SOMERSET ARCHAEOLOGY 2017 EDITED BY CHRIS WEBSTER, SOUTH WEST HERITAGE TRUST COUNTY ARCHAEOLOGICAL OFFICER’S One of the key functions of the HES is to offer REPORT archaeological planning advice to all five district councils in Somerset and to the County Council in The Somerset Historic Environment Service (HES) accordance with the requirements of the National continues to deliver a wide range of activities as Planning Policy Framework (NPPF 2012). In 2017 part of its role within the South West Heritage Trust. Steve Membery and Tanya James commented on Each year continues to throw up fresh challenges to over 1300 planning applications ranging from deliver an ever-expanding portfolio and 2017 was individual building plots in the middle of historic as busy as ever. settlements through to extensive applications for Chris Webster continues to manage The Somerset housing schemes and major projects. Historic Environment Record and new information In addition to offering detailed planning advice about archaeological sites, historic buildings and to local authorities in Somerset the HES delivers historic landscapes is added each year. During archaeological advice to a range of statutory the year the HER was linked to the Know Your undertakers such as Wessex Water and Bristol Place website and this has enabled researchers to Water who are updating the water supply around use the HER and the associated digitised historic the county. Work is underway to establish a maps of Somerset. In 2017 a total of 1700 new service level agreement with Wessex Water to entries were added to the HER, nearly 1100 of them ensure that archaeological advice is incorporated added by a Historic England-funded aerial survey into all engineering schemes. Recent extensive interpretation team based in Exeter and completing development sites on the edge of Bridgwater and the survey of the Blackdown Hills AONB. North Petherton near to Junction 24 of the M5 have Somerset has a large number of heritage assets revealed a wide range of sites including Neolithic that are on the Heritage at Risk Register and the pits, a Bronze Age cremation cemetery and a large HES works closely with Historic England to help Iron Age and Roman site. Further details of these to reduce this total. At Dowsborough hillfort sites will appear in due course. a programme of small scale archaeological Another important part of our work is to investigation and recording was commissioned provide advice to Natural England and DEFRA by Historic England and the Fairfield Estate to on Countryside Stewardship matters. In 2017 tackle an area of localised flooding and erosion. Jan Grove gave detailed comments on over 400 Other monument management work took place at different landholders about the likely impact of their Charterhouse on Mendip and at Deer Leap near proposed schemes on the historic environment, Westbury sub Mendip. a record number of consultations. This advice The HES is a key partner in helping the Portable ensures that where possible archaeological sites Antiquities Scheme in Somerset and provides the are protected from any agricultural activities that archaeological advice and input where emergency would harm them. or rescue archaeology is needed due to unexpected The Faculty Jurisdiction System sits outside finds from detectorists. Two interesting projects the planning system and the HES continues to were set up at short notice during the year one offer advice on archaeological and conservation near Whitelackington resulted in the discovery of matters to the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Nic Roman lead coffin and a further project took place Wall, Heike Bernhardt and Bob Croft have been near Trudoxhill where a large lead tank of Roman involved in a wide range of planning, conservation, date was found by a local detectorist. A short note and archaeological matters such as the removal of on this find appears elsewhere in this volume. This pews, the insertion of under floor heating and toilet is an unusual discovery and the first of its kind in facilities in major historic churches around the Somerset. diocese. Extensive discussions over the development 213 15517 - Somerset Arch Vol 161 - 2018.indb 213 20/09/2018 11:50:53 SOMERSET ARCHAEOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2017 proposals at Bath Abbey have taken many months he was involved in a wide range of archaeological of preparation work and archaeological assessment. research alongside other elements of investigation A programme of archaeological monitoring and and discovery in the county often generated through recording is due to happen in 2018 as part of a the Portable Antiquities Service. His experience £20m re-ordering project. A major re-ordering of and expertise was immense and he made a major St Andrew’s church Wiveliscombe resulted in a contribution to archaeological research in Somerset. substantial reduction in the number of box pews Archaeological excavations and research and the transposition of several church memorials. continues to provide an insight into many At St Mary’s Bridgwater a extensive programme aspects of the county’s rich heritage as new sites of reordering required the insertion of underfloor are investigated, recorded and where possible heating and this resulted in a substantial recording protected for future generations. As the SWHT programme, undertaken by Keith Faxon. Pressures continues to evolve and take on new projects there and changes such as the works noted above will are opportunities for the HES to offer advice and continue as churches evolve to accommodate the comment on a wide range of projects and schemes modern needs of the community. around the county and to be commissioned for The Avalon Marshes Landscape Partnership research work as and when resources allow. (AMLP) project funded by the Heritage Lottery New discoveries such as Bronze Age cremation Fund came to an end in 2017 and concluded on a cemeteries and Roman lead tanks provide new high note by winning the national Environmental information about Somerset’s rich archaeological Project Award from the HLF. Richard Brunning heritage. has coordinated this project for the HES and was (Bob Croft) invited to attend the national reception event held in London. Members of the HES also give regular lectures SURVEY, FIELDWORK AND EXTENSIVE around the county during the year and presented SITES papers at several national and international conferences. Congresbury, Cobthorn Way, ST 4432 6386, The care and management of heritage assets in North Somerset HER ENS2031 the public realm is coordinated by NIc Wall for A detailed magnetometer survey was carried HES and several sites and structures were repaired out by Archaeological Surveys Ltd within three and conserved during the year One of the major fields. The results indicated a number of positive conservation projects of the year was the work at linear, rectilinear and discrete responses in the the Somerset Rural Life Museum at Abbey Farm north-western part of the site that might relate to Glastonbury. A major programme of conservation cut features, such as ditches and pits. An arc of repairs and enhancement work was completed by discrete positive responses, including some very Nic Wall, Andy Stevens and Ian Lewis. During the strong responses, are located in the vicinity. In year Ian Lewis left SWHT after more than 20 years the southern part of the site is a strongly magnetic working on a wide range of conservation projects anomaly which may relate to a discrete zone of around the county. intense burning. The strength of the responses may There are many challenge associated with the indicate an association with industrial activity, production of archaeological archives generated such as iron working. The northern part of the site through the planning system. This is a continual contains a number of parallel linear anomalies problem and there is a strategic need to address this that are associated with strip field cultivation problem both in Somerset and beyond. Staff from boundaries. the HES and the Museums team are looking at the (Kerry Donaldson and David Sabin) range of options currently under discussion for the SW region. Penselwood, Home Pits, ST 757 306, One of the biggest changes affecting Somerset HER 37556 archaeological service provision of the SWHT was Further gradiometer survey was carried out adjacent the retirement of Steve Minnitt as the Head of the to Pen Pits in collaboration, and at the request of, the Museum Service after 43 years working for SCC Pen Selwood History Society. Survey, to the north and since 2014 SWHT. Steve ‘s role as Keeper of and west of the area examined in 2016, revealed Archaeology and then Head of Museums meant that a pair of large linear features running around the 214 15517 - Somerset Arch Vol 161 - 2018.indb 214 20/09/2018 11:50:54 SOMERSET ARCHAEOLOGY 2017 contour of the hill. This included a simple but 0.5 m lower, nothing showed in the earlier survey. slightly in-turned entrance on the south-west side, In the resistance survey, the pond was marked by and this appears to represent a large enclosure a high resistance bottom with low resistance sides, demarcating the hill top, with the pits to the east. possibly with a building against it on the south- Further investigation in the area is planned. Thanks west. This possible building sits in the corner of a are due to Geoff Parcell of the Pen Selwood History rectangular arrangement of high resistance double Society and Charles Buckler for facilitating access lines, truncated on the south by the hedgeline. The to the field. best explanation is that they are some form of land (Clare Randall) enclosure, possibly Roman. (John Oswin) Priston, Pensdown Hill, ST 694 609 Geophysical surveys comprising magnetometry, twin-probe resistance and resistivity profiles were MULTIPERIOD SITES undertaken, concentrating on the relatively flat area, and the south-facing hill-slope immediately Aller, Aller Court Farm, ST 3892 2934, to its north.