Data from an Archaeological Recording at Aylesbury Golf Course, Buckinghamshire, 2021-2022 (HS2 Phase One)
High Speed Two Ltd., INFRA Archaeology, 2023. https://doi.org/10.5284/1119728. 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: 5045
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1119728
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
This collection comprises a digital archive of photographs, 3D models, GIS files, scanned site records, and reports from the archaeological recording conducted by INFRA Archaeology at Aylesbury Golf Course between November and December 2021. These works fall under the site code 1C21AGCAR.
The mitigation area comprised two former pasture fields divided into two areas (C23035 and C23038). The archaeological evaluation established the presence of Bronze Age/early Iron Age, Iron Age, and Romano-British remains, comprising a number of rectilinear enclosure ditches, gullies, pits, postholes, and burials, suggestive of settlement occupation and related activity.
Project Summary
The aims for the Archaeological Recording across the Site were as follows:
- To confirm and record the presence/absence, extent and depth of any surviving archaeological remains within the Site;
- To confirm and record the presence, extent of any mid to late Iron Age settlement activity;
- To place the site within the landscape with particular emphasis on how it fits into, how it developed, functioned and evolved;
- To establish if the medieval remains are related to the Hartwell parish Deserted Medieval Village (DMV) site;
- To determine the type and function of the Prehistoric features;
- To establish how the site is perceived as an interacting element of a wider working landscape;
- 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;
- To provide further understanding of the undated settlement features across the site and establish a date for their use;
- To understand the impact of the earlier phases of settlement activity on those of a later date.
The recording also sought to contribute to the delivery of the following Generic Written Scheme of Investigation (GWSI): Historic Environment Research and Delivery Strategy (HERDS) Specific Objectives for Knowledge Creation (KC):
- KC15: Can we identify regional patterns in the form and location of Late Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements across the route, and are there associated differences in landscape organisation and enclosure?
- KC16: Investigate the degree of continuity that existed between Late Bronze Age and Iron Age communities in terms of population, mobility and subsistence strategies.
- KC18: Explore the evidence for increasing social complexity in the archaeological record in the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age, and identify patterns of intra-regional and regional variation.
- KC35: Investigate the impacts on rural communities of social and economic shocks in the mid-14th century and thereafter and their contribution to settlement desertion.
- KC40: Identify patterns of change within medieval rural settlement from the 11th to 14th century.
Re-Use Value Statement
Overall the dataset presented has some value to research in the local area and region, particularly in regards to the nearby deserted medieval village of Hartwell which may be associated with some of medieval activity within the site.
The following potential further work is suggested
- Analysis of the ceramic building materials (CBM) assemblage, whilst the broad date ranges of the CBM cannot directly contribute the aims, the presence of a ceramic roof tile would have a significant visual impact on the landscape so any material from phase groups of the period could yield interesting insights into the nature and status of the settlement over time.
- Further clarification and definition of the sites stratigraphic matrices and phases to see how the results relate to the overall local situation for each period. This includes the historic landscape features, (including the moat, drainage/enclosure ditches and ridge and furrow), visible on Lidar/historic documents/aerial photos plotted to provide context for the medieval/post-medical excavated remains.
- Full recording of the faunal assemblage as it is a moderately-sized and well-preserved assemblage which has potential to contribute to the research questions above at a local and regional level.
