Cadnam Farm, Alton, Hampshire
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Cadnam Farm, Alton, Hampshire Excavation Report for Turley Associates on behalf of Persimmon Homes (South Coast) and Martin Grant Homes CA Project: 779015 CA Report: 17120 Cadnam Farm, Alton, Hampshire Excavation Report CA Project: 779015 CA Report: 17120 prepared by Oliver Good, Project Officer date checked by Richard Massey, Senior Heritage Consultant date March 28, 2017 Karen Walker, Principal Post-Excavation Manager approved by 5th April 2017 signed date 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. Cadnam Farm, Alton, Hampshire: Excavation Report © Cotswold Archaeology CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 1 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 2 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................ 3 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................... 9 4. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 10 5. RESULTS - FIELDWORK SUMMARY ............................................................... 13 PHASING .................................................................................................... 14 GEOLOGY AND SOIL SEQUENCE ............................................................ 15 AREA 1 ....................................................................................................... 16 AREA 2 ....................................................................................................... 25 AREA 3 ........................................................................................................ 30 6. FINDS ................................................................................................................ 40 Worked and burnt flint by Jacky Sommerville 41 Pottery by E.R. McSloy 41 Worked Stone by Ruth Shaffrey 45 Metalworking Debris by David Starley 46 Fired clay by Katie Marsden 48 Metalwork by Katie Marsden 48 Items of Worked Bone by Katie Marsden and E.R. McSloy 50 7. THE BIOLOGICAL RECORD ............................................................................. 51 Animal Bone by Matilda Holmes ...................................................... 51 Charred Plant Remains by Sarah Wyles .......................................... 53 Mollusc Remains by Sarah Wyles ................................................ 55 Wood Charcoal by Dana Challinor ............................................. 56 8. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 57 9. STORAGE AND CURATION .............................................................................. 64 10. PUBLICATION ................................................................................................... 64 Cadnam Farm, Alton, Hampshire: Excavation Report © Cotswold Archaeology 11. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................... 64 12. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 65 APPENDICES: APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ................................................................... 73 APPENDIX B: POTTERY ............................................................................................... 95 APPENDIX C: WORKED STONE .................................................................................. 96 APPENDIX D: METALWORKING DEBRIS .................................................................... 98 APPENDIX E; THE BIOLOGICAL RECORD .................................................................. 99 APPENDIX F: OASIS REPORT FORM .......................................................................... 102 Cadnam Farm, Alton, Hampshire: Excavation Report © Cotswold Archaeology LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (scale 1:25,000) Fig. 2 Area Location (scale 1:2,000 @ A3) Fig. 3 Plan and aerial photograph of Area 1 (scale 1;300 @ A3) Fig. 4 Plan and aerial photograph of Area 2 (scale 1:100 @ A3) Fig. 5 Plan and aerial photograph of Area 3 (scale 1:200 @ A3) Fig. 6 Photographs (scales 1m and 2m respectively),and section drawings of pit 10041 and ditch 10090 (scale 1:20) Fig. 7 Photograph (scale 0.2m) and section drawings of posthole 1024 and ditch terminal 10048 (1:20) Fig. 8 Photographs (scales 0.3m) and section drawings of pit 20006 and ditch 20040 (1:20) Fig. 9 Profile and section drawings of postholes 30029, 30031, 30035, 30041 and 30043 (1:20) Fig. 10 Photographs (scales 0.5m and 1m respectively), and section drawings of ditches 30123 and 30143 (1:20) LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Quantification of Finds Table 2: Objects of Metalwork Table 3: Items of Worked Bone Table 4; Quantification of Biological Record Table 5: Charcoal from the Middle-Late Iron Age Features Table 6: Context Descriptions (Appendix A) Table 7: Pottery: Summary Quantification by Area (Appendix B) Table 8: Worked Stone Catalogue (Appendix C) Table 9: Full listing of Metalworking Debris by Context (Appendix D) Table 10: Condition and Taphonomic Factors affecting the animal bones identified to taxa and /or element (not including teeth) (Appendix E) Table 11: Species Representation by Anatomical Element (Appendix E) Table 12: Charred plant Identifications (Appendix E) Table 13: Mollusc Remains (Appendix E) Cadnam Farm, Alton, Hampshire: Excavation Report © Cotswold Archaeology SUMMARY Site Name: Cadnam Farm, Location: Alton, Hampshire NGR: SU 72025 41075 Type: Excavation Date: January-February, 2016 Planning Reference: 55488/001 Location of archive: Hampshire Cultural Trust, Accession Number: A2015.66 Site Code: CADF 16 A programme of archaeological excavation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in January and February, 2016, at the request of Persimmon Homes (South Coast), and Martin Grant Homes (the clients), at the Cadnam Farm site. Three individual areas, totalling 0.55ha, were excavated across the proposed development area. Area 1, within the north-east of the Site, contained a D-shaped enclosure of Middle Iron Age date, which contained the remains of a roundhouse, and was associated, on its north-west side, with a ditched drove-way. A number of associated features included refuse pits, a four- post structure and a small post-built structure of circular plan. Pit 10041 in Area 1 produced a mixed assemblage of finds, including bone weaving combs, pottery and items of metalwork, all from a fill, 10043, which has been interpreted as a structured deposit. Area 2 was situated on the north-east margins of the site, and contained the superimposed foundation gullies of two roundhouses, with a probable third example situated slightly to the south-west. The roundhouses contained internal, concentric post settings, and were of Middle Iron Age date. Area 3 was located close to the north-west boundary of the Site, and contained the remains of a circular-plan, post-built structure in its north-east corner, with an adjacent four-post structure and associated post holes and pits, most of which were undated. A number of paired and single post holes, together with a six-post structure, were located within the north-west corner of Area 3, and a discrete cluster of post holes, further to the south-east, represented a further small structure of indeterminate plan. A number of these features were assigned a Middle Iron Age date on the basis of pottery. Two large boundary ditches extended into Area 3, from its south-west corner, and were interpreted as the funnelled entrance of a drove-way. A number of internal post settings may represent structures associated with livestock handling. Two phases of ditches were evident, but these were principally of late Iron Age/Early Roman date. An article summarising the results of this excavation, will be published in a future volume of the Hampshire county journal. 1 Cadnam Farm, Alton, Hampshire: Excavation Report © Cotswold Archaeology 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 During January and February, 2016, Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological excavation at the Cadnam Farm site, centred on NGR: SU 72025 41075 (Fig. 1). The work was undertaken at the request of Persimmon Homes (South Coast), and Martin Grant Homes, in accordance with a brief for archaeological investigation and recording prepared by Neil Adam, Senior Archaeologist, Hampshire County Council, the archaeological advisors to the Local Planning Authority (LPA), and with a subsequent, detailed WSI produced by CA (2016), and approved by the LPA acting on the advice of the curator. The fieldwork also followed Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Excavation (CIfA 2014), the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MORPHE): Project Manager’s Guide (Historic England 2015a), and accompanying PPN3: Archaeological Excavation (Historic England 2015b). It was monitored by the curator, including site visits made on February 4 and 6, 2016. 1.2 This report presents the results and assessment of the evidence recovered from the excavation, including stratigraphy, finds and biofactual evidence. It considers the evidence collectively,