Land off Milton Road, Lupset, Wakefield, West Yorkshire: Archaeological Evaluation

The full evaluation of the site required the excavation of 42 trenches that targeted geophysical anomalies, possible features and 'blank' areas. All the trenches were excavated under archaeological supervision. All work was undertaken in accordance with accepted professional standards and guidelines (Historic England 2008; CIfA 2014a), in accordance with the ASWYAS site recording manual (ASWYAS 2014) and in compliance with the WSI. All trenches were set out and the limits resurveyed using a Trimble VRS differential GPS accurate to +/-0.01cm. The trenches were opened in a controlled manner using a 14 ton 360 degree excavator using a flat-bladed ditching bucket under direct archaeological supervision. All topsoil deposits were removed in level spits (not more than 0.20m) with the topsoil and subsoil being separated to allow for re-instating in reverse order. Machining stopped at the first archaeological horizon or natural deposits, whichever was encountered first. All excavations of archaeological deposits were undertaken manually with the stripped surface being cleaned and investigated for archaeological remains. To aid recording the site was divided into Areas 1, 2 and 3 based on the extant field system. Trenches 1 to 28 were located within Area 1, Trenches 29 to 38 within Area 2 and Trenches 39 to 42 within Area 3. Context numbers were assigned to each archaeological feature and deposit, and were prefixed with the relevant Area number. For example, the topsoil in Area 1 was recorded as 101 and that in Area 2 as 201 etc. An appropriate sample was excavated through all linear features to investigate the full depth, profile and fills and to recover dating from the fills. All excavated sections were a minimum of 1m in length with each section, where possible, located adjacent to the trench edge in order to provide a full stratigraphic sequence. All archaeological features were accurately recorded in plan at a scale of 1:50. Feature sections were drawn at a scale of 1:10 or 1:20. All plans and sections include spot heights that relate to Ordnance Datum in metres. Environmental soil samples were taken from the majority of excavated deposits and in particular from lower fills whenever possible. Samples were recovered for the possible identification and recovery of carbonised and waterlogged remains, vertebrate remains, molluscs, small artefactual material and metallurgical debris. A full written, drawn and photographic record was made of all archaeological work undertaken. An archaeological evaluation comprising 42 trenches was undertaken on land off Milton Road, Lupset, Wakefield, West Yorkshire between January and February 2018. The majority of the trenches were targeted on anomalies of possible archaeological interest identified during a previous geophysical survey, with additional trenches sited to evaluate the survey's 'blank' areas. The trenches revealed a total of twenty archaeological features comprising eleven ditches or gullies, eight pits or possible post-holes, and a shallow irregular depression which confirmed the interpretation of the geophysical survey. The archaeological features were largely undated, but probably agricultural. Other geophysical anomalies were proved to be either modern or geological in origin.