Data from an Archaeological Recording at Durdent Court, Colne Valley, North Embankment, Buckinghamshire, 2019-2022 (HS2 Phase One)
High Speed Two Ltd., MOLA Headland Infrastructure, MOLA Northampton, 2024. https://doi.org/10.5284/1124404. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © High Speed Two Ltd. unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under a The Open Government Licence (OGL).
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Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 4724
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1124404
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
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This collection comprises of reports, site photographs, CAD data, spreadsheets, Harris matrices and site records from an archaeological mitigation excavation undertaken by MOLA Headland Infrastructure between 11/09/2020 and 07/10/2020 on two land parcels (C10058 and C10059) situated to the north of Denham Green and to the west of the River Colne.
Project Summary
The mitigation followed on from the excavation of 9 trial trenches at the site in August 2020. The site covered a total area of 0.14ha. The depth at which natural geology or archaeology was encountered varied across the site between 0.1m and 0.4m below ground level. The two excavation areas were based on significant archaeology uncovered in trenches 7 and 10 of the trial trenches. A fragment of bough from an oak tree was found buried in the natural ground. Its stratigraphic position suggests a prehistoric date. It is unsuitable for dendro-chronological dating, but C14 date would be useful for confirming its date. A small number of features of the Late Bronze Age consisted of irregular pits and a ditch, probably representing agricultural activity. They were overlain by two spreads of burnt flint which probably represent the bases of burnt mounds suggesting a change to a more ritualistic use of the land. The southern spread did not produce any dating evidence, but the northern spread dated to the Iron Age. The two ditches found in trench 8 dated to the Romano-British period. They probably indicate a reversion to agricultural use and were broadly parallel with the Shires Lane footpath to the north, which it is suggested represents the line of a Roman road. The later of the two ditches to the north, turned to the south to the west of C10058 and cut across the earlier ditch which continued to the west. This suggests a dynamic sequence of field boundaries during the Romano-British period. The medieval period was best represented on site with a number of gullies, ditches, pits and postholes indicating an agricultural landscape with some level of water management / irrigation. A pit in C10059 contained a fair amount of ash in its fill which was in turn cut by three later pits. One of these contained further ashy material, and two abundant flint nodules, some of which were burnt. The close affinity of the pottery from these features indicates a short time frame from the use and backfilling of these features. Their function is obscure, but they do not seem to be of an agricultural nature. A large number of features were undatable, including a number of isolated pits and postholes. A north to south ditch alignment in C10058 cut across a medieval ditch and may represent a late medieval or post-medieval field arrangement.
Re-Use Value Statement
This archive can be used independently and/or in in conjunction with the rest of HS2 datasets in order to further investigate the archaeological features, assemblages, and periods unearthed on this route as interpretations of landscape archaeology. This can also function as a guide to digital archiving for future infrastructure projects benefiting both the commercial sector and the research community.
