Watching Brief at Proposed Slurry Lagoon on Land at Barnfield Farm, Monkton, East Devon

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by South West Archaeology Ltd. (SWARCH) at the request of a private client (the Client) as part of archaeological work associated with a proposed slurry lagoon on land at Barnfield Farm, Monkton, Devon. This work was carried out by Dr S.H. Walls on 15th of July 2024 in accordance with the Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI; Boyd 2024). The single archaeological feature found was ditch 102 running NW to SE, in line with the current field boundary pattern. It measured 1.4m wide and 0.34m deep with steep sloping sides and a concaved base. Its fill (103) was a firm mid grey-brown silt-clay with occasional flint inclusions. Ditch 102 was cut by the field drain and water pipe trench. The only finds recovered from this feature was two fragments of clay pipe stem. Therefore this feature is likely to be a previous field boundary dating from the 19th century. Other than the clay pipe fragments from 102 all other finds were recovered from the topsoil (100). These included a small fragment of white industrial pottery (7g), a bone fragment (2g), three small glass fragments (3g), three fragments of brick (173g), a clay tobacco pipe (2g), ten pieces of unworked natural chert (250g), and a single piece of iron slag (19g). The assemblage was of low research value/potential and has been discarded.