Respite Facility, Southbroom School, Devizes, Wiltshire

An Archaeological Evaluation

for Wiltshire County Council

by Sean Wallis

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd

Site Code SSD06/20

March 2006

i Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47–49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading RG1 5NR

Tel. (0118) 926 0552; Fax (0118) 926 0553; email tvas@tvas.co.uk; website : www.tvas.co.uk

Summary

Site name: Respite Facility, Southbroom School, Devizes, Wiltshire Grid reference: SU0125 6085 Site activity: Field Evaluation Date and duration of project: 8th - 10th March 2006 Project manager: Steve Ford Site supervisor: Sean Wallis Site code: SSD06/20 Area of site: c. 0.28ha Summary of results: A ditch containing Late Iron Age to 2nd century AD pottery was identified, along with a large ditch or pit which was dated to the 4th century AD. Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited with Devizes Museum in due course. This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford 29.03.06 Steve Preston 29.03.06

1

Respite Facility, Southbroom School, Devizes, Wiltshire An Archaeological Evaluation

by Sean Wallis

Report 06/20

Introduction

This report documents the results of an archaeological field evaluation carried out at Southbroom School,

Devizes, Wiltshire (SU0125 6085) (Fig. 1). Planning permission (app no K52895/F) is to be sought from

Wiltshire County Council to construct a 10 bedroom respite facility on the site. The work was commissioned by

Mr John Latto of The Design Buro, The Granary, Newnham Grounds, Kings Newnham Lane, Bretford,

Warwickshire, CV23 0JU on behalf of Wiltshire County Council.

As a consequence of the possibility of archaeological deposits on the site which may be damaged or

destroyed by the proposed development, a field evaluation has been requested in accordance with principles

detailed in the Department of the Environment’s Planning Policy Guidance, Archaeology and Planning (PPG16,

1990), and the County Council’s policies on archaeology, to further inform the planning process.

The field investigation was carried out to a specification approved by Ms Sue Farr, Assistant Archaeologist

with Wiltshire County Council. The fieldwork was undertaken by Danielle Colls, Jennifer Ryder and Sean

Wallis between 8th and 10th March 2006, and the site code is SSD06/20. The archive is presently held at

Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and it is anticipated that it will be deposited with Devizes

Museum in due course.

Location, topography and geology

The site is located in the grounds of Southbroom School, less than 1km from the historic core of Devizes. The

site is mostly surrounded by school buildings, playing fields, and a car park, although it is bounded to the east by

residential properties which front onto Nursteed Road (Fig. 2). The proposed development will affect a relatively

flat grassed area, part of which is currently used as school playing fields. The natural geology, according to the

British Geological Survey, is Upper Greensand (BGS 1985), and this was encountered in all four evaluation

trenches. The site lies at a height of approximately 127m above Ordnance Datum.

2

Archaeological background

The archaeological potential of the site has been highlighted in a brief prepared by Ms Sue Farr. In summary, a

number of Roman burials were revealed in the early 1960s, during the construction of the present school

buildings, including one in a lead coffin and another in a stone coffin. Of the six burials recorded, two were left

in place. A further burial was recorded near the football ground to the south of the present site. A settlement site

was found in 1861, during the excavation of a railway cutting to the west of the site, and further evidence of Iron

Age and Roman settlement was found in the 1990s, at Wayside Farm to the south and Nursteed Farm to the east.

In addition, a number of Roman coins and pottery sherds have been recorded in the immediate vicinity of the

school (Farr 2006).

Objectives and methodology

The purpose of the evaluation was to determine the presence/absence, extent, condition, character, quality and

date of any archaeological deposits within the area of development. The work was to be carried out in a manner

which would not compromise the integrity of archaeological features or deposits which warrant preservation in-

situ, or might better be excavated under conditions pertaining to full excavation.

The specific research aims of the project were;

To determine if archaeologically relevant levels have survived on this site.

To determine if archaeological deposits of any period are present.

To determine if archaeological deposits representing Roman burial or occupation are present.

It was proposed to excavate four trenches, each 20m long and 1.6m wide, in the areas most likely to be affected

by the proposed development (Fig. 3). The trenches were to be dug using a JCB-type machine, fitted with a

toothless ditching bucket, under constant archaeological supervision. A contingency was allowed for further

trenching if needed, to clarify any initial findings. If any features of archaeological, or potentially archaeological,

interest were present, the trenches were to be cleaned using appropriate hand tools, and the features planned and

sufficient of them excavated to satisfy the aims of the project. This was to take place in such a manner as not to

jeopardize any remains which might be better investigated under the conditions of full excavation. Allowance

was made for sampling deposit of environmental potential.

A complete list of trenches giving lengths, breadths, depths and a description of sections and geology is

given in Appendix 1.

3

Results

Upon an initial inspection of the site, prior to work commencing, it became evident that one of the proposed

trenches (3) would badly impact on an existing car park, which was in constant use by school staff and parents. It

was therefore decided to move this trench so that it was aligned approximately east-west instead of north-south.

This decision also affected the positioning of Trench 1, which had to be moved slightly further west than

originally intended. Despite these changes, which were approved by Ms Sue Farr, Trenches 1 and 3 still targeted

the footprint of the proposed new building.

Trench 1 (Figs.4 and 5; Plate 1)

This trench was 19.8m long and aligned east–west. Up to 0.35m of turf and topsoil (50) overlay a layer of dark

brownish grey silty sand (51), about 0.3m thick, directly above the natural greensand. Deposit 51 was noted in

all four trenches and was interpreted, based on stratigraphy and the sterile natural of the topsoil on site, as a

buried soil horizon.

A ditch (1), aligned approximately north–south, was recorded between 16.3m and 17.8m (Fig. 4). A slot

through the feature revealed a single fill of brownish grey silty sand (52), which contained animal bone

fragments, along with several sherds of pottery dating from the Late Iron Age to the 2nd century AD. Some of

the finds were recovered from a 30-litre soil sample, which also contained carbonized cereal grains and small

pieces of unidentifiable charcoal. The ditch appeared to be slightly curvilinear in plan and, from the excavated

slot, appeared to become shallower towards the north, suggesting that it might terminate just beyond the trench.

Trench 2 (Figs. 4 and 5; Plates 3 and 4)

Trench 2 was 20.3m long and aligned approximately NW–SE. Turf and topsoil (50), up to 0.25m thick, overlay

about 0.3m of dark brownish grey silty sand (51) which, as mentioned above, probably represents buried soil.

Although the natural greensand was encountered immediately beneath the buried soil at either end of the trench,

the entire central section, between 5.3 and 12.6m, appeared to be truncated by one large feature (Fig. 4).

Two slots (2 and 3) were excavated through this feature, which suggested that it was either a large pit or

ditch. However, if it is a ditch, it was not observed in Trenches 1 or 4. A probable primary fill of greyish green

sandy silt (53 and 59) was revealed in both slots, which contained animal bone, oyster shell, Roman pottery and

an iron nail. Some of these finds were recovered from a 30-litre soil sample, which also contained carbonized

cereal grains and small pieces of unidentifiable charcoal. In slot 2 the primary fill lay directly beneath a layer of

4

dark brownish grey sandy silt (54) which contained animal bone, oyster shell, Roman pottery and fragments of

slag. This deposit was also observed in slot 3, where it overlay a relatively thin layer of lime mortar and

limestone fragments (58), which lay directly above deposit 59.

A further layer of limestone fragments and lime mortar (57), up to 0.1m thick, was recorded in the section

of the trench, along with a layer of redeposited greensand (60). Both of these deposits were sealed by up to

0.45m of dark brownish grey sandy silt (56), which may in fact be the buried soil horizon (51). A final layer of

limestone rubble (55), up to 0.15m thick, was observed immediately beneath the topsoil along the width of the

feature, and it is possible that this represents a relatively recent deposit of material, used to build up the ground

level above the buried feature. Based on the pottery recovered, the feature seems to date to the 3rd or 4th century

AD, and is therefore later than the ditch recorded in Trench 1.

Trench 3

This trench was 20.3m long and aligned NE–SW. As mentioned above, the position of this trench was moved to

avoid the school car park. Up to 0.35m of turf and topsoil (50) overlay the buried soil horizon (51), up to 0.35m

thick, which lay directly above the natural greensand. No archaeological features were observed in this trench,

although a number of Late Iron Age to 4th Century AD pottery sherds were recovered from the buried soil layer

(51).

Trench 4 (Plate 2)

Trench 4 was aligned approximately NE–SW, and was 21.9m long. Part of the trench, between 14.8m and 18.4m

was not fully excavated due to the presence of a service pipe. Up to 0.38m of turf and topsoil (50) was removed

to reveal a layer of buried soil (51), up to 0.33m thick, which lay directly above the natural greensand. A

possible feature, containing Roman pottery, was initially observed at the southern end of the trench, but a hand

dug sondage established that this was in fact part of the buried soil layer (51). Fragments of animal bone, and

further sherds of Roman pottery, were recovered from a 30-litre soil sample which also produced carbonized

cereal grains and unidentifiable charcoal pieces.

Finds

Pottery by Malcolm Lyne

The evaluation yielded 33 sherds (566g) of pottery ranging in date from the Late Iron Age to the 4th century.

Sieving of environmental samples produced a further 25 sherds (36g) of similarly dated pottery. All of the

assemblages were quantified by numbers of sherds and their weights per fabric. These fabrics were classified

5

using a x8 magnification lens with built-in metric graticule for determining the natures, forms, sizes and

frequencies of added inclusions and numerically listed under the prefixes C, F and A for Roman Coarsewares,

Finewares and Amphora fabrics respectively. None of the assemblages were large enough for more detailed

quantification. A full catalogue by context is given in Appendix 3.

The Assemblages

The nine sherds of pottery from Ditch 1 indicate that the feature was open from the end of the Late Iron Age to c.

AD150 and include fragments of a bead-rim jar from the Savernake kilns (c. AD50–100) and a BB1 cooking-pot

from Dorset (c. AD120–160). The 18 sherds from Feature 2 are somewhat later and suggest a date for it c.

AD250–400: sherds include fragments from BB1 cooking-pots and colour-coated Oxfordshire and New Forest

beakers (c. AD240–400 and 260–400 respectively). Context 54 in Feature 3 yielded six fresh sherds from a BB1

developed beaded-and-flanged bowl without decoration (c. AD270–350), suggesting a similar date.

The 18 sherds from the buried soil horizon (Context 51) span the period between the Late Iron Age and the

4th century.

Fabrics

Coarse Roman C.1. Handmade very micaceous fabric with profuse up-to 0.20mm black inclusions, fired blue-grey with

chocolate-brown margins C.2. Handmade very micaceous fabric with profuse angular 1.00mm limestone and 0.10mm black inclusions,

fired grey with black surfaces. C.3. Handmade black fabric with sparse up-to 1.00mm sub-angular white quartz and angular up-to 2.00 mm

black and deep red-brown ironstone inclusions. Some up-to 2.00mm surface vesicles C.4. Off-white fabric with profuse up-to 2.00mm angular white limestone and black ironstone inclusions, fired

smooth grey-black. A Savernake kilns product. C.5. BB1. Black burnished ware. C.6. Very-fine blue-grey fabric with profuse up-to 0.20mm multi-coloured quartz and sparse black inclusions,

fired rough brown C.7. Sandy grey fabric with profuse sub-angular up-to 0.50mm multi-coloured quartz filler C.8. Micaceous grey fabric with profuse up to 0.50mm colourless and grey quartz filler (Most finer than this). C.9. Rough orange fabric with profuse sub-angular up-to 0.50mm multi-coloured quartz filler and patchy

external cream slip. C.10. Rough orange fabric with profuse up-to 0.30mm multi-coloured quartz and occasional larger elongated up-

to 2.00mm red ironstone inclusions. C.11. Very-fine pink fabric with sparse up-to 1.00mm subangular multi-coloured quartz filler

Fine Roman F.1. Central Gaulish Samian F.2. Oxfordshire Red/Brown Colour-coat F.3. New Forest Purple Colour-coat F.4. Silt-tempered blue-grey fabric with sparse up-to 0.10mm black inclusions, fired pink-brown with patchy

external chocolate-brown colour-coat

Amphorae A.1. Baetican Dressel 20 fabric

6

Animal Bone by Ceri Falys A small assemblage of 117 bone fragments weighing 781g, was recovered from eight contexts, including a few

fragments from the soil samples (Appendix 4). Overall, the pieces were in very poor condition, resulting in a

very low success rate of species identification. The remains were highly fragmented, and some bones

demonstrated surface damage through root activity and eroding breaks. No butchery marks were observed.

Identifiable elements came primarily from two contexts, both in feature 2/3, Trench 2. A sheep/goat sized rib, a

cow rib and a cow tooth were recovered from context 54, while a cow skull, made up of 50 fragments, was

retrieved from context 53.

Charred Plant Remains by Lucy Cramp

Three bulk samples of sediment, each measuring 30 litres, were floated over a 0.25mm mesh. Flots were

examined under a low-power (x10) binocular microscope and the approximate abundance of plant taxa recorded

and presented in Appendix 5.

The three samples contained infrequent carbonized spelt wheat (Triticum spelta), barley (Hordeum sp.) and

oat (Avena sp.) grains. The oat could not be differentiated between wild and cultivated oat since no floret bases

were present. The cereal taxa are typical for a site of Roman date, but their low abundance means that they may

only represent the reworking of material from elsewhere. No chaff was present and although charcoal pieces

were numerous, these were too small and fragmentary to be identifiable.

Metalwork

A small iron object, weighing 8g and believed to be a nail, was found in feature 2.

Shell

Three oyster shells, weighing 120g, were recovered from the fills of feature 2 /3.

Slag

Six small pieces of slag, weighing 184g, were recovered from feature 2 /3.

Conclusion

The evaluation has successfully shown that archaeological deposits are preserved on the site. Of the four

trenches excavated during this field evaluation, two revealed features which are Roman in date, whilst further

Roman pottery was recovered from a buried soil horizon in the remaining two trenches. The evidence suggests

7

activity in the area from the Late Iron Age to the 4th century AD, which is not surprising given the

archaeological background of the site, in an area where Roman settlement and burials are already known. The

evaluation has also shown that animal bone and charred plant remains survive on the site.

The very sterile nature of the topsoil layer, which covers the area of development, would seem to suggest

that topsoil has been imported onto the site, probably during the construction of the school buildings in the

1960s.

References

BGS, 1985, British Geological Survey, 1:63360, Sheet 282, Drift Edition, Keyworth Farr, S, 2006, Archaeological Brief for Southbroom Junior School, Nursteed Road, Devizes, Trowbridge PPG16, 1990, Archaeology and Planning, Dept of the Environment Planning Policy Guidance 16, HMSO

8

APPENDIX 1: Trench details

Trench No. Length (m) Breadth (m) Depth (m) Comment 1 19.8 1.6 0.8 (E)

0.9 (W) 0-0.35m turf and topsoil onto 0.35-0.65m mid brownish grey silty sand buried soil onto greensand natural. Ditch 1 with animal bone and Roman pottery. [Plate 1]

2 20.3 1.6 1.0 (N) 0.7 (S)

0-0.25m turf and topsoil onto 0.25-0.55m mid brownish grey silty sand buried soil onto greensand natural. Pit or ditch 2 & 3 with animal bone, shell, slag, metalwork and Roman pottery. [Plates 3 and 4]

3 20.1 1.6 0.9 0-0.35m turf and topsoil onto 0.35-0.7m mid brownish grey silty sand buried soil onto greensand natural. No archaeological features. Late Iron Age to Roman pottery recovered from buried soil horizon.

4 21.9 1.6 1.0 (N) 0.56 (S)

0-0.38m turf and topsoil onto 0.38-0.71m mid brownish grey silty sand buried soil onto greensand natural. No archaeological features. Roman pottery recovered from buried soil horizon. [Plate 2]

9

APPENDIX 2: Feature details

Trench Cut Fill (s) Type Date Dating evidence 1 1 52 Ditch 1st - 2nd Century AD Pottery 2 2 53, 54, 56, 57, 60 Ditch / Pit 3rd - 4th Century AD Pottery 2 3 59, 58, 54, 57, 56 Ditch / Pit 3rd - 4th Century AD Pottery

10

APPENDIX 3: Pottery Catalogue

Trench Cut Deposit Sample Fabric Form Date-range No. Wt(g) Comments 3 51 C1

C7 F2 Tile

Jar Closed form Mortarium

L.I.A.-AD.70 c.AD.50-400 c.AD.240-400

3 1 1 1

27 1 24 1

Fresh

AD.240-400 6 53 4 51 C6

C9 F4 A1

Closed Jar base Beaker base DR20

c.AD.70-200 c.AD.60-400 c.AD.250-400 c.AD.43-300

1 1 1 1

7 57 38 158

AD.250-400 4 260 51 <2> C3

C8 Jar

L.I.A.-AD.70 c.AD.50-150

1 7

7 10

Abraded

AD.50-150 8 17 1 1 52 C2

C4 C8

Jar basal Bead-rim jar Jar

L.I.A.-AD.70 c.AD.50-100 c.AD.50-150

3 1 2

38 8 27

Fresh

c.AD.50-150 6 73 1 1 52 <1> C5 Cooking-pot c.AD.120-160 3 7 2 2 53 C5

F1 F3

Indented beaker

c.AD.120-400 c.AD.120-200 c.AD.260-400

2 1 1

13 4 3

Abraded Fresh

c.AD.260-400 4 20 2 2 53 <3> C5

C6 F1 F2

Cooking-pot Beaker

c.AD.120-400 c.AD.120-200 c.AD.240-400

3 9 1 1

3 5 1 3

Abraded

c.AD.240-400 14 12 2 2 54 C6

C7 C11 F1

Jar Closed form Barbotined closed form

c.AD.100-250 c.AD.150-200

1 1 1 1

6 3 5 8

?Whitehill Farm fresh

c.AD.150-250 4 22 2 3 54 C5

C6 Beaded-and-flanged bowl Jar

c.AD.270-350

6 1

108 17

Fresh 1 pot

c.AD.270-350 7 125 2 3 59 C10 Closed form c.AD.50-70 2 13

11

APPENDIX 4: Animal Bone by context

Trench Cut Deposit Type Sample No No Frags WT (g) 4 51 Buried Soil 2 8 21 1 52 Ditch 5 41 1 52 Ditch 1 8 42 2 53 Ditch / Pit 50 6662 2 53 Ditch / Pit 3 41 322 2 &

3 54 Ditch / Pit 4 72

2 3 59 Ditch / Pit 1 1

12

APPENDIX 5: Charred Plant Remains

Sample 1 2 3 Cut 1 51 2 Deposit 52 30 53 Sample volume (litres) 30 30 30 Cereal grains Triticum spelta spelt wheat + + Hordeum sp. barley + Avena sp. oat + + present

Southbroom School, Devizes, Wiltshire, 2006Archaeological Evaluation

Figure 1. Location of site within Devizes andWiltshire.

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Pathfinder 1185 (SU06/16) at1:12500. Ordnance Survey Licence 100025880

61000

62000

SU01000 02000

SITE

SSD 06/20

SITE

Southbroom School, Devizes, Wiltshire, 2006Archaeological Evaluation

Figure 2. Detailed location of site within Devizes.

Reproduced from Architect’s Drawing at 1:2000

60700

60900

SU01100 01200 01300

SITE

SSD 06/20

SSD06/20Figure 3. Location of trenches.

Respite Facility, Southbroom School, Devizes, Wiltshire 2006

SU01100 01200 01300

60800

60900

STATIO

N

100.

098

SouthbroomC of E Junior School

1

2

3

4

Nursteed Road

0 100m

1

2

Respite Facility, Southbroom School, Devizes, Wiltshire 2006

N

Trench 2

23

overcutnatural

8m6m 10m 13m

NTrench 1

116m 18m

SSD06/20Figure 4. Plans of deposits in trenches 1 and 2.

0 5m

0 5m

SSD06/20Figure 5. Sections of deposits 1 and 2.

1

52

51

50

E W127.33m AOD

2

5354

60

56

51

57

55

50

54

56

58

59

3

51

SSE NNE

Not excavated

127.69m

Respite Facility, Southbroom School, Devizes, Wiltshire 2006

0 1m(above only)

Plate 2. Trench 4 looking north north east, scales 2m and 1m.

Plate 1. Trench 1, ditch 1, looking south-east, scale 0.5m.

SSD06/20

Plate 3. Trench 2 looking north west, scales 2m and 1m.

Plate 4. Trench 2, pit/ ditch 2, looking north east, scales 1m and 0.5m.

SSD06/20