| Abstract: |
Archaeological monitoring and recording was undertaken by South West Archaeology Ltd. (SWARCH) at the request of a Private Client, during groundworks at Routrundle, Walkhampton, Dartmoor, Devon, (Figure 1). This work was undertaken on 1st June 2023 in accordance with a Written Scheme of Investigation drawn up in consultation with the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) (Boyd 2023 WSI.SSY23v1). The monitoring consisted of the excavation of a series of footings for a garage building (see Figure 1). All works were undertaken by machine, where possible fitted with a toothless bucket but given the nature of the natural, often with a toothed bucket. Two parallel trenches were excavated on a rough east-west alignment. Trench 1 was 9.6m long and 0.85m wide at the east end, widening to 1m at the west end. Trench 2 was 9.3m long and 0.8m wide to the west end, 0.6m to the east end. On average the trenches were about 0.6-0.7m deep at the east end dropping to 0.8-0.9m to the west end, in line with the slope, excavated down to natural bedrock. For most of the site the topsoil layer had been made up in the 20th century to create a level parking area, c.0.1m to 0.4m, the topsoil was overlaid by plastic tarpaulin and weed-suppressant garden fabric, atop this was laid a layer of soft grey friable silt, mixed with crushed blue-grey slate fragments and granite chippings as a hard-core parking surface (102). To further offset the natural slope, it was also noted that within the topsoil layer (beneath the sheeting), additional granite stones, of sub-rounded form (0.3m×0.2m×0.1m) and some larger flatter, boulders, (0.7x0.10x0.35m) had been collated within the topsoil layer, in both T1 & T2, at their west ends, these stones and disturbed topsoil were mixed with modern crushed black plastic flowerpots, plastic protective sapling tubing and fragments of tanalised posts and other ‘modern’ garden rubbish (103). To the east end of Trench 2, was a small pit 0.6m deep, with flat bottom 0.45m wide, 0.7m wide at the top, with, steep, almost vertical sloping sides. This pit was filled with dark carbon rich compost and the remains of a supportive plant post and orchard sapling protective cover, clearly a modern garden-orchard feature, excavated for a tree (since removed). No archaeological features or deposits were observed in either trench. All finds encountered on site were modern (plastics) and discarded on site. No significant archaeological features or deposits were identified. |
