Archaeological Trial Trenching and Excavation at Moorhead Coal and Fireclay Site, Crofton, Wakefield

ARCUS were commissioned by UK COAL Mining Ltd and IBSTOCK BRICK Nostell Ltd to undertake a staged programme of archaeological investigation on land off Santingley Lane, Crofton, Wakefield. This is the final reporting of the investigations, detailing the findings of all archaeological works carried out at the site and the results of specialist post-excavation analyses. Works were initially undertaken to evaluate the impact of an open-cast quarry on potential archaeology at the site, and to excavate and record archaeological remains present within the area of the Haul Road for the new quarry. Twenty-six evaluation trenches (Trenches 1-26) were opened in three areas (Area A, Bi and Bii) covering approximately 17ha. Detailed excavation was also undertaken in the Haul Road, an area covering 0.9ha. The discovery of two concentrations of tap slag, provisionally identified as late prehistoric-early medieval in date, led to additional contingency trenching (Trenches 27 and 28) being utilised in two areas (Area A and Bi). A further 0.6ha area, (Trench 29), was opened up to investigate a potential furnace and slag heap identified by geophysical scanning, between Trenches 20 and 27. The earliest feature identified within the trial trenches was a single linear boundary/drainage ditch seen in Trenches 20 and 27 (Area Bi). A single fragmented sherd of pottery, which may be Romano-British in date, and tap slag thought to be associated with nearby smelting, were recovered from the filling of the ditch. Geophysical scanning between the two trenches identified a possible slag dump and a smelting furnace. The remaining evaluation trenches were archaeologically sterile or contained relatively modern field boundaries and land drains, or features associated with the 1940s open-cast working of the site. Of the two excavation areas (Haul Road and Trench 29), the Haul Road revealed the most convincing evidence for early activity on the site, with a complex of features identified towards its northern extent. This included four linear boundary/drainage ditches, a gully, three shallow burnt discrete features and two large pits. Numerous fragments of tap slag, similar to that observed in Areas A and Bi, were recovered from these features and from the topsoil and subsoil of the area during machining. The location of the field boundaries was consistent with cropmark features observed on aerial photographs of the site and with linear anomalies identified during previous geophysical scanning. A late prehistoric or Romano-British date for these features seems likely. It is hoped that AMS dating of charcoal samples from two of the features may assist in the dating of the smelting activities. No evidence for the smelting furnace or slag heap was found in Trench 29, except in the form of concentrations of tap slag ploughed out in the subsoil and topsoil. Linear features identified within previous trial trenches were seen to continue into the trench and a number of small discrete features.