Archaeological Evaluation Report of Land at Bankwood Lane, New Rossington, South Yorkshire

ARCUS were commissioned by Peacock and Smith Ltd, on behalf of McInerney Homes Yorkshire, to carry out an archaeological evaluation of land at Bankwood Lane, New Rossington, Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The site is located in an area of key significance for the Iron Age and Romano-British periods. Extensive cropmark sites from these periods survive throughout the undeveloped parts of the Rossington area, including a possible site approximately 0.35km to the north-east of the proposal area. Between c. 1220 and 1938, the development site (SK 60828 98613) was parkland or pasture within the Rossington Hall estate, therefore it is unlikely that any substantial ground disturbance have occurred during this period. The upper-levels of potential sub-surface archaeological deposits may have been impacted during the construction of the factory and its further extensions. This document constitutes the assessment report detailing the results of the archaeological evaluation carried out in March 2008 and incorporates the results of specialist reports on the artefacts recovered. The evaluation of the site comprised of three trenches opened to assess its archaeological potential. All trenches were excavated to the natural geological layer, on top of which late-nineteenth- and twentieth-century features and deposits were recorded. The early-nineteenth-century archaeological horizon was mostly represented by rubbish pits and postholes filled with deposits containing pottery sherds, ceramic building material, glass, leather, metal objects, animal bone and shell. During the twentieth century, the site saw several subsequent changes in building development. Initially, a dozen small structures, possibly sheds related to the site being in use as allotments, were constructed. These temporary structures were soon demolished and an industrial building was erected in their place. The twentieth- century features and deposits related to this stage of the use of the site were in the form of rubble pits, soakaways, and drains, bedding and levelling layers for a factorys late-twentieth-century car park. Only a small number of finds was recovered from these twentieth-century deposits. These consisted of pottery sherds, ceramic building material, glass, metal slag, single animal bone and modern debris.