1093842. Cite this using datacite

Title:

Land at Whitchurch, Bristol, Somerset: Archaeological Evaluation

Series:

Cotswold Archaeology unpublished report series

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Licence Type:

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DOI

https://doi.org/10.5284/1093842

Publication Type:

Report (in Series)

Abstract:

The evaluation fieldwork comprised the excavation of nine 30m x 1.8m trenches. In March 2021, Cotswold Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation of land at Whitchurch, Bristol, Somerset. A total of 9 trenches were excavated. The aim of the evaluation was to determine the significance of the anomalies identified in the previous geophysical survey and in this regard, it was successful. The conclusions of the geophysical survey suggested that the anomalies may represent a high-status Roman structure, possibly a coin mint. The evaluation was able to confirm that this was not the case. Several features and deposits were identified that contained Late prehistoric pottery. These included parts of a dark occupation layer found in sporadic patches across the site. With the exception of the modern gullies in trench 1 and possibly trench 5, the features are either capped by the occupation layer or contain fills very similar in form to this layer. The environmental samples taken from the occupation layer suggest that the deposit is indicative of hearth waste. The lack of insitue burning across the site means that the deposit was most likely derived from activity close to the site, probably washed in from the raised ground to the south-west while most of the features were still open or partially silted up Using the geophysical results we can tentatively phase the features identified by the evaluation. Ditches 602 and 707 appear to form part of the same Late prehistoric rectilinear enclosure system. This appears to be truncated by the large south-west/north-east ditch running across the site, identified in trenches 2, 4 and 5, as ditches 203, 403 and ditch 505. Ditch 802 forms part of a separate rectilinear enclosure of which the western extent is missing in the geophysical survey. It seems probable that ditch 709 is a continuation of this enclosure ditch. Although it is hard to draw any firm conclusions from the evaluation results, because of the poor dating material recovered, it is clear that there is not a high-status building of any period on site. The lack of finds from the majority of features suggests that the archaeology that is present, is most likely agricultural in nature. The enclosures and boundaries they form are most likely associated with the settlement activity shown in the geophysics to the northwest and possible activity on the higher ground to the south-west.

Author:

C Bateman

Publisher:

Cotswold Archaeology

Year of Publication:

2021

Locations:

County:	Somerset
Parish:	Whitchurch
Country:	England
District:	Bath and North East Somerset

Grid Reference: 360749, 167082 (Easting, Northing)

Subjects / Periods:

EVALUATION (Event)

ENCLOSURE (Monument Type England)

LATER PREHISTORIC ENCLOSURE (Tag)

OCCUPATION LAYER (Monument Type England)

LATER PREHISTORIC OCCUPATION LAYER (Tag)

LATER PREHISTORIC (Historic England Periods)

Identifiers:

OASIS Id:

cotswold2-506057

Note:

This report was uploaded to the OASIS system by the named Publisher. The report has been transferred into the ADS Library for public access and to facilitate future research.

Source:

OASIS (OASIS)

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Created Date:

07 Jun 2022