| Title: |
AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION AND RECORDING ACTION AT LAND ADJACENT TO FARWAYS, YARNTON ROAD, CASSINGTON, OXFORDSHIRE |
| Series: |
John Moore Heritage Services unpublished report series
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| Downloads: |
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johnmoor1-178119_187386.pdf (6 MB)
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| Biblio Note |
This report was uploaded to the OASIS system by the named Publisher. The report has not been reviewed by the relevant HER. The report has been transferred into the ADS Library for public access and to facilitate future research.
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| Licence Type: |
ADS Terms of Use and Access
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| DOI |
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| Publication Type: |
Report (in Series)
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| Abstract: |
The archaeological investigation at Yarnton Road in Cassington was carried out within the structure of a three-stage programme of works. The first stage of work covered a predetermination archaeological field evaluation completed in 2013. During this phase, a JCB Site Master excavator fitted with a toothless 1.5m wide ditching bucket was used to excavate four trenches; two each 30m long (Trenches 1 & 3) which were placed across the cropmarks, one 20m long (Trench 2) and one 10m long (Trench 4). All trenches were 1.5m wide. Any archaeological deposits and features revealed were then cleaned by hand and recorded at an appropriate level. The main excavation of a fully striped area covered the second stage of fieldwork. The ground reduction of the footprint of development area and the temporary compound was executed with a 10 tonne excavator equipped with a toothless 1.8m wide bucked, under archaeological supervision. Approximately 40% of the development area was reduced to the archaeological horizon that was the natural geological layer. Where the thickness of subsoil was greater then 0.3m (60% of development area), only the ploughsoil was removed. The third and final stage involved monitoring work for foundation and service trenches outside of the main excavation area. The excavation of foundation and service trenches was carried out with different types of excavators and trenching buckets. A 34.5% sample of the ring ditch was excavated manually (six sections) and an additional 29.5% sample was excavated by 1 tonne excavator (sixteen sections). All pits, postholes, cremation burials were subject to 100% sampling, apart from a few exceptions when 50% of the feature was excavated. The majority of linear features were excavated between 10-50%, which was determined by the length of the feature. Three linear ditches which represent post-medieval and modern field boundaries each were tested by single 1m wide section. Trench 1 was placed across a linear cropmark orientated northeast to southwest. During the evaluation this cropmark was identified as linear ditch 1/04. The dimensions of ditch suggest, that it might be part of lager enclosure or field system. Lack of dating evidence does not allow exact date of the ditch. That is cuts across the ring ditch, as seen on aerial photographs, suggests an Iron Age or Roman date. Trench 2 was located approximately in the middle of site. Apart from a shallow gully 2/04, post-medieval or modern in date, no other archaeological feature of significance were discovered during the investigation. Trench 3 was placed across the circular and liner cropmarks. Circular cropmark was identified as ring ditch 3/14 of a possible Bronze Age barrow. Depositions of eroded material (3/11) (3/12) and (3/15) within ditch, suggest possible existence of an outer bank. Finds recovered from the fill (3/12) might be contemporary with the excavation of the ring ditch and finds from the fill (3/10) presumably are associated with later activities on the site. A secondary, perhaps Bronze Age, cremation burial 3/08, located next to the ring ditches confirmed the presence of the burial ground in the area. Ditch 3/05 presumably of prehistoric date, visible on aerial photographs as a linear cropmark, could be part of a field system or enclosure boundary. This ditch continued into Trench 4. The highly abraded nature of the small Roman pottery sherd suggests that it is residual. Other pottery suggests an Iron Age date for this feature. If this is the case then the large boundary ditch apparently cutting the ring ditch and seen in Trench 1 also may be of this date. The main scope of excavation was focussed on the ring ditch and surrounding area, where the highest concentration of archaeological features was situated. |
| Author: |
A Čelovský
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| Publisher: |
John Moore Heritage Services
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| Year of Publication: |
2015
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| Locations: |
| Parish: |
Cassington |
| Country: |
England |
| County: |
Oxfordshire |
| District: |
West Oxfordshire |
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Grid Reference: 445529, 211219 (Easting, Northing)
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| Subjects / Periods: |
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DITCH
(Monument Type England)
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BRONZE AGE PIT
(Tag)
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RING DITCH
(Monument Type England)
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BRONZE AGE LITHIC IMPLEMENT
(Tag)
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EXCAVATION
(Event)
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POST HOLE
(Monument Type England)
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ANIMAL REMAINS
(Object England)
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BRONZE AGE RING DITCH
(Tag)
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BRONZE AGE CREMATION
(Tag)
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BRONZE AGE DITCH
(Tag)
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IRON AGE POST HOLE
(Tag)
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ROMAN SHERD
(Tag)
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POST MEDIEVAL GULLY
(Tag)
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PIT
(Monument Type England)
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IRON AGE DITCH
(Tag)
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WATCHING BRIEF
(Event)
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LITHIC IMPLEMENT
(Object England)
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GULLY
(Monument Type England)
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ROMAN DITCH
(Tag)
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EVALUATION
(Event)
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CREMATION BURIAL
(Monument Type England)
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BRONZE AGE ANIMAL REMAINS
(Tag)
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CREMATION
(Monument Type England)
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SHERD
(Object England)
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BRONZE AGE SHERD
(Tag)
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BRONZE AGE CREMATION BURIAL
(Tag)
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IRON AGE
(Historic England Periods)
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BRONZE AGE
(Historic England Periods)
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ROMAN
(Historic England Periods)
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POST MEDIEVAL
(Historic England Periods)
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| Identifiers: |
| OASIS Id: |
johnmoor1-178119 |
| Report id: |
2938 |
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| Source: |
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| Relations: |
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| Created Date: |
23 Feb 2024 |
