Strip Map And Sample, Trial Trench at Site north of Junction 11, M62, Warrington, Cheshire

The evaluation comprised the excavation of 10 trenches comprising a large SMR area measuring 30m x 30m, two smaller SMR areas measuring 20m x 15m and seven trenches measuring 30m in length by 1.8m in width across the proposed development area that measured 15ha. The general aims of these investigations were: " Determine and record the presence or absence of buried archaeological remains within the Site; " Determine the character, date and extent of any archaeological deposits revealed as well as their potential significance; " Establish the presence/absence, nature, extent and state of preservation of archaeological remains associated with Pesfurlong Moss Farm; " Establish the character of those features in terms of cuts, soil matrices and interfaces, in order to more fully understand the nature of archaeological remains within these areas; the period(s) of occupation present across this part of the site, and the relationships between the various periods of occupation and activity; " Recover artefactual material, especially that useful for dating purposes, and to help inform understanding of the layout, date, function, phasing, development and economic function of the area and the contemporary landscape environment; " Determine the likely impact on any archaeological deposits present from the consented scheme; and " Disseminate the results of the fieldwork through an appropriate level of recording and reporting. And specifically, to: " The trial trenching and strip, map and record works will assist in determining the periods in which activity has been undertaken on the Site; " To identify and provide information on Post Medieval agricultural practices such as the reclamation of agricultural land; and " The works will contribute to the North West Regional Research Framework: specifically regarding objective - PM6.15: Undertake excavation of abandoned farms and cottages. Deposits considered not to be significant were removed by a 360� tracked mechanical excavator with a toothless ditching bucket, under close archaeological supervision. All possible features or deposits were inspected, and selected deposits were excavated by hand to retrieve artefactual material and environmental samples. Once completed all features were recorded according to the WA standard procedure as set out in the Excavation Manual (WA 2020). All finds encountered were retained on site and returned to the Carlisle office where they were identified, quantified and dated to period. A terminus post quem was then produced for each stratified context under the supervision of the WA Finds Officer, and the dates were used to help determine the broad date phases for the site. On completion of this project, the finds were cleaned and packaged according to standard guidelines (Watkinson and Neal 1998). Please note, the following categories of material will be discarded after a period of six months following the submission of this report, unless there is a specific request to retain them (and subject to the collection policy of the relevant depository): " unstratified material; " modern pottery; " material that has been assessed as having no obvious grounds for retention. On completion the evaluation trenches were reinstated by replacing the excavated material. Material was stored to prevent mixing of topsoil and subsoil and backfilled in sequence. Evaluation undertaken over 16 days in 2025. The work consisted of the excavation of three Strip, Map and Record (SMR) areas. The trenches were placed to target historic field boundaries and Pesfurlong Moss Farm. Archaeological findings were limited to SMR Trench 1m located within the of the farm, and comprised a possible trackway, a possible house platform associated with in-situ masonry, and a large rectangular pit which also contained a square brick-lined pit within the base.