Wessex Archaeology West Langton Market Harborough, Leicestershire Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results Ref: 74158.01 December 2012 WEST LANGTON, MARKET HARBOROUGH, LEICESTERSHIRE Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results Prepared for: Videotext Communications Ltd 11 St Andrews Crescent CARDIFF CF10 3DB by Wessex Archaeology Portway House Old Sarum Park SALISBURY Wiltshire SP4 6EB Report reference: 74158.01 December 2012 © Wessex Archaeology Limited 2012 all rights reserved Wessex Archaeology Limited is a Registered Charity No. 287786 West Langton, Market Harborough, Leicestershire Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results DISCLAIMER THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT WAS DESIGNED AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF A REPORT TO AN INDIVIDUAL CLIENT AND WAS PREPARED SOLELY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THAT CLIENT. THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT DOES NOT NECESSARILY STAND ON ITS OWN AND IS NOT INTENDED TO NOR SHOULD IT BE RELIED UPON BY ANY THIRD PARTY. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW WESSEX ARCHAEOLOGY WILL NOT BE LIABLE BY REASON OF BREACH OF CONTRACT NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE (WHETHER DIRECT INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL) OCCASIONED TO ANY PERSON ACTING OR OMITTING TO ACT OR REFRAINING FROM ACTING IN RELIANCE UPON THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT ARISING FROM OR CONNECTED WITH ANY ERROR OR OMISSION IN THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THE REPORT. LOSS OR DAMAGE AS REFERRED TO ABOVE SHALL BE DEEMED TO INCLUDE, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR ANTICIPATED PROFITS DAMAGE TO REPUTATION OR GOODWILL LOSS OF BUSINESS OR ANTICIPATED BUSINESS DAMAGES COSTS EXPENSES INCURRED OR PAYABLE TO ANY THIRD PARTY (IN ALL CASES WHETHER DIRECT INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL) OR ANY OTHER DIRECT INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSS OR DAMAGE QUALITY ASSURANCE SITE CODE 74158 ACCESSION CODE CLIENT CODE PLANNING APPLICATION REF. NGR 471480 292070 VERSION STATUS* PREPARED APPROVED APPROVER’S DATE FILE BY BY SIGNATURE 1 I RHSS LNM 12/12/12 X:\PROJECTS\74158\REPORT\TT_WLANGTON_REP (EDLNM) * I= Internal Draft E= External Draft F= Final WA Project No. 74158 ii West Langton, Market Harborough, Leicestershire Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results WEST LANGTON, MARKET HARBOROUGH, LEICESTERSHIRE Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results Contents Summary ............................................................................................................vi Acknowledgements........................................................................................... viii 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................9 1.1 Project background......................................................................................9 1.2 The Site, location and geology ....................................................................9 1.3 Archaeological background .........................................................................9 1.4 Previous archaeological work......................................................................9 2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES .................................................................................11 3 METHODOLOGY ..............................................................................................11 3.1 Topographical Survey................................................................................11 3.2 Geophysical Survey...................................................................................12 3.3 Evaluation Trenches..................................................................................12 3.4 Copyright ...................................................................................................12 4 RESULTS ..........................................................................................................13 4.1 Introduction................................................................................................13 4.2 Geophysical survey ...................................................................................13 4.3 Evaluation Trenches..................................................................................16 5 FINDS ................................................................................................................21 5.1 Introduction................................................................................................21 5.2 Pottery .......................................................................................................21 5.3 Ceramic and Stone Building Material ........................................................23 5.4 Wall Plaster ...............................................................................................24 5.5 Worked Flint ..............................................................................................24 5.6 Glass and Amber Beads............................................................................25 5.7 Coins .........................................................................................................25 5.8 Metalwork ..................................................................................................26 5.9 Human Bone..............................................................................................28 5.10 Animal Bone ..............................................................................................29 5.11 Marine Shell...............................................................................................29 6 PALAEO-ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMARY........................................................30 6.1 Introduction................................................................................................30 6.2 Charred Plant Remains .............................................................................30 6.3 Wood Charcoal..........................................................................................31 7 DISCUSSION.....................................................................................................31 8 POTENTIAL AND RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................32 8.1 Stratigraphic data ......................................................................................32 8.2 Finds..........................................................................................................33 8.3 Palaeo-environmental................................................................................34 9 STORAGE AND CURATION ............................................................................34 9.1 Museum.....................................................................................................34 9.2 Preparation of Archive...............................................................................34 9.3 Conservation .............................................................................................35 9.4 Discard Policy............................................................................................35 WA Project No. 74158 iii West Langton, Market Harborough, Leicestershire Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results 9.5 Security Copy ............................................................................................35 10 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................37 Tables Table 1: Finds totals by material type and by trench Table 2: Grave goods Table 3: Pottery totals by ware type Table 4: Glass and amber beads Table 5: Coin list Table 6: Assessment of charred plant remains and charcoal Figures Figure 1: Site location plan Figure 2: Gradiometer survey results Figure 3: GPR survey results Figure 4: Trench 5: plan and photographs Plate 1: Trench 5, view from east Plate 2: South-facing section of ditch 510 Figure 5: Trench 6: plan and photographs Plate 3: Trench 6, view from west Plate 4: Foundation 624 and associated deposits Plate 5: Trench 6, view from east Figure 6: Trench 7: plan and photographs Plate 6: Trench 7, view from south-west Plate 7: Trench 7, view from north-east Figure 7: Trench 8: plan and photographs Plate 8: Trench 8, view from north Plate 9: East-facing section ditch 803 Plate 10: Trench 8, view from south Plate 11: Skeleton 808 Figure 8: Trench 1: plan and photographs Plate 12: Trench 1, view from south Figure 9: Trench 2: plan and photographs Plate 13: Trench 2, view from south Plate 14: North-facing section of ditch 203 Plate 15: South-facing section feature 206 Figure 10: Trench 3: plan and photographs Plate 16: Trench 3, view from east Plate 17: Intersection between furrow 309/310 and ditch 312 Plate 18: Watering feature 319/340 to enhance visibility Plate 19: Grave 328 during excavation Figure 11: Trench 9: plan, east-facing section and photographs Plate 20: Trench 9, view from south Plate 21: Trench 9, view from north Figure 12: Trench 4: photographs Plate 22: Trench 4, view from south Plate 23: Trench 4, cameo pyre Figure 13: Grave goods from Trench 3 Plate 24: Excavating pottery vessel (Object 1239) Plate 25: Grave 335, in situ beads and brooches Plate 26: Grave 335, beads and brooches prior to conservation WA Project No. 74158 iv West Langton, Market Harborough, Leicestershire Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results Plate 27: Grave 335, glass and amber beads after conservation Plate 28: Grave 335, glass beads after conservation Plate 29: Grave 335, cruciform brooch (Object 1364) Front cover: Trench 2 during filming Back cover: Equal-arm brooch (Object 1208)