The evaluation fieldwork comprised the excavation of 22 trenches, each measuring 30m in length by 1.8m in width. The trenches were located to test geophysical anomalies and to provide a representative sample of the remainder of the site. Trenches 7 and 10 were relocated from their original location due to their proximity to overhead power cables. In June 2022, Cotswold Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation of the Northern Infrastructure Land at Blundell's Road, Tiverton, Devon. A total of 22 trenches were excavated. The evaluation identified a number of features, predominantly in the northwest corner of the site, comprising ditches forming a series of enclosures, paddocks or fields. There was generally a high level of correlation between the results of a previous geophysical survey and the trenching, particularly in regard to linear features, although features recorded as being of possible archaeological origin in trenches 3 and 8 were shown to be the result of variations in the natural substrate. Very few discrete features were identified by the trenching; these comprising two undated pits in trench 4 and a modern pit in trench 15, while no evidence was seen in trench 19 for the north side of an enclosure ditch previously identified and investigated to the south. This is most likely as a result of the northern arc of the enclosure not extending as far as trench 19 and perhaps being largely within the footprint of the extant hedgerow forming the south boundary to the Northern Infrastructure area. While some of the identified features remained undated, ditches in trenches 5 and 9 correspond with a boundary first shown on the 1842 Tiverton Tidcombe Tithe Map and subsequent Ordnance Survey maps beginning with the 1st Edition 1889 1:25" map. The northwest-southeast orientated boundary exposed in Trench 1 and noted to run on the same alignment as the boundary in trenches 5 and 9 most likely represents the infilled remains of a field boundary ditch first depicted on the 1889 1st Edition 1:25" map. Ditch 203 in Trench 2, ditch 410 in Trench 4 and ditch 1103 in Trench 11 all then shared either a broad commonality of alignment with the post-medieval boundary ditches seen in trenches 1, 5 and 9 or would appear to intersect with them, sharing a similar regular plan form that may imply a broadly contemporary date, although they are not depicted on any historic maps of the site. The absence of any pre-modern artefactual material and discrete features would suggest that these ditches/ enclosed areas were situated at a distance from any settlement foci and were therefore most likely used for agricultural or pastoral activities.
Kinga Werner (Sat,) studied this question.