The programme of trial trenching consisted of c.5% sample of the proposed development area, comprising the excavation of 91no trenches measuring 50m by 2m. The works were undertaken between 11th and 28th of March 2024 by a team of experienced field archaeologists supervised by Jake Minton. Out of the 91no total trenches, 35no were targeted over either geophysical anomalies, historic map items or features seen on aerial photography, 56no trenches were not located over a specific target. A total of 36no trenches contained archaeological features, 11no of which were in trenches with no specific target and a total of 11no features were recorded which had no corresponding feature on the pre-commencement surveys. A total of 6no trenches which were located over specific targets did not contain archaeological remains. The exposed remains comprised mainly of former field boundary ditches and a small number of pits. A total of 8no ditches were identified in more than one trench. No dating evidence was recovered from any of the features which is likely the result of both the distance of the features from settlement activity and sandy geology.
Joanne Lathan (Mon,) studied this question.