Highfield Farm, Tetbury, Gloucestershire
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Highfield Farm, Tetbury, Gloucestershire Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design for CgMs Consulting Ltd on behalf of Miller Homes CA Project: 9234 CA Report: 17031 Month (in words) Year Highfield Farm, Tetbury, Gloucestershire Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design CA Project: 9234 CA Report: 17031 prepared by Nicky Garland – Publications Officer date 2 February 2017 checked by Dan Stansbie - Project Manager date 8 February 2017 approved by Martin Watts – Head of Publications signed date 17 February 2017 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. 1 Highfield Farm, Tetbury, Gloucestershire: Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design © Cotswold Archaeology CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 5 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 6 Location, topography and geology ......................................................... 6 Archaeological background ................................................................... 6 2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................... 8 3 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 9 4 RESULTS .......................................................................................................... 9 Fieldwork summary ............................................................................... 9 Natural substrate ................................................................................... 10 Period 1: Late Iron Age to Early Roman (100 BC-AD 200) (Figs 3&4) ... 10 Period 2: Medieval (1066-1539) ............................................................. 14 Period 3: Post-Medieval (1540-1800) (Figs 2, 3 & 4) ............................. 15 5 FACTUAL DATA AND STATEMENTS OF POTENTIAL ..................................... 16 Stratigraphic Record: factual data .......................................................... 16 Stratigraphic record: statement of potential............................................ 16 Artefactual record: factual data .............................................................. 17 Artefactual record: statements of potential ............................................. 19 Biological record: factual data ................................................................ 20 Biological record: statements of potential .............................................. 22 6 SUMMARY STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL ........................................................ 23 7 STORAGE AND CURATION .............................................................................. 25 8 UPDATED AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................. 25 Objective 1: Investigate the wider landscape context and function of the Late Iron Age/Early Roman enclosures ...................................................................... 26 Objective 2: Establish the wider social and economic context of the Late Iron Age/Early Roman and medieval and later ceramic assemblages ....................... 26 Objective 3: Establish the wider economic and agricultural context of the evidence for medieval and post-medieval agriculture ......................................... 26 2 Highfield Farm, Tetbury, Gloucestershire: Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design © Cotswold Archaeology 9 PUBLICATION ................................................................................................... 27 Synopsis of Proposed Summary Publication ......................................... 28 10 PROJECT TEAM ............................................................................................... 29 11 TASK LIST ......................................................................................................... 30 12 TIMETABLE ....................................................................................................... 30 13 REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 31 APPENDIX 1: STRATIGRAPHIC ASSESSEMENT BY NICKY GARLAND ..................... 33 APPENDIX 2: LITHICS BY E.R. MCSLOY ...................................................................... 34 APPENDIX 3: LATE IRON AGE TO ROMAN POTTERY BY E.R. MCSLOY ................... 35 APPENDIX 4: MEDIEVAL AND LATER POTTERY BY E.R. MCSLOY ........................... 38 APPENDIX 5: MIXED FINDS BY KATIE MARSDEN ....................................................... 39 APPENDIX 6: ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLE ASSESSMENT BY SARAH F. WYLES ...... 40 APPENDIX 7: ANIMAL BONE BY BY ANDY CLARKE ................................................... 44 APPENDIX 8: OASIS REPORT FORM ........................................................................... 46 3 Highfield Farm, Tetbury, Gloucestershire: Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design © Cotswold Archaeology LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Excavation, evaluation trench and geophysical survey location plan showing archaeological features (1:1500) Fig. 3 Areas A and C Phase Plan (1:1000) Fig. 4 Area A phase plan (1:500) Fig. 5 Enclosure 50005: sections and photographs (1:20) Fig. 6 Ditches 50131 and 50107: sections and photographs (1:20) 4 Highfield Farm, Tetbury, Gloucestershire: Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design © Cotswold Archaeology SUMMARY Site Name: Highfield Farm, Tetbury Location: Gloucestershire NGR: ST 8941 9418 Type: Excavation Date: April 2015 to September 2016 Planning Reference: 13/02391/OUT Location of archive: CA Offices - Andover Site Code: HFF 15 A phased programme of archaeological investigation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology between April 2015 and September 2016 at the request of CgMs Consulting Ltd (on behalf of Miller Homes) at Highfield Farm, Tetbury, Gloucestershire. A total area of 1.22ha was excavated across the development area. The excavation provided a window on part of a Late Iron Age/Early Roman (c. 100 BC – AD 200) and medieval to post-medieval (1066 – 1800) agricultural landscape (Figs 2 and 3). The earliest activity for which the excavation provided evidence was the construction and use of three enclosures, which probably dated to the Late Iron Age/Roman transition. These enclosures were largely devoid of evidence for occupation, or other activity, suggesting their use as stock enclosures peripheral to an area of settlement, with small quantities of pottery, animal bone and wind-blown charred plant remains recovered from the ditch fills, suggesting contemporary settlement in the near vicinity. Ceramic dating evidence suggests that the enclosures had gone out of use by the Late Roman period and the presence of medieval or post-medieval plough furrows, medieval quarry pits and a post medieval boundary ditch suggests that the area was ploughed from the medieval period and continued in agricultural use until the present day. This document presents a quantification and assessment of the evidence recovered from the excavation. It considers the evidence collectively in its local, regional and national context, and presents an updated project design for a programme of post-excavation analysis to bring the results to appropriate publication. 5 Highfield Farm, Tetbury, Gloucestershire: Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design © Cotswold Archaeology 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Between April 2015 and September 2016 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out a phased archaeological excavation at Highfield Farm, Tetbury, Gloucestershire (centred on NGR: ST 8941 9418; Fig. 1). The work was undertaken at the request of CgMs Consulting Ltd on behalf of Miller Homes in accordance with a brief for archaeological mitigation (13/02391/OUT) prepared by Charles Parry, Senior Archaeological Officer, Gloucestershire County Council, the archaeological advisors to the Local Planning Authority (LPA), and with a subsequent detailed WSI produced by CA (2015) and approved by the LPA acting on the advice of Mr Parry. The fieldwork also followed Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Excavation (CIfA 2014); the Statement of Standards and Practices Appropriate for Archaeological Fieldwork in Gloucestershire (GCC 1995), 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). The fieldwork was monitored by Mr Parry. Location, topography and geology 1.2 The site lies to the north of the town of Tetbury and prior to development was occupied by several fields of pasture, subdivided by hedgerows and drainage ditches. The site is bounded by the A433 London Road to the east, an area of residential development to the south, school playing fields to the west and arable fields to the north (Fig. 2). The site lies at approximately 128m AOD, and gently slopes from the west down towards the eastern boundary. 1.3 The underlying geology of the area is mapped as Forest Marble Formation (Limestone), with a band of mudstone running across the site from north to south. This is a sedimentary bedrock