| Abstract: |
The fieldwork was undertaken in two stages because of restricted access into several fields due to cattle and crops. Trenches 49-64, 74, 75, 80, 87-93 and 98 were excavated in November 2021; all of the other trenches were opened in September and October 2021.The trenches were lain using a GPS in accordance with thelocations proposed in the WSI. Two trenches, 57 and 59, were not excavated as their proposed locations crossed an intermediate gas main.The trenches were excavated using a 13t tracked 360° excavator fitted with a toothless bucket under the direct supervision of an archaeologist. Spoil was stored adjacent to, but at a safe distance from, the trench edges. Machining continued in even spits down to the top of the undisturbed natural geology.Once archaeological deposits were exposed, further excavation continued by hand. The exposed surface was sufficiently cleaned to establish the presence/absence of archaeological remains. All exposed archaeological features were investigated. Ditchesthat crossed multiple trenches were excavated in a least one trench. Interventions into linear features were at least 1m in width, and discrete features were half sectioned. If dating evidence was not recovered, features were 100% excavated to aid in artefactrecovery.All features and deposits were issued with unique context numbers, and context recording was in accordance with established best practice and the OA field manual. Bulk finds were collected by context.Digital photos were taken of any archaeological features, deposits, trenches and the evaluation work in general, and plans were produced using a GPS with sub-15mm accuracy.Upon completion of the works and in agreement with Stephen Reed, Senior Archaeologist for DCC, the trenches were backfilled with the excavated deposits in reverse order of excavation. Oxford Archaeology was commissioned by Lightsource bp to undertake anarchaeological evaluation of the site of a proposed solar farm. The site islocated east of Gammaton in the Parish of Alverdiscott, Devon. The work wasundertaken to inform the planning authority in advance of the determinationof a planning application.One pit of early prehistoric date was recorded in Trench 69 which may suggestthere may be more features of this date within the eastern part of the site.A series of post-medieval field boundaries were recorded within the westernpart of the site, several of which contained pottery sherds dating to c 1600-1800. Many of these features appear on the later 19th- and early 20th-centuryOS maps and are probably associated with small post-medieval farms in thisarea. These features are not especially significant, but they do provideevidence of landscape change in this area during the 17th-20th century.Perhaps the potentially most significant archaeological features are theundated ditches and curvilinear features within the northern part of the site.These include a 3.5m ditch which cut across a slope and contained ten fillsincluding several lenses of charcoal. To the south of the ditch a possibleenclosure ditch and two subcircular features were recorded. Part of a possibleC-shaped enclosure was also recorded in the western part of the site, and twoother undated pits were recorded in the central and eastern part of the site.It is clear that that the site contains previously unknown archaeologicalfeatures dating from the prehistoric and post-medieval periods. Theprehistoric and undated feature/s may be of some significance, but the postmedievalfield boundaries are of low or local significance. |
