ABBEY FARM CARAVAN PARK, ORMSKIRK Lancashire Watching Brief Oxford Archaeology North February 2002 Mr Bridges Issue No.: 2001-02/120 OA(N) Job No.: L8193 NGR: SD 3099 4433 Document Title: ABBEY FARM CARAVAN PARK, ORMSKIRK, LANCASHIRE Document Type: Archaeological Watching Brief Client Name: Mr Bridges Issue Number: 2001-2002/120 OA Job Number: L8193 National Grid Reference: SD 3099 4433 Prepared by: Daniel Elsworth Position: Project Supervisor Date: February 2002 Checked by: Alison Plummer Signed……………………. Position: Project Manager Date: February 2002 Approved by: Rachel Newman Signed……………………. Position: Director Date: February 2002 Oxford Archaeology North © Oxford Archaeological Unit Ltd 2002 Storey Institute Janus House Meeting House Lane Osney Mead Lancaster Oxford LA1 1TF OX2 0EA t: (0044) 01524 848666 t: (0044) 01865 263800 f: (0044) 01524 848606 f: (0044) 01865 793496 w: www.oxfordarch.co.uk e: [email protected] Oxford Archaeological Unit Limited is a Registered Charity No: 285627 Disclaimer: This document has been prepared for the titled project or named part thereof and should not be relied upon or used for any other project without an independent check being carried out as to its suitability and prior written authority of Oxford Archaeology being obtained. Oxford Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability for the consequences of this document being used for a purpose other than the purposes for which it was commissioned. Any person/party using or relying on the document for such other purposes agrees, and will by such use or reliance be taken to confirm their agreement to indemnify Oxford Archaeology for all loss or damage resulting therefrom. Oxford Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability for this document to any party other than the person/party by whom it was commissioned. Abbey Farm Caravan Park, Ormskirk, Lancashire: Archaeological Watching Brief 1 CONTENTS SUMMARY..............................................................................................................2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..........................................................................................3 1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................4 1.1 Circumstances of the Project..................................................................4 1.2 Location and Topography......................................................................4 1.3 Archaeological Background...................................................................4 2. METHODOLOGY................................................................................................8 2.1 Watching Brief ......................................................................................8 2.2 Archive..................................................................................................8 3. WATCHING BRIEF RESULTS ..............................................................................9 3.1 Areas A, B and C...................................................................................9 3.2 Finds .....................................................................................................10 4. CONCLUSIONS....................................................................................................12 4.1 Discussion...........................................................................................12 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................................................14 5.1 Cartographic Sources ..........................................................................14 5.2 Documentary Sources..........................................................................14 5.3 Secondary Sources ..............................................................................15 ILLUSTRATIONS .....................................................................................................17 APPENDICES ..........................................................................................................19 Appendix 1: Project Design Appendix 2: Summary Context Index For the use of Mr Bridges © OAN: February 2002 Abbey Farm Caravan Park, Ormskirk, Lancashire: Archaeological Watching Brief 2 SUMMARY A watching brief was undertaken by Oxford Archaeology North in October 2001, at Abbey Farm Caravan Park, Ormskirk, Lancashire (SD 3099 4433). The work was commissioned by Mr Bridges, the owner of the caravan park, following the submission of a planning application to erect a new building on the site. The proposed development area is within the immediate vicinity of the remains of Burscough Priory, which was established in 1189, and in close proximity to several other features of historic importance in the local area. It was therefore required by Lancashire County Archaeology Service (LCAS) that an archaeological watching brief be maintained during the excavation of foundations for the building. Only a single area was excavated, and only a narrow trench went deeper than the subsoil horizons. Few remains of particular archaeological significance were encountered although two stone linear features with the appearance of culverts were uncovered; however, these were not fully exposed and remain undated. Further features on the site seem to relate to more recent attempts to combat flooding and to improve the ground, a problem which is still to be fully resolved. Although no dateable structural remains were uncovered, the presence of possible culverts and large pieces of finished stonework do suggest that rubble from the demolition of Burscough Priory, and possible water management features relating to the priory, may survive in the vicinity. For the use of Mr Bridges © OAN: February 2002 Abbey Farm Caravan Park, Ormskirk, Lancashire: Archaeological Watching Brief 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks are due to Mr Bridges, for commissioning and supporting the work and for his help on site. The watching brief was undertaken by Daniel Elsworth, who also produced the final drawings and report. The report was edited by Alison Plummer and Rachel Newman, the project being managed by Alison Plummer. For the use of Mr Bridges © OAN: February 2002 Abbey Farm Caravan Park, Ormskirk, Lancashire: Archaeological Watching Brief 4 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PROJECT 1.1.1 As a condition of planning permission for the construction of a timber building at Abbey Farm Caravan Park, Ormskirk, Lancashire (SD 3099 4433), a watching brief was to be maintained on any ground disturbance, as outlined in the Project Design (Appendix 1). The development lies to the north-west of the remains of the twelfth century Burscough Priory, in the vicinity of the priory church and cloisters. 1.1.2 The development required the stripping of turf and the top 0.2m of soil from an area of 38.5m, and the digging of a narrow foundation trench around its extent. The trench was only to be 0.5m wide and 0.5m deep, to allow a shallow concrete foundation to be made. A 1.2m wide toothless bucket was used to clear the topsoil and a 0.5m wide toothed ditching bucket was used to excavate the foundations. The total area cleared was 5.1m by 7.5m, with the trench running around the inside edge. 1.2 LOCATION AND TOPOGRAPHY 1.2.1 The caravan park is situated on the soutern outskirts of Burscough, less than 1km to the south of Burscough Bridge. The site is less than 2km north-east of the outskirts of Ormskirk and approximately 3.5km north-west of Skelmersdale. 1.2.2 Topography: the area is relatively low-lying, with localised areas reaching little more than 60m OD. The site itself is at approximately 30m OD. The whole area is essentially part of a flat plain extending northwards from the river Mersey, with little high ground. 1.2.3 Geology: the solid geology of the development area principally comprises Carboniferous Lower Coal Measures (Ordnance Survey 1937) while the drift geology is made up of stagnogleyic argillic brown earths of the flint variety (Lawes Agricultural Trust 1983). 1.3 ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 1.3.1 Prehistoric: early prehistoric activity in the area is relatively sparse, with only a handful of lithic scatters dating to the Mesolithic, focussed particularly on coastal areas (Cowell 1996), with several sites around the area of the River Mersey (op cit, 23). The economic and social changes which mark the beginning of the Neolithic seem to have left little impact on the area and it is still lithic scatters that provide the majoirity of information (Middleton 1996, 36). By the Bronze Age there are several more sites in the area, the majority relating to burial practice and stray finds of metalwork (op cit ). The Iron Age, by contrast, is extremely badly represented in this part of Lancashire, the majority of major sites occurring in the north (Haselgrove 1996). 1.3.2 Roman: there is little increase in activity seen during the Roman period, the nearest site of any cosequence being a third century industrial complex at Wilderspool For the use of Mr Bridges © OAN: February 2002 Abbey Farm Caravan Park, Ormskirk, Lancashire: Archaeological Watching Brief 5 (Buxton and Shotter 1996, 77). While coin hoards and other Roman objects have been found within the area (Shotter 1978, 41; LUAU 1995, 9), none of them suggest a particularly dense Roman occupation, although there was obviously some influence on the area. 1.3.3 Early Medieval: it is likely that the area came under the control of one of a number of small kingdoms following the withdrawl of Roman influence,