| Description | In August 2012 GSB Prospection undertook a geophysical survey (magnetometer) on land at Priory Ridge, Crofton in advance of development by Barratt and David Wilson Homes.
Modern ploughing trends dominated the data on a north south alignment, however two anomalies, thought to represent ditch like responses may be an extension of medieval field systems that were discovered in a previous evaluation under the housing estate to the west (PRN 7980).
For further detail please see the full report (GSB, 2012), a copy of which is on file in the HER.
Following the results of the geophysical survey, an archaeological evaluation was carried out by CFA Archaeology in October 2012. A total of 13 trenches were excavated, however the only trenches which contained archaeological features were Trenches 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11:
a) Trench 4 contained a south east to north west truncated ditch (009) with a concave base at 0.9m wide and 0.4m deep. It appeared consistent with a feature identified by the geophysical survey results and contained a single fill. No dating evidence was encountered.
b) Trench 5 contained a ditch (005) orientated east to west which was 1m wide and 0.45m deep, and again correlated with a feature identified via the earlier geophysical survey. A possible ditch terminus (007) was also recorded measuring 0.4m wide and 0.4m deep. No dating evidence was recovered from either feature.
c) Trench 8 a ditch, orientated east west and measuring 0.7m wide and 0.5m deep was recorded. No dating evidence was recovered.
d) Trench 9 a gully, orientated south east to north west was 0.9m wide and 0.28m deep contained no dating evidence, however a ditch, orientated north to south and measuring 1.5m wide and 0.8m deep produced a single sherd of heavily abraded Roman Samian ware (part of the ring foot of a small cup or bowl).
e) Trench 10 two ditches were recorded; both were was orientated east to west but one was 1.9m wide by 0.8m deep (011), whilst the other (017) was 1.3m wide and 0.43m deep. The continuation of the possible gully feature from trench 9 was also observed, although it was heavily truncated. No dating evidence was recovered from trench 10.
f) Trench 11 five ditches were recorded; Ditch 025 was orientated north east to south west and measured 0.4m wide and 0.8m deep, it was truncated by an earlier ditch (028) on its northern side. Ditch 028 was orientated east to west and was 1m to 1.35m wide and 0.35m deep, and on its southern side was truncated by Ditch 30, which was orientated east to west and was 2m wide and 0.4m deep. The fourth ditch (032) was orientated north west to south east and was 0.7m wide and 0.3m deep. In the southern half of the trench a final ditch was encountered (019) on a north west to south east orientation, measuring 1m wide and 0.44m deep. This ditch was cut directly into tabular stone in the natural. No dating evidence was recovered from any of these features.
For further detail please see the full report (CFA Archaeology, 2012), a copy of which is on file in the HER. |