As the farm comprises pasture for animal grazing, lawned areas and woodland, we are using a technique known as shovel pit testing to identify areas of archaeological potential.

Shovel pit testing is a relatively new archaeological technique in the UK and is a strategy used in much the same way as fieldwalking is used to sample ploughed fields.

Unlike test pitting, where small pits are excavated through all deposits, shovel pit testing only involves removing the turf and extracting 30 litres of topsoil (2 x 15 litre buckets) and sieving the contents for artefacts. Any archaeological material found in this layer either derives from artefacts brought up by former ploughing activity or as insitu material from areas that have never been disturbed.

Shovel pit testing holes are dug over a grid system which is used for all the survey techniques we are using on the farm. For this particular method, we are digging 5 holes in every 40m2 and are able to sample an over 5,000 square metres per day with 1 to 2 teams of inexperienced excavators. Although this method only samples around 0.0004% of the entire topsoil, it has already proved to be an extremely accurate technique for locating archaeological sites or areas of potential.

For 2002, all surveys are targeted on an area of the farm that had been provisionally set aside for the reconstruction of the Iron Age farmstead later in the summer. We began using shovel pit testing here in mid-April and we were pleased to be joined by local volunteers, many of whom had never carried out any archaeological work before.

After 4 days of digging and 61 holes, the results have surprised us all. In a good proportion of the pits we discovered high concentrations of burnt flint, a number of flint flakes, sherds of Roman pottery and a piece of Iron Age pot!

Volunteers Barbara and Sarah finding some of the artefacts that surprised us all...

Burnt flint is often a good indication of prehistoric activity. Referred to as 'pot boilers', flint was used as a method of heating water by placing them on a fire and then transferring them to a vessel of cold water. To find such concentrations, alongside finds of flint waste from tool knapping, and a piece of Iron Age pot provides growing evidence that we may be close to an occupation site.

As the farm lay in a landscape rich in prehistoric activity, we should perhaps not be surprised to find evidence for occupation from this period somewhere on the farm but such a discovery would, nevertheless, represent a previously unknown site.

Perhaps the most surprising discovery of all is the retrieval of a number of Roman pottery fragments. Sherds from domestic cooking pots including bases and rims were collected along with pieces of decorated fineware. Early indications are that this assemblage relates to an early phase of Roman occupation, perhaps between the 1st-3rd centuries AD. Evidence for Roman activity in the area is less common and, again, it is quite possible that we are close to an unknown occupation site.

Examples of the Roman fineware retrieved from the sieves...

The shovel pit testing survey over this area of the farm is now complete but we will be digging more holes in the autumn. The data collected so far is being processed and will be plotted on the computer for further analysis. As soon as this has been carried out, we will be publishing the results on these pages.

Even in the woods, Ju finds more flint and Roman pottery...	One of the many burnt flints found across the survey area. Note the typical fire-cracked surface...

We are extremely grateful to volunteers Barbara, Di, Donna, Jill, John, Ju, Lyn, Nathaniel, Sarah, Scott and Veronica for giving up their weekends to help with the survey. We couldn't have done it without you!

Click here to return to the main Project page

For all enquiries on this research project, please contact us at cap@contextone.co.uk