Site Data from an Archaeological Excavation at Railway Cottages, Doddershall Embankment, Buckinghamshire, 2020 (HS2 Phase One)
COPA: Cotswold Oxford Pre-Construct Archaeology, Cotswold Archaeology, High Speed Two Ltd., 2025. https://doi.org/10.5284/1126807. 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).
Primary contact
High Speed Two Ltd.
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Queensway
Birmingham
B4 6GA
United Kingdom
Tel: 08081 434 434
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 4979
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1126807
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
This collection comprises images, specialist reports, finds databases, GIS data, site records and an archive decision record from an archaeological excavation at Railway Cottages, Doddershall Embankment carried out by COPA (Cotswold Oxford Pre-Construct Archaeology) between August and October 2020 on behalf of High Speed Two Ltd. Work forms part of Phase One of the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project.
Project Summary
General Aims
1.3.0 The Archaeological Recording was required to mitigate the impact of construction on the archaeological remains within the site. The general aim of the archaeological recording was to locate, identify, characterise, date and record the nature of the archaeological resource of the site ahead of the construction of HS2 Phase One Central.
1.3.1 The aims of the archaeological investigation were:
- to confirm the presence/absence, extent and depth of any surviving archaeological remains within the site;
- to record any archaeological remains that were present;
- to determine the level of truncation from ploughing;
- to determine the nature, date, condition, state of preservation, complexity and significance of any archaeological remains;
- to determine and understand the range, quality and quantity of artefactual and environmental evidence present; and
- to contribute to the delivery of GWSI: HERDS specific objectives.
1.4 Specific HERDS Objectives
1.4.0 For Land Parcel C25087 the Project Plan, LSWSI and FCCF identified that the archaeological investigation may make a contribution to the following objectives set out in the GWSI: HERDS:
- KC21: assess the evidence for regional and cultural distinctiveness along the length of the route in the Roman period, with particular regard to the different settlement types encountered along the route;
- KC23: identify evidence for late Roman occupation and attempt to identify any continuity in settlement patterns between the end of the Roman period and the Early Medieval period;
- KC28: establish the relationship between the Romano-British small town at Fleet Marston, its rural hinterland and wider networks of communication and settlement. As well as other contemporary Roman period settlements in the region, such as Grendon Underwood;
- KC35: investigate the impacts on rural communities of social and economic shocks in the mid-14th Century and thereafter in their contribution to the settlement’s desertion; and
- KC40: identify patterns of change within medieval rural settlement from the 11th to mid 14th Century.
1.4.1 In addition to the above knowledge creation HERDS objectives there were a number of detailed site-specific objectives which the work aimed to address:
- gaining an understanding of the origin of the settlement including potential prehistoric precursors to the settlement and land use of the Site during these periods;
- gaining an understanding of the early form of the Roman period settlement (particularly during the Iron Age) and any evidence for formal planning in the origins/growth of the settlement or determining if growth was more organic;
- gaining an understanding of the chronology of the Roman period settlement during its life leading to a comprehensive phasing plan for the development, decline and eventual abandonment of the settlement and ancillary land;
- gaining an understanding of the later use of the abandoned Roman period settlement and inclusion into early medieval, medieval and post-medieval rural landscape;
- gaining an understanding of the routeways into and within the Roman period settlement represented by tracks and paths;
- gaining an understanding of structural buildings techniques;
- defining economic activity, agricultural regimes and local productivity on site, versus locally or regionally imported material in terms of produce, craft production and processing;
- gaining an understanding of the local industrial activity and cultural material and how this fitted into local/regional industrial activity and material culture traits/trends;
- defining lifestyle parameters, diet and quality of life; and
- gaining an understanding of population demographics, including population density and change through time.
Re-Use Value Statement
The location, extent, survival and significance of any heritage assets of archaeological interest on this site have been captured in this dataset. This can inform future research into the archaeology and practices within the site and surrounding landscape, but also for the county as a whole.
