Land off Swarkestone Road, Chellaston, Derby, Derbyshire. Archaeological Excavation (OASIS ID: oxfordar1-367447)
Oxford Archaeology (South), 2019. https://doi.org/10.5284/1057504. How to cite using this DOI
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- ADS Collection: 3629
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1057504
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
Oxford Archaeology was commissioned by CgMs Consulting (rebranded as RPS) to undertake a trial trench evaluation on Land off Swarkestone Road, Chellaston, Derby. A programme of 37 trenches was undertaken, laid out to provide a good general coverage of phases 2, 3 and 4 of the development site. Due to restrictions caused by the presence of spoil heaps and ground-nesting birds, 10 of the trenches were either abandoned or shortened.
The results of the evaluation demonstrated a sparse distribution of archaeological activity across phases 2, 3 and 4 of the development. A single concentration of prehistoric and Roman activity was identified in the north-eastern corner of phase 4. An alignment comprising 13 distinct intercutting ditches was observed running on a ENE-WSW alignment in trenches 6 and 14. This activity represented a substantial boundary spanning the Iron Age to Late Roman periods. The frequency of intercutting ditches and clear migration of the linear system is typical of a multi-phase and long-standing landscape division. This was supported by the pottery assemblage, which provided a date range of the Iron Age to the Late Roman period. Although the assemblage was small and only found in two of the 13 ditches, the material was recovered from early and late within the sequence, providing a reasonably accurate date range for the alignment.
The remainder of the site contained isolated linear features representing postmedieval agricultural boundary and drainage ditches. A small number of isolated discrete features, namely small to medium-sized pits, were also observed and likely associated with this agricultural landscape. Although sparse, dating evidence from these features provided a date range of the 17th to 20th centuries. Two ditches were also interpreted as boundary ditches, although their profiles were suggestive of earlier features. Unfortunately, no dating evidence was recovered from either boundary.
Of note was a sinuous stone-built drain. The full extent and purpose of the feature in the landscape was not determined, although the 1901 Ordnance Survey map clearly shows a concentration of quarrying activity to the north and east to which the drain may have been related. While no definitive dating evidence was recovered from the stone drain, a piece of struck flint interpreted as a possible gun flint or strike-a-light was found in the backfill of a robbers cut associated with the stone drain.
