Rock Triangle, Bury, Greater Manchester Post-excavation Assessment Oxford Archaeology North May 2008 Thornfield Properties Plc Issue No: 2007-08/807 OA North Job No: L9780 NGR: SD 809 110 Document Title: Rock Triangle, Bury, Greater Manchester Document Type: Post-excavation Assessment Client Name: Thornfield Properties Plc Issue Number: 2007-08/807 OA Job Number: L9780 National Grid Reference: SD 809 110 Prepared by: Sean McPhillips Position: Project Officer Date: March 2008 Checked by: Ian Miller Signed……………………. Position: Senior Project Manager Date: May 2008 Approved by: Rachel Newman Signed……………………. Position: Director Date: November 2009 Oxford Archaeology North © Oxford Archaeological Unit Ltd 2009 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. The Rock Triangle, Bury, Greater Manchester: Post-excavation Assessment 1 CONTENTS CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... 1 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ 5 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Circumstances of Project ................................................................................. 6 1.2 Site Location and Geology .............................................................................. 7 2. METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................. 8 2.1 Introduction..................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Fieldwork Methodology .................................................................................. 8 2.3 Post-excavation Assessment Methodology ...................................................... 9 3. ORIGINAL RESEARCH AIMS .............................................................................. 12 3.1 Academic Aims and Objectives..................................................................... 12 4. BACKGROUND ................................................................................................... 13 4.1 Archaeological and Historical Background.................................................... 13 4.2 Areas 1, 9, 10, 11, 12 (Bedlam Green)........................................................... 18 4.3 Area 2 (Openshaw’s Mill) ............................................................................. 24 4.3 Area 3 (Workers’ Housing) ........................................................................... 27 4.4 Area 4 (James Kenyon’s Woollen Mill)......................................................... 28 4.5 Areas 5, 6, 7 (Moor Side Works) ................................................................... 31 4.6 Area 8 (Butcher Lane Mill/Vulcan Works).................................................... 33 5. EXCAVATION RESULTS ..................................................................................... 35 5.1 Introduction................................................................................................... 35 5.2 Areas 1, 9, 10, 11 and 12 (Bedlam Green) ..................................................... 35 5.3 Area 2 (Openshaw’s Mill) ............................................................................. 44 5.4 Area 3 (Workers’ Housing) ........................................................................... 49 5.5 Area 4 (Kenyon’s Woollen Mill) ................................................................... 53 5.6 Areas 5, 6 and 7 (Moor Side Works) ............................................................. 58 5.7 Area 8 (Butcher Lane Mill/Vulcan Works).................................................... 67 6. RESULTS OF THE ASSESSMENT.......................................................................... 72 6.1 Material Assessed.......................................................................................... 72 6.2 Stratigraphic Data.......................................................................................... 73 6.3 Photographic Data......................................................................................... 75 For the use of Thornfield Properties Plc © OA North: May 2008 The Rock Triangle, Bury, Greater Manchester: Post-excavation Assessment 2 6.4 Digital Mapping ............................................................................................ 76 6.5 Introduction to the Artefactual and Pollen Data ............................................. 76 6.6 Medieval Pottery........................................................................................... 77 6.7 Post-medieval Pottery.................................................................................... 77 6.8 Clay Tobacco Pipes....................................................................................... 80 6.9 Ceramic Building Material ............................................................................ 80 6.10 Copper Alloy................................................................................................. 81 6.11 Iron ............................................................................................................... 81 6.12 Industrial Residues ........................................................................................ 82 6.13 Glass ............................................................................................................. 83 6.14 Leather.......................................................................................................... 84 6.15 Animal Bone ................................................................................................. 84 6.16 Palaeoenvironmental Evidence...................................................................... 85 6.17 Charred and Waterlogged Plant Remains....................................................... 89 7. CURATION AND CONSERVATION ........................................................................ 91 7.1 Recipient Museum......................................................................................... 91 7.2 Conservation ................................................................................................. 91 7.3 Storage.......................................................................................................... 91 7.4 Packaging...................................................................................................... 91 7.5 Discard.......................................................................................................... 91 8. STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL .............................................................................. 92 8.1 Introduction................................................................................................... 92 8.2 Principal Potential ......................................................................................... 92 8.3 National Research Priorities .......................................................................... 94 8.4 Local and Regional Research Priorities.......................................................... 95 9. UPDATED RESEARCH AIMS ............................................................................... 97 9.1 Introduction................................................................................................... 97 9.2 Dissemination of Results............................................................................... 98 10. METHOD STATEMENT ..................................................................................... 99 10.1 Introduction................................................................................................... 99 10.2 Stratigraphic Analysis.................................................................................... 99 10.3 Artefacts...................................................................................................... 100 10.4 Palaeoenvironmental Data........................................................................... 100 10.5 Documentary Research................................................................................ 100 10.6 Publication Text .......................................................................................... 100 For the use of Thornfield