Trial Trench at Roughbirchworth Lodge, Roughbirchworth Lane, Oxspring

The work involved the excavation of five trenches: Trenches 1-3 measured 20m by 2m, Trench 4 measured 10m by 2m and Trench 5 measured 24m by 2.5m. The trenches were positioned to assess the archaeological potential of the site rather than to target specific anomalies or earthworks. Following the excavation of Trenches 1-3, Andrew Lines of SYAS requested that Trenches 4-5, located close to Roughbirchwood Lane, be moved to the northwest and positioned between extant buildings (cf. trench location figures in Appendix 1). All work was undertaken in accordance with accepted professional standards and guidelines (Historic England 2008; CIfA 2020), in accordance with the ASWYAS site recording manual (ASWYAS 2020) and in compliance with the WSI (Appendix 1). All trenches were set out and the limits resurveyed using a Trimble VRS differential GPS accurate to +/-0.01m. The trenches were opened in a controlled manner using a 360 excavator using a flat-bladed ditching bucket under direct archaeological supervision. All topsoil deposits were removed in level spits (not more than 0.20m) with the topsoil and subsoil being separated to allow for re-instating in reverse order. Machining stopped at the first archaeological horizon or natural deposits, whichever was encountered first. A full written, drawn and photographic record was made of all archaeological work undertaken. An inventory of the primary archive is presented in Appendix 2 and ASWYAS currently hold the site archive in a stable and secure location. Nothing significant found.