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May 2011
Client: Johnston Cave Associates
Issue No: 1
OA Job No: 4710
NGR: SP 488 570
Manor Farm
Hardwick Road
Priors Marston
Warwickshire
Archaeological Watching Brief Report
Arc
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Archaeological Watching Brief Report v.1
Client Name: Johnston Cave Associates
Document Title: Manor Farm, Hardwick Road, Priors Marston, Warwickshire
Document Type: Archaeological Watching Brief Report
Issue/Version Number: 1
Grid Reference: NGR: SP 488 570
Planning Reference: 09/01627/FUL
Invoice Code: PRMAFBWB
OA Job Number: 4710
Site Code: PRMAFB10
Receiving Museum: Warwickshire County Museum Service
Museum Accession No.: tbc
Event No.:
Issue Prepared by Checked by Approved by Signature
1
Mike Sims
Project
Supervisor
Dan Poore
Head of
Fieldwork
Dan Poore
Head of Fieldwork
Document File Location: Smallworks on Server1/PROJECTS/Warwickshire WA\ 11693 Manor Farm,
Priors Marston\2011 watching Brief\WB Report.odtGraphics File Location: Server 10:/oaupubs1_BtoQ*PRMAFB11*PRMAFBWB*Manor Farm, Priors
Marston*jc*03.05.11Illustrated by: Julia Collins
Disclaimer:
This document has been prepared for the titled project or named part thereof and should not be relied upon or used for any otherproject without an independent check being carried out as to its suitability and prior written authority of Oxford Archaeology beingobtained. Oxford Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability for the consequences of this document being used for a purposeother than the purposes for which it was commissioned. Any person/party using or relying on the document for such otherpurposes agrees, and will by such use or reliance be taken to confirm their agreement to indemnify Oxford Archaeology for all lossor damage resulting therefrom. Oxford Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability for this document to any party other thanthe person/party by whom it was commissioned.
© Oxford Archaeological Unit Ltd 2011
Janus House
Osney Mead
Oxford OX2 0ES
t: +44 (0) 1865 263800 e: [email protected]
f: +44 (0) 1865 793496 w: oasouth.thehumanjourney.net
Oxford Archaeological Unit Limited is a Registered Charity No: 285627
© Oxford Archaeology (i) May 2011
Archaeological Watching Brief Report v.1
Manor Farm, Hardwick Road, Priors Marston, Warwickshire
Archaeological Watching Brief Report
Written by Mike Sims
and illustrated by Julia Collins
Table of Contents
Summary.........................................................................................................................................2
1 Location and scope of work.....................................................................................................2
2 Methodology...............................................................................................................................2
3 Description of deposits.............................................................................................................2
4 Discussion and conclusions....................................................................................................3
5 Bibliography and references....................................................................................................3
© Oxford Archaeology Page 1 of 3 May 2011
Archaeological Watching Brief Report v.1
Summary
In March 2011 OA conducted an archaeological watching brief during the
mechanical excavation of the farmyard at Manor Farm, Hardwick Road, Priors
Marston, Warwickshire (NGR: SP 488 570). The watching brief showed that the
western half of the farmyard had been truncated during the yard's construction
below the level of any potential archaeology, while the eastern half showed
evidence of 19th and 20th century disturbance. No significant archaeology was
observed.
1 LOCATION AND SCOPE OF WORK
1.1.1 The village of Priors Marston is located approximately 8 km south-east of the town of
Southam (NGR: SP 488 570) (Fig. 1). Manor Farm is situated on the southern edge of
the village. The farmyard is bounded to the south, west and east by farm buildings and
to the north by a walled garden. The yard is sited at the bottom of a gentle slope rising
to the north-west at a level of approximately 138 m above OD. The underlying geology
is Lower Lias Clays (Geological Survey of England and Wales, sheet no. 201).
1.1.2 The work was commissioned by Johnston Cave Associates in respect of a planning
application for a barn conversion (Planning Application No. 09/01627/FUL)
1.1.3 Due to the possibility of disturbance to below ground archaeological deposits a
condition requiring that an Archaeological Watching Brief be maintained during the
period of intrusive ground works was attached to the permission.
1.1.4 A project brief was set by Anna Stocks, the Warwickshire County Planning
Archaeologist detailing the requirements of Warwickshire Museum Field Services
(WMFS, 2010) and OA prepared a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) detailing how
it would meet the requirements of the brief (OA, 2010a). The barn conversion was
covered in a separate report (OA, 2010b).
1.1.5 This phase of work was a continuation of that watching brief.
2 METHODOLOGY
2.1.1 The watching brief was conducted as a series of site visits during those works which
had the potential to disturb or destroy archaeological deposits. These works included
the reduction in level of part of the yard and the excavation of a service trench. The
excavated areas were closely examined for any features and the spoil was examined in
order to collect dating evidence.
2.1.2 A plan of the extent of any excavations was maintained (Fig. 2) at a scale of 1:200. All
excavated features were photographed using digital photography and black and white
print film. A general photographic record of the work was also made Recording followed
procedures detailed in the OA Field Manual (ed D Wilkinson, 1992).
3 DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITS
3.1.1 Within the western and southern portions of the yard a layer of yellow-brown clay with
grey clay mottling (30) was exposed at a depth of 0.25 m below the current yard
surface. Excavations to connect with an existing drain within the north-western corner
of the yard showed this deposit to be in excess of 0.25 m deep.
© Oxford Archaeology Page 2 of 3 May 2011
Archaeological Watching Brief Report v.1
3.1.2 Overlying this layer was a layer of grey-brown silty clay (31). This layer contained a
large percentage of subangular stones and formed the farmyard surface. Fragments of
brick and a fragment of glazed earthenware were recovered from this layer both
suggesting a 19th – early 20th century date.
3.1.3 As the ground reduction proceeded towards the eastern side of the farmyard it rose in
relation to the underlying slope with the reduced level not impacting on layer 31. In the
north-eastern corner of the yard an area of surviving cobbling (32) was observed
butting up to the tackroom. No other features or deposits were observed.
4 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
4.1.1 The watching brief showed that the western and southern quadrants of the yard had
been terraced, probably during the farm's original construction in the 18th and 19th
centuries, exposing the underlying natural clay (30).
4.1.2 It is probable that the yard had been originally cobbled as indicated by the surviving
area of cobbles (32). Later 20th century use of the yard by increasingly heavier
machinery has probably displaced the cobbles with the later deposit of stone fragments
and clay 31 being laid to replace it. No archaeological deposits or features predating
the farm's construction and working life were observed.
5 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
OA 2010a Manor Farm, Hardwick Road, Priors Marston, Warwickshire: Written
Scheme of Investigation for an Archaeological Watching Brief
OA 2010b Manor Farm, Hardwick Road, Priors Marston, Warwickshire: Archaeological
Watching Brief Report
OAU, 1992 Field Manual (ed. D Wilkinson)
WMFS 2010 Manor Farm, Hardwick Road, Priors Marston: Brief for Archaeological
Work
© Oxford Archaeology Page 3 of 3 May 2011
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Figure 1: Site location
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LONDON
OXFORD
EXETER
NORWICH
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BIRMINGHAM
MANCHESTER
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A5
A423
A426
A425
A43
A445
A45
A429
A422
A452
A361
M40
M45
M1
M1
Rugby
Coventry
Warwick
Banbury
Royal Leamington Spa
Kenilworth
Coventry
Flore
Gaydon
Pimlico
Southam
Cawston
Barford
Halford
Staverton
Willoughby
Buckby Wharf
Newbold Pacey
Fosters' Booth
Little Bourton
Kites Hardwick
Long Itchington
WARWICKSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
OXFORDSHIRE
1:50,000
1:5,000,000 1:500,000
Site location
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Reproduced by permission of the Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationary Office (c) Crown Copyright. 1996 All rights reserved. License No. AL 100005569
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