Land Near Sharpness Docks, Sharpness, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Excavation

Fieldwork commenced with the removal of topsoil and subsoil from the excavation area by mechanical excavator with a toothless grading bucket, under archaeological supervision. The fieldwork followed the methodology set out within the WSI (CA 2018) and the location of the excavation area was agreed with Charles Parry (GCC), informed by the results of the geophysical survey (PCG 2013) and the archaeological evaluation (CA 2014). The excavation areas were set out on OS National Grid (NGR) coordinates using Leica GPS and surveyed in accordance with CA Technical Manual 4: Survey Manual. The excavation areas were scanned for live services by trained CA staff using CAT and Genny equipment in accordance with the CA Safe System of Work for avoiding underground services. Exposed archaeological features were sampled by hand-excavation to the bottom of archaeological stratigraphy, to a minimum of 10% for bulk deposits, 20% for linear features, 50% for postholes and pits and 100% for likely funerary/ritual and domestic or industrial deposits. All features were planned and recorded in accordance with CA Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual. A programme of archaeological investigation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology between February and April 2019 at the request of Howard Tenens (Sharpness) Ltd on land near Sharpness Docks, Sharpness, Gloucestershire. An area of 1.8ha was excavated across the development area. The excavation identified evidence for prehistoric and Roman activity. Prehistoric features included a partial ring-ditch and a pit containing Middle Bronze Age pottery and charcoal; fragments of burnt bone and charcoal recovered from the pit suggest this may represent the remains of a cremation burial. Roman features comprised likely domestic enclosures and other ditches containing pottery of late 2nd to 4th century AD in date. No clear evidence for structures was identified. Pits without dating evidence have been assigned to periods based upon their similar appearance, and spatial and stratigraphic association with dated features. A series of shallow pits containing abundant burnt material occupied the excavation area. They remain undated, but the stratigraphic relationship between one of the pits and a Roman ditch suggests that they are either Roman or post-Roman in date. A series of post-medieval ditches correspond with field boundaries depicted on 19th-century cartographic sources. One of these boundaries potentially had origins in the Roman period. The finds assemblage included a small but important group of Middle Bronze Age pottery and a large assemblage of Roman pottery. Other finds include a fragmented quern stone and a small group of metalwork. A relatively rich assemblage of charred plant remains and charcoal was recovered. Animal bone was poorly preserved and little was found. A summary article has been prepared for publication in Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society.