Evaluation at Old Bideford Road, Barnstaple

62 evaluation trenches, measuring 1.8 x 30m (Figure 2) were opened across the site. This equates to an approximate 3% sample of the total site area, of roughly 11.32 hectares. The trenches were located at intervals across the site to specifically target geophysical anomalies. The evaluation revealed little of archaeological significance. A number of ditches were identified and excavated across the site, the majority of which corresponded to known field boundaries shown on 19th and 20th century mapping. Two groups of ditches were not known from historic mapping; however, these too likely represent field boundaries, albeit ones which had fallen out of use by the time of the 1838 tithe map. A number of natural palaeochannels and hollows were also recorded and excavated, although they contained no finds or anthropogenic material, suggesting they do not derive from human activity.