:
‘The value of a heritage asset to this and future generations because of its heritage interest. That interest may be archaeological, architectural, artistic or historic. Significance derives not only from a heritage asset’s physical presence, but also from its setting.’ while ‘setting’ is defined as:
‘The surroundings in which a heritage asset is experienced. Its extent is not fixed and may change as the asset and its surroundings evolve. Elements of a setting may make a positive or negative contribution to the significance of an asset, may affect the ability to appreciate that significance or may be neutral.’
3 West Wiltshire District Plan, First Alteration (WWDC 2004) contained several policies relating to archaeology and development but only one of these was ‘saved’ at the direction of the Secretary of State in 2009. Policy C15
Archaeological Assessment states:
‘Archaeological assessment will be required for development proposals within the Areas of Archaeological Interest, or affecting an area of 1 hectare or more within Areas of Higher Archaeological Potential, as shown on the Proposals Map. The results should be submitted with the planning application.’ Wiltshire Core Strategy is due to supersede West Wiltshire District Plan on its adoption in July 2014.
Methodology
The assessment of the site was carried out by the examination of pre-existing information from a number of sources recommended by the Institute for Archaeologists paper ‘Standards in British Archaeology’ covering desk-based studies. These sources include historic and modern maps, the Wiltshire Historic Environment
Record, geological maps and any relevant publications or reports.
Archaeological background
General background
Melksham lies to the west of the chalkland massif forming the Marlborough Downs, an area of great archaeological significance including (at some distance) to the east, a World Heritage Site centred on Avebury.
Rather less is known of the gravel and clay areas in which the site lies. The historic core of the town has seen very little archaeological work, most of which has concentrated on the medieval town with little earlier evidence coming to light (McMahon 2004). There has, however, been extensive work, both desk-based and intrusive, around the outskirts, especially during construction of the southern A350 diversion, which have revealed a mixed density of archaeological sites. These included several parchmarks of ring ditches and enclosures plotted from aerial photographic survey but also a sizable evaluation which found nothing of archaeological interest.
Wiltshire Historic Environment Record
A search was made on the Wiltshire Historic Environment Record (HER) on 1st July 2014 for a radius of 1km around the proposal site. This revealed 31 entries within the search radius. These are summarized as Appendix 1 and their locations are plotted on Figure 1.
4 Bronze Age The Wiltshire HER records a single entry for the findspot of a Bronze Age unlooped palstave or axe head which was discovered at Outmarsh Farm c.600m south of the proposal site [Fig. 1: 1].
Roman The only Roman HER entry also consists of a findspot. This records the position where seven Roman coins, including one of the emperor Constantine (AD 312-337), were discovered near Melksham Hospital, some 750m north-east of the development area [2].
Medieval There are two known sites of medieval date within 1km of the proposal site. The first is the settlement of
Berryfield to the west [3], which was first recorded as Bereghfeld in AD 1286, while the second is Townsend
Farm 180m to the north [4], which is also thought to have medieval origins due to documentary evidence dating to AD 1333 that mentions a farmstead being the home of William atte Tounesende.
Post-medieval The majority of the HER entries for the post-medieval period are for listed buildings of the late 18th- and early
19th-centuries. These are mainly grouped along King Street, the road that leads northwards into the centre of
Melksham, with numbers 16, 39, 40, 42, and 47–59 (odd) being Grade II listed [5, 6, 7]. Of these, number 42 is the earliest, incorporating a late 16th- or early 17th-century range in addition to a later 19th-century forge [6].
Also along King Street are the Grade II listed Conigre Farm Hotel [8] and West End PH [9], both originally early
18th-century farmhouses but now a hotel and public house respectively, and the unlisted Quaker burial ground further to the north [7]. Other post-medieval Grade II listed buildings in the study area are 18th-century cottages at 612 and 613 Berryfields Lane to the west of the proposal site [10] and the late 18th- or early 19th-century cottages of Old Railway Farmhouse and The Siding to the south [11]. The closest post-medieval monument to the proposal site, however, is the line of the Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal which divides the western and central fields [12]. This once stretched from the Kennet and Avon Canal at Semington, northwards past Chippenham before turning eastwards, looping south of Swindon and joining the River Thames south of Abingdon. It was authorised in 1795 with construction taking place between 1801 and 1804 and, after carrying considerable traffic during the 19th century, the arrival and growth of the railway brought about its closure in 1910.
Modern All three modern HER entries relate to sites constructed during the Second World War. The first of these is RAF
Melksham, which stood 400m to the east of the proposal site [13]. This was opened in June 1940 as No 12
School of Technical Training and was constructed as an airfield complete with hangars but without a runway, aircraft being dismantled and taken to the site by road before being reassembled and used for training. The base
5 closed in February 1965 and most of the buildings have been demolished although the hangers remain in use for commercial purposes. The remaining two modern HER entries are for pillboxes - one Type 22 [14] and one Type
28/A, the latter designed to provide shelter for a 2pdr anti-tank gun [15]. These are both located overlooking the crossing of the defunct Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal and a railway line which ran east-west c.900m to the south of the proposal site.
Unknown
The HER records several earthworks and parchmarks that were identified on aerial photographs taken in 1984.
While the form and layout of several of these suggest monuments common in specific periods none of them have been investigated on the ground leaving their exact date and identification unknown. A series of three oval and rounded-cornered rectangular earthworks have been noted to the west of Berryfield [16] and a complex of earthworks forming rectangular enclosures are present in fields to the south [17]. The latter may represent the remains of a medieval field system. Six sets of parchmarks have been identified to the north of Berryfield, some
700m north-west of the proposal site, consisting of various ring ditches [18, 19, 20, 21, 22] and rectangular enclosures [19, 21].
Negative
A single archaeological investigation is recorded within the study area. This was an evaluation which was undertaken in advance of the construction of the A350 Semington-Melksham Diversion, 35m to the east of the proposal site boundary [23]. Thirty five trenches were excavated but no features of archaeological significance were identified and only a limited quantity of finds were recovered.
There are no Scheduled Monuments within 1km of the proposal site.
Cartographic and documentary sources
The Wiltshire HER records the first mention of the place name Berryfield as being Bereghfeld in 1286 although the meaning is unclear. Melksham however is first recorded as Melchesham in Domesday Book (1086), possibly meaning ‘homestead or enclosure where milk is produced’ from the Old English meoluc + h m or hamm (Mills
1998, 238). Melksham appears in two entries in Domesday Book. The first is for the exceptionally large royal estate, the land of Earl (King) Harold in 1066, obtained by King William by 1086, which included 84 hides of land with an extra 34 hides for the lord and ploughlands for 60 plough teams (Williams and Martin 2002, 163).
In addition there are 8 mills valued at £7.6s, 130 acres of meadow, 8 × 8 leagues of pasture, 4 × 4 leagues of
6 woodland and a church with another hide of land for Rumold the priest. The population is recorded as 92 villagers and 66 smallholders with 39 plough teams while the lord’s estate owned 35 slaves and 31 freedmen with a further 19 plough teams. The estate was valued at a total of £111.11s with a further 40s from the church.
The second estate listed was held by Lidhsman both before and after the Norman Conquest (Williams and Martin
2002, 195). It consisted of 3 hides of land with land for 2½ plough teams, 10 acres of meadow, 5 acres of pasture and 5 acres of woodland. The population is listed as 4 villagers and 3 smallholders with 1 plough team and another 3 cottages and 1 plough team belonging to the lord. The whole estate was worth 30s.
Melksham can be identified as a settlement from at least the 11th century although there is an absence of archaeological or historical evidence which would provide an idea of its size or layout (McMahon 2004). The
Market Place is thought to date to the 13th century with the first record of a market being a Friday market and
Michaelmas fair that were granted to the town in 1219 (VCH 1953). The town’s main industry during the medieval period was the production of cloth with weavers being mentioned as early as 1349 although the first specific reference to a fulling mill does not appear until 1555 (VCH 1953). The industry continued to thrive into the 19th century when the last mill closed in 1888 with the site being taken over by the Avon Rubber Co and
Wiltshire United Dairies (McMahon 2004). The town itself saw little expansion beyond its medieval core until the 19th century when, among other things, the coming of the Berkshire and Wiltshire Canal in 1801 and its rise and then fall with the introduction of the railway in 1848 accelerated its industrial and urban growth (McMahon
2004).
A range of Ordnance Survey and other historical maps of the area were consulted at Wiltshire Record
Office and online in order to ascertain what activity had been taking place throughout the site’s later history and whether this may have affected any possible archaeological deposits within the proposal area (see Appendix 2).
The earliest map available of the area is Saxton’s map of Wiltshire, dated 1576 (Fig. 2). This provides a general view of the county with settlements and major landscape features plotted in relation to each other.
Mylsham is shown as a medium-sized settlement on the east bank of the River Avon with Blakemore Forest, a large area of woodland, to the east and south-east. Lea’s 1689 map of Wiltshire (Fig. 3) uses Saxton’s map as a base but adds main roads and hundred boundaries. In both these maps the proposal site is in an area of open ground on the fringes of Blakemore Forest.
The first detailed view of the proposal site is provided by the 1719 Melksham survey (Fig. 4). This outlines the roads, field and plot boundaries and buildings with the site itself being located in a large area of unenclosed land with a group of small fields to the south. The area has been enclosed by the time of the 1838 tithe map (Fig.
7 5) with the line of the Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal cutting across the landscape. The site appears much as it does today with an additional field boundary present in the western field, a kink in the boundaries between the central and eastern field and an extra enclosure within the eastern boundary the only differences. The area generally appears to be divided into small fields most of which are listed as pasture in the tithe apportionment with houses and smaller plots lining the road to Melksham.
The tithe map is further clarified by the 1886 Ordnance Survey First Edition (Fig. 6) which adds detail in the form of several footpaths crossing the site, the tow path and a draw bridge over the canal, which appears to be built up on an embankment at this point, and three buildings in the enclosure on the eastern boundary. The house which now stands in the north-western corner of the site has not yet been built but there appears to be a higher density of housing along the western boundary, including the imaginatively named New Inn (Beer
House). Aside from a few new houses outside the proposal site there are no changes by the time of the Ordnance
Survey Second Edition of 1900 (not illustrated). By the time of the 1924 Ordnance Survey revision (Fig. 7) however the canal is marked as disused with the waterway itself appearing to have been in-filled although the tow path continues on. The northern end of the western field is now shown as fenced off with a house and what appear to be farm outbuildings having been constructed in the north-western corner while the settlement along the road to the west is now named Semington Lane. The proposal site sees further change in the 12 years between the 1924 and 1936 (Fig. 8) revisions with an alteration in the internal divisions at the northern end of the western field and the majority of the canal now appearing to be back-filled. The embankment still remains at the southern end of the site but the water within it is now shown as marsh. The small buildings and enclosure on the site’s eastern boundary has been removed with the hedge line now continuing as an unbroken line.
The next available map is the 1972 Ordnance Survey revision (Fig. 9). By this point Semington Lane has become the western edge of the village of Berryfield with houses and a playground now extending westwards from the main road. A sewage works has been built to the south, a pumping station to the west and a caravan park to the north. Within the site itself the canal north of the embanked section has been removed and the internal fencing at the northern end has been remodelled, as has the boundary between the central and eastern fields where the kink has been ironed out. By the time of the 1982 revision (not illustrated) the site has reached its current state. The canal has been completely removed, the southern field boundary has been formed and the internal divisions in the north have settled down. This continues to be the picture through both the 1991 and
1993 (Fig. 10) revisions.
8 Listed buildings
There are no listed buildings in a position to be affected by the development of the proposal site.
Registered Parks and Gardens; Registered Battlefields
There are no registered parks and gardens or registered battlefields within close proximity of the site.
Historic Hedgerows
There are no hedgerows on the site that would qualify as ‘important’ as defined by Schedule 1 of the Hedgerows
Regulations 1997.
Aerial Photographs
The photographic collections of the National Monuments Record, Swindon were consulted on 30th June 2014.
There were 36 vertical prints from 15 sorties taken between 1946 and 2001, but no specialist (oblique) shots. The photographs are detailed in Appendix 3. These photographs were viewed on 9th July 2014. There were no features of archaeological interest observed other than medieval ridge and furrow fields.
Discussion
In considering the archaeological potential of the study area, various factors must be taken into account, including previously recorded archaeological sites, previous land-use and disturbance and future land-use including the proposed development.
There is a single heritage asset located on the site - the course of the disused Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal
- although ridge and furrow earthworks identified through aerial photography also suggest that the site was used as farmland in the medieval period. The HER lists a series of earthworks to the west which may be a medieval field system, again indicating the agricultural use of the area during this period, as well as several parchmarks for what appear to be prehistoric ring ditches and enclosures on the gravel to the north-west. While these would suggest that the landscape in which the proposal site lies has high archaeological potential, evaluation trenching immediately to the east along the line of the A350 uncovered no archaeological deposits. Cartographic evidence shows that, aside from the construction and later removal of the canal, the site has undergone very little change since the early 19th century which raises the possibility that any buried archaeological deposits have been well
9 preserved. It remains therefore to establish if there may be potential for previously unknown heritage assets, that is, below-ground archaeological remains.
It is anticipated that it will be necessary to provide further information about the potential of the site from field observations in order to draw up a scheme to mitigate the impact of development on any below-ground archaeological deposits if necessary. A scheme for this evaluation will need to be drawn up and approved by the archaeological advisers to the Borough and carried out by a competent archaeological contractor. Such a scheme could be implemented as an appropriately worded condition attached to any consent gained.
References
BGS, 1965, British Geological Survey, 1:50,000 Sheet 265, Solid and Drift Edition, Keyworth McMahon, P, 2004, The Archaeology of Wiltshire’s Towns: An Extensive Urban Survey: Melksham, Trowbridge Mills, A D, 1998, Dictionary of English Place-Names, Oxford NPPF, 2012, National Planning Policy Framework, Dept Communities and Local Government, London VCH, 1953, Victoria County History: A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 7, London Williams, A and Martin, G H, 2002, Domesday Book: A Complete Translation, London WWDC, 2004, West Wiltshire District Plan, First Alteration, Trowbridge
10 APPENDIX 1: Historic Environment Records within a 1km search radius of the development site
No HER Ref Grid Ref (ST) Type Period Comment 1 MWI4926 90000 61800 Findspot Bronze Age Unlooped palstave found at Outmarsh Farm. 2 MWI4927 90800 63210 Findspot Roman 7 Roman coins found NW of Melksham Hospital. 3 MWI1875 89700 62500 Settlement Medieval Berryfields: settlement first recorded AD 1286. 4 MWI3632 90190 62810 Documentary Medieval Townsend Farm: recorded as home of William atte Tounesende in AD 1333. 5 DWI11498 90478 63472 Listed building Post-medieval 39 King Street: late 18th century house. DWI11499 90477 63448 Listed building Post-medieval 47 King Street: late 18th century cottage. DWI11500 90474 63443 Listed building Post-medieval 49 and 51 King Street: late 18th century cottages. 6 DWI11501 90472 63436 Listed building Post-medieval 53 and 55 King Street: late 18th century cottages. DWI11502 90470 63420 Listed building Post-medieval 57 King Street: late 18th century house. DWI11503 90468 63409 Listed building Post-medieval 59 King Street: late 18th century house. DWI11510 90443 63427 Listed building Post-medieval 40 King Street: early 19th century house. DWI16272 90440 63410 Listed building Post-medieval 42 King Street: 18th century house incorporating late 16th-/early 17th-century range and 19th century forge. 7 DWI11509 90450 63492 Listed building Post-medieval 16 King Street: early 19th century house. MWI4970 90430 63500 Monument Post-medieval Quaker burial ground at King Street. 8 DWI11529 90427 63316 Listed building Post-medieval Conigre Farm Hotel: early 18th century farmhouse, now hotel. 9 DWI11530 90385 63214 Listed building Post-medieval West End PH and garden walls: early 18th century farmhouse, now public house. 10 DWI11565 89641 62488 Listed building Post-medieval 612 and 613 Berryfields Lane: late 18th century cottages. 11 DWI11586 90091 61559 Listed building Post-medieval Old Railway Farmhouse and The Siding: late 18th-/early 19th-century cottages. 12 MWI9472 90260 62640 Monument Post-medieval Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal: constructed 1801-4, closed 1910. 13 MWI4954 91170 62110 Monument Modern RAF Melksham: home of No 12 School of Technical Training during WWII until closure in 1965. 14 MWI31753 90250 61550 Monument Modern Type 22 pillbox. 15 MWI31754 90200 61700 Monument Modern Type 28a anti-tank gun pillbox. 16 MWI1908 89370 62670 Monument Unknown Three undated oval and irregularly-shaped earthworks. 17 MWI1910 89950 61820 Monument Unknown Undated earthworks, possibly medieval field system. 18 MWI1919 89440 62870 Monument Unknown Parchmark of undated ring ditch. 19 MWI1920 89570 62880 Monument Unknown Parchmark of undated ring ditch and rectangular enclosure. 20 MWI1921 89540 62950 Monument Unknown Parchmark of undated ring ditch. 21 MWI1922 89590 62970 Monument Unknown Parchmark of undated ring ditch. MWI1924 89620 62910 Monument Unknown Parchmark of undated rectangular enclosure. 22 MWI1923 89570 63020 Monument Unknown Parchmark of undated ring ditch. 23 EWI5849 90370 61180 Evaluation Negative On the route of the A350 found nothing of archaeological significance. Listed Buildings Grade II unless stated.
11 APPENDIX 2: Historic and modern maps consulted
1576 Saxton’s map of Wiltshire (Fig. 2) 1689 Lea’s map of Wiltshire (Fig. 3) 1719 Melksham survey (Fig. 4) 1838 Melksham tithe map (Fig. 5) 1886 Ordnance Survey First Edition (Fig. 6) 1900 Ordnance Survey Second Edition 1924 Ordnance Survey revision (Fig. 7) 1936 Ordnance Survey revision (Fig. 8) 1972 Ordnance Survey revision (Fig. 9) 1982 Ordnance Survey revision 1991 Ordnance Survey revision 1993 Ordnance Survey revision (Fig. 10)
12 APPENDIX 3: Aerial Photographs consulted
No Year taken Sortie number Frame number Grid ref (ST) Comment 1 1945 RAF/106G/UK/376 3098-9 906 631 2 1945 RAF/106G/UK/377 4158-9 905 621 3 1946 RAF/106G/UK/1661 3181-2 905 621 Substantial remains of canal still present, ridge and furrow earthworks visible across site. 4 1946 RAF/CPE/UK/1821 4037-9 898 622 5 1948 RAF/CPE/UK/2489 5295-6 904 624 6 1952 RAF/540/958 3119-20 906 630 7 1967 RAF/543/3859 956 908 632 8 1967 OS/67217 47-8 906 627 9 1970 OS/70119 182-3, 901 619, Canal completely removed, ridge and furrow still 223-4 906 630 visible. 10 1970 OS/70120 74-5 901 620 11 1971 FSL/71215 215245-6 910 622 12 1985 OS/85029 27-8, 909 619, 37-8 897 630 13 1998 OS/98437 5262-3 901 629 Ridge and furrow earthworks still visible. Grid reference given is for start of run; multiple frames may offer wide coverage.
13 SWINDON
Chippenham 64000 Calne Marlborough Bradford- upon-Avon Devizes Melksham
Trowbridge
7 5 Salisbury 6 SITE 8
9 2
22 63000 20 21 19 18 4
12 16 SITE
10 3
23 13
62000
17
1
15
11 14
ST 90000 91000 SRB 14/130 Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire, 2014 Archaeological Desk-based Assessment Figure 1. Location of site within Berryfield and Wiltshire showing Wiltshire HER records. Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Explorer 156 at 1:12500 Ordnance Survey Licence 100025880 Approximate location of site
SRB 14/130 N Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire, 2014 Archaeological Desk-based Assessment Figure 2. Saxton's map of Wiltshire, 1576. Approximate location of site
SRB 14/130 N Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire, 2014 Archaeological Desk-based Assessment Figure 3. Lea's map of Wiltshire, 1689. Site
SRB 14/130 N Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire, 2014 Archaeological Desk-based Assessment Figure 4. Melksham survey, 1719. Site
SRB 14/130 N Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire, 2014 Archaeological Desk-based Assessment Figure 5. Melksham tithe map, 1838. Site
SRB 14/130 N Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire, 2014 Archaeological Desk-based Assessment Figure 6. Ordnance Survey First Edition, 1886. Site
SRB 14/130 N Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire, 2014 Archaeological Desk-based Assessment Figure 7. Ordnance Survey revision, 1924. Site
SRB 14/130 N Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire, 2014 Archaeological Desk-based Assessment Figure 8. Ordnance Survey revision, 1936. Site
SRB 14/130 N Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire, 2014 Archaeological Desk-based Assessment Figure 9. Ordnance Survey revision, 1972. Site
SRB 14/130 N Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire, 2014 Archaeological Desk-based Assessment Figure 10. Ordnance Survey revision, 1993. Plate 1. west field looking south Plate 2. west field looking north
Plate 3 central field looking south Plate 4. central field looking north
Plate 5. east field looking west (north end) Plate 6. east field looking south
SRB 14/130 Land at Semington Road, Berryfield, Melksham, Wiltshire, 2014 Archaeological Desk-based Assessment Plates 1-6 TIME CHART
Calendar Years
Modern AD 1901
Victorian AD 1837
Post Medieval AD 1500
Medieval AD 1066
Saxon AD 410
Roman AD 43 BC/AD Iron Age 750 BC
Bronze Age: Late 1300 BC
Bronze Age: Middle 1700 BC
Bronze Age: Early 2100 BC
Neolithic: Late 3300 BC
Neolithic: Early 4300 BC
Mesolithic: Late 6000 BC
Mesolithic: Early 10000 BC
Palaeolithic: Upper 30000 BC
Palaeolithic: Middle 70000 BC
Palaeolithic: Lower 2,000,000 BC Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47-49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5NR
Tel: 0118 9260552 Fax: 0118 9260553 Email: [email protected] Web: www.tvas.co.uk