South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 513 Land North-West of Steynton Milford Haven Pembrokeshire Archaeological Excavation for Rhead Group on behalf of National Grid CA Project: 9150 CA Report: 13261 Event DAT108846 March 2014 South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 513 Archaeological Excavation CA Project: 9150 CA Report: 13261 Event DAT102846 Jonathan Hart, Senior Publications Officer prepared by Alistair Barber, Senior Project Officer Christopher Leonard, Project Officer date March 2014 checked by Karen E Walker, Post-Excavation Manager date September 2015 approved by Martin Watts, Project Director, Head of Publications 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. © Cotswold Archaeology Cirencester Milton Keynes Andover Building 11 Unit 4 Office 49 Kemble Enterprise Park Cromwell Business Centre Basepoint Business Centre Kemble, Cirencester Howard Way, Newport Pagnell Caxton Close, Andover Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ MK16 9QS Hampshire, SP10 3FG t. 01285 771022 t. 01908 218320 t. 01264 326549 f. 01285 771033 e. [email protected] © Cotswold Archaeology South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 513: Archaeological Excavation CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 5 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 6 The site .............................................................................................................. 6 Archaeological background ................................................................................ 7 Archaeological objectives ................................................................................... 7 Methodology....................................................................................................... 7 2. RESULTS (FIGS 2–17) ...................................................................................... 8 3. PROJECT TEAM ............................................................................................... 18 4. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 19 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................... 23 APPENDIX B: GRAVE CATALOGUE ............................................................................. 28 APPENDIX C: THE FINDS.............................................................................................. 33 APPENDIX D: PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL EVIDENCE BY JAMES RACKHAM ............ 61 APPENDIX E: THE RADIOCARBON DATING BY SEREN GRIFFITHS ......................... 75 3 © Cotswold Archaeology South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 513: Archaeological Excavation LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Plan of archaeological features (1:250) Fig. 3 Section of pit 268041 (1:20) Fig. 4 Plan of archaeological features (1:75 and 1:30) Fig. 5 Photograph: ring ditch, looking south Fig. 6 Photograph: section through ring ditch, looking north-west Fig. 7 Ring ditch sections (1:20) Fig. 8 Cremation sections (1:20) Fig. 9 Photograph: Burials 1 and 2, looking west Fig. 10 Photograph: Burials 3 and 4, looking south-west Fig. 11 Photograph: Burials 5-10, looking south-east Fig. 12 Photograph: Burial 11, looking south Fig. 13 Photograph: Burials 12 and 13, looking south-west Fig. 14 Photograph: Burials 14 and 15, looking south Fig. 15 Photograph: Burial 16, looking west Fig. 16 Photograph: Burial 20 looking west Fig. 17 Pit sections (1:20) Fig. 18 A Bayesian model for the results from Site 513 (Appendix E) Fig. 19 Key parameters for Site 513 shown in the model calculated in Fig. 18 (Appendix E) GLOSSARY CA – Cotswold Archaeology CAP – Cambrian Archaeological Projects CPAT – Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust DAT – Dyfed Archaeological Trust GGAT - Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust FTP – Felindre to Brecon gas pipeline HER – Historic Environment Record MHA – Milford Haven to Aberdulais gas pipeline NAL – Network Archaeology Ltd NLMJV – Nacap Land & Marine Joint Venture UPD – Updated Project Design 4 © Cotswold Archaeology South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 513: Archaeological Excavation SUMMARY Project Name: South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Location: Site 513, Land North-West of Steynton, Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire NGR: SM 9110 0830 Type: Excavation Date: 24 July–25 August 2006 Location of Archive: To be deposited with RCAHMW (original paper archive) and Scolton Manor Museum (material archive and digital copy of paper archive; accession number 2008.1) Site Code: MHA06 An archaeological excavation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology during groundworks associated with construction of gas pipelines (part of the South Wales high pressure gas pipeline scheme) between Milford Haven and Aberdulais, and Felindre and Brecon, which were conducted between 2005 and 2007. A small number of Mesolithic or Early Neolithic flints were found as residual items. The earliest cut features were two pits containing Late Neolithic Grooved Ware pottery, together with hazelnut shells, worked flints, flint microdebitage and burnt bone. These probably indicate the location of a Late Neolithic settlement and were perhaps associated with a group of undated pits within the same part of the site. Bayesian analysis of data from these pits suggests that this occupation may have been episodic over a period of 110–140 years. Most of the dated features were associated with a previously unrecorded ring ditch. This enclosed a group of cremation burials, mostly within Early Bronze Age Collared Urns and Food Vessels. The earliest dated use of the ring ditch is 2020–1880 cal. BC and there appears to have been no continuity between the Late Neolithic settlement and the site’s re- use as the setting of a funerary monument during the Early Bronze Age. 5 © Cotswold Archaeology South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 513: Archaeological Excavation 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 NACAP Land and Marine Joint Venture (NLMJV), on behalf of National Grid, commissioned RSK Environment (part of the RSK Group) to manage the archaeological works (non-invasive surveys, desk based assessment, evaluation, watching brief, and open area excavation) on a 216km-long section of pipeline from Milford Haven (Pembrokeshire) to Brecon (in Powys). The high pressure gas pipeline (part of the 316km-long pipeline route from Milford Haven to Tirley in Gloucestershire) was required to reinforce the gas transmission network. The archaeological work performed in advance of this pipeline was undertaken in a number of sections by a number of archaeological companies. The westernmost section of 122km, from Milford Haven to Aberdulais, was investigated by CA (then Cotswold Archaeological Trust) during 2005–2007 with some additional excavation work carried out by CAP. The 89km section from Felindre to Brecon was investigated by CA during 2006–2007 and CAP during 2007. Assessment reports on the works were completed in January 2012 (NLM 2012a, 2012b) and the current reporting stage was commissioned in February 2013. 1.2 In July and August 2006 CA carried out an archaeological excavation at Site 513, Land North-West of Steynton, Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire (centred on NGR: SM 9110 0830; Fig. 1). The objective of the excavation was to record all archaeological remains exposed during the pipeline construction. 1.3 The excavation was carried out in accordance with professional codes, standards and guidance documents (EH 1991; IfA 1999a, 1999b, 2001a, 2001b, 2001c and IfA Wales 2008). The methodologies were laid out in an Archaeological Management Plan (RSK 2006) and a subsequent site-specific Written Scheme of Investigation (CA 2006). The site 1.4 The site lies within a pasture field on a plateau just below the crest of an unpronounced hill overlooking a minor tributary of Hubberston Pill (Fig. 1). It occupies a moderate north-facing slope and lies at 38m AOD. The surrounding landscape is gently undulating and cut by numerous water courses within steep- sided valleys. 6 © Cotswold Archaeology South Wales Gas Pipeline Project Site 513: Archaeological Excavation 1.5 The underlying solid geology comprises Milford Haven Group Argillaceous Rocks and Interbedded Sandstone of the Devonian and Silurian periods (BGS 2013). Archaeological background 1.6 No archaeological remains were identified within the site during the preliminary Archaeology and Heritage Survey (CA 2005). An eroded round barrow is located 1.1km south-east of the site (PRN 3182) whilst the HER records the locations of burnt mounds 3km north-west and 1km south-east of the site (PRNs 276065 and 3183). During the pipeline construction, a further burnt mound was found 300m west of the site at Site 512 (CA 2014a; Fig. 1). Other recording along the pipeline route (Fig. 1) in the vicinity of Site 513 revealed an undated but probably prehistoric penannular ditch, postholes and a ditch at Site 519, the remains of either a settlement or a barrow, and a barrow ring ditch dated to the Early Bronze Age at Site 505. Prehistoric pits, probably the remains of Early and Middle Neolithic settlement activity were found at Site 286. 1.7 The geophysical survey (BCC 2005) undertaken in advance