Manor House, 4 High Street Sherington, Milton Keynes
Manor House, 4 High Street Sherington, Milton Keynes Archaeological Watching Brief MKHER event number: EMK1250 for Mr M Fletcher CA Project: 660125 CA Report: 14464 October 2014 Manor House, 4 High Street Sherington, Milton Keynes Archaeological Watching Brief CA Project: 660125 CA Report: 14464 prepared by date checked by date approved by Dan Stone, Project Supervisor 10 October 2014 Derek Evans, Project Manager 13 October 2014 John Dillon, Office Head signed date 13 October 2014 issue 01 This report is confidential to the client. Cotswold Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability to any third party to whom this report, or any part of it, is made known. Any such party relies upon this report entirely at their own risk. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means without permission. © Cotswold Archaeology Cirencester Building 11 Kemble Enterprise Park Kemble, Cirencester Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ t. 01285 771022 f. 01285 771033 Milton Keynes Unit 4 Cromwell Business Centre Howard Way, Newport Pagnell MK16 9QS t. 01908 218320 e. [email protected] Andover Stanley House Walworth Road Andover, Hampshire SP10 5LH t. 01264 347630 © Cotswold Archaeology Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Watching Brief CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 2 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................ 3 The site .............................................................................................................. 3 Archaeological background ................................................................................ 3 Archaeological objectives ................................................................................... 4 Methodology....................................................................................................... 4 2. RESULTS .......................................................................................................... 5 3. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 5 4. CA PROJECT TEAM.......................................................................................... 6 5. REFERENCES................................................................................................... 6 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................... 7 APPENDIX B: OASIS REPORT FORM........................................................................... 8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Site location plan, showing location of monitored groundworks (1:500) Fig. 3 The site prior to monitored groundworks, looking north-east (photo) Fig. 4 West-facing representative section of foundation trench (photo) 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Watching Brief SUMMARY Project Name: Manor House, 4 High Street Location: Sherington, Milton Keynes NGR: SP 8890 4623 Type: Watching brief Date: 23 October 2013–13 August 2014 (intermittent) Planning Reference: 12/01498/FUL Location of Archive: To be deposited with the Buckinghamshire County Museum Service Accession Number: AYBCM: 2013.37 Site Code: SHI 13 MKHER event number: EMK1250 Between October 2013 and August 2014, Cotswold Archaeology carried out an intermittent archaeological watching brief at Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes. The watching brief was maintained during groundworks associated with the construction of a new dwelling at the site. The site is within the grounds of the Manor House, a Grade II-listed building constructed c. 1770. This house replaced the original medieval moated manor house, the moat of which was retained in the landscaped gardens of the 18th-century building. This moat lies to the immediate west of the watching brief site, and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The watching brief identified no archaeological remains within the area of observed groundworks. The presence of a post-medieval “made ground” layer immediately overlying the geological substrate indicates that the ground level at the site has been truncated, presumably during the development of the formal gardens associated with the 18th-century Manor House. Any earlier archaeological remains which may once have been present at the site are likely to have been removed during this process. 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Watching Brief 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Between October 2013 and August 2014, Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an intermittent archaeological watching brief for Mr M Fletcher at Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes (centred on NGR: SP 8890 4623; Fig. 1). 1.2 Planning permission for the construction of a single-storey dwelling within the grounds of the Manor House was granted by Milton Keynes Council (MKC; the local planning authority), conditional on a programme of archaeological work (planning ref: 12/01498/FUL; condition 4). The scope of this watching brief was defined in subsequent discussions with Nick Crank, the MKC Senior Archaeological Officer. 1.3 The watching brief was carried out in accordance with a detailed written scheme of investigation (WSI) produced by CA (2013) and approved by MKC acting on the advice of Nick Crank. The fieldwork also followed the Standard and Guidance for an Archaeological Watching Brief (IfA 2009), the Management of Archaeological Projects 2 (English Heritage 1991) and the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MORPHE): Project Manager’s Guide (English Heritage 2006). The site 1.4 The site encloses an area of approximately 620m² and lies at the southern extent of Sherington Village, on the southern side of the Crofts End road. The site is entirely within the eastern extent of the Manor House grounds. The ground level in the area slopes gently downwards to the south-west, with the site lying close to the 66m Ordnance Survey contour. 1.5 In terms of bedrock geology, the site lies at the boundary of Peterborough Member mudstone and Kellaways Sand Member sandstone and siltstone. No superficial deposits are recorded (BGS 2014). Archaeological background 1.6 Iron Age and Roman pottery has been found in the churchyard of St Laud the Martyr’s Church, which lies some 500m north-east of the watching brief site. An 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Watching Brief undated, poorly-preserved curvilinear earthwork lies in the field to the north of the churchyard. 1.7 The original moated manor house at Sherington was constructed by the Carun family, who acquired the fief in the early 12th century. This building passed through a variety of hands until it was demolished c. 1770 and the extant Manor House was constructed to the immediate west. The moat from the old building was retained in the landscaped gardens for the new Manor House; this moat is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (List entry Number: 1019138; Scheduled Ancient Monument no. 29471), and lies to the immediate west of the present watching brief site. 1.8 The extant Manor House is Grade II listed (List entry number: 1115873). 1.9 In 2009, an archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Archaeological Services & Consultancy Ltd within the grounds of the Manor House, immediately adjacent to the current watching brief site (ASC 2009). A single trench excavated to the south-west of the moat revealed a stony layer. This contained animal bone and fragments of building material, and was probably associated with the construction of the current manor in the 18th century. Archaeological objectives 1.10 The objectives of the archaeological works were: • to monitor the development groundworks, and to identify, investigate and record any significant buried archaeological deposits thus revealed; and • at the conclusion of the project, to produce an integrated project archive and a report setting out the results of the watching brief and the archaeological conclusions that can be drawn from the recorded data. Methodology 1.11 The fieldwork followed the methodology set out within the WSI (CA 2013). An archaeologist was present during intrusive groundworks, which comprised the excavation of wall foundation trenches and trenches for a new heating system (Fig. 2). 4 © Cotswold Archaeology 1.12 Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Watching Brief Written, graphic and photographic records were compiled in accordance with CA Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual (2013). 1.13 The evaluation archive is currently held by CA at their offices in Milton Keynes. CA will make arrangements for the deposition of the archive with the Buckinghamshire County Museum Service under accession number AYBCM: 2013.37. A summary of information from this project, as set out within Appendix B, will be entered onto the OASIS online database of archaeological projects in Britain. 2. RESULTS 2.1 This section provides an overview of the watching brief results. Detailed summaries of the recorded contexts are to be found in Appendix A. See Figures 3 and 4 for photographs of the site. 2.2 Geological substrate 103 comprised yellow-brown sandy clay (revealed at an average depth of 0.95m below the pre-development ground level (BGL)), giving way to blue-grey clay 104 at an average depth of 1.25m BGL. The natural was overlain by 0.4m of silty clay “made ground” deposit 102, which contained fragments of brick and sandstone rubble. This layer was covered in turn by 0.4m of silty clay subsoil 101, and the sequence was sealed by 0.15m of garden soil 100. 2.3 No features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during groundworks and, despite visual scanning of spoil, no artefactual material pre-dating the modern period was recovered. 3. DISCUSSION 3.1 Despite the archaeological potential of the application area (see Archaeological background, above), the watching brief identified no archaeological remains within the area of observed groundworks. The presence of a post-medieval “made ground” layer immediately overlying the natural geological substrate indicates that the ground level at the site has been truncated, presumably during the development of the formal gardens associated with the 18th-century Manor House. Any earlier archaeological remains which may once have been present at the site are likely to have been removed during this process. 5 © Cotswold Archaeology 4. Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Watching Brief CA PROJECT TEAM Fieldwork was undertaken by Peter James, Mark Patenall and Paulo Clemente. This report was written by Dan Stone. The illustrations were prepared by Dan Bashford. The archive has been compiled by Emily Evans and prepared for deposition by Hazel O'Neill. The project was managed for CA by Derek Evans. 5. REFERENCES ASC (Archaeological Services & Consultancy) 2009 Archaeological Evaluation: Sherington Manor, High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes ASC typescript report 1166/SHM/2 BGS (British Geological Survey) 2014 Geology of Britain Viewer http://maps.bgs.ac.uk/geology viewer_google/googleviewer.html Accessed 13 October 2014 CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2013 Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes: Written Scheme of Investigation for an Archaeological Watching Brief 6 © Cotswold Archaeology Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Watching Brief APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS Context No. Type Context interpretation Description Depth/ thickness (m) 100 layer garden soil Dark grey-brown silty clay 0.15 101 layer Dark grey-brown silty clay 0.4 102 layer buried garden soil made ground 0.4 103 geology natural Dark grey-brown silty clay with fragments of brick and limestone Yellow-brown sandy clay 104 geology natural Medium blue-grey clay 0.4 200 layer same as 100 Same as 100 0.15 201 layer same as 101 Same as 101 0.4 202 layer same as 102 Same as 102 0.4 203 geology same as 103 Same as 103 0.3 204 geology same as 104 Same as 104 0.4 300 layer same as 100 Same as 100 0.15 301 layer same as 101 Same as 101 0.4 302 layer same as 102 Same as 102 0.4 303 geology same as 103 Same as 103 0.3 304 geology same as 104 Same as 104 0.4 0.3 7 © Cotswold Archaeology Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Watching Brief APPENDIX B: OASIS REPORT FORM PROJECT DETAILS Project Name Short description (250 words maximum) Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes: Archaeological Watching Brief Between October 2013 and August 2014, Cotswold Archaeology carried out an intermittent archaeological watching brief at Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes. The watching brief was maintained during groundworks associated with the construction of a new dwelling at the site. The site is within the grounds of the Manor House, a Grade II-listed building constructed c. 1770. This house replaced the original medieval moated manor house, the moat of which was retained in the landscaped gardens of the 18th-century building. This moat lies to the immediate west of the watching brief site, and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. OASIS ref. HER event no. Planning app. ref. CA Project no. Report no. CA site code Accession no. Site status NHLE no. Project dates Project type (e.g. desk-based, field evaluation, etc.) Previous work Future work PROJECT LOCATION Site Location 2 Study area (M /ha) Site co-ordinates (8 Fig Grid Reference) PROJECT CREATORS Name of organisation Project Brief originator Project Design (WSI) originator Project Manager Project Supervisor MONUMENT TYPE SIGNIFICANT FINDS PROJECT ARCHIVES Physical Paper Digital BIBLIOGRAPHY The watching brief identified no archaeological remains within the area of observed groundworks. The presence of a post-medieval “made ground” layer immediately overlying the geological substrate indicates that the ground level at the site has been truncated, presumably during the development of the formal gardens associated with the 18th-century Manor House. Any earlier archaeological remains which may once have been present at the site are likely to have been removed during this process. TBC EMK1250 12/01498/FUL 660125 14464 SHI 13 AYBCM: 2013.37 Grade II listed 1115873 23 October 2013–13 August 2014 Watching brief None Unknown Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes 620m² SP 8890 4623 Cotswold Archaeology Milton Keynes Council Cotswold Archaeology Derek Evans Peter James, Mark Patenall, Paulo Clemente None None Intended final location of archive Content (e.g. pottery, (museum/Accession no.) animal bone, etc.) N/A N/A Buckinghamshire County Museum Context sheets, trench Service sheets, registers, etc. Buckinghamshire County Museum Database, digital photos Service Cotswold Archaeology 2014 Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes : Archaeological Watching Brief CA typescript report 14464 8 Site N Cirencester 01285 771022 Cotswold Archaeology Milton Keynes 01908 218320 Andover 01264 347630 w www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk e [email protected] Bu PROJECT TITLE am gh n cki Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes FIGURE TITLE sh ire Site location plan 0 1km Reproduced from the 2006 Ordnance Survey Explorer map with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office c Crown copyright Cotswold Archaeology Ltd 100002109 PROJECT NO. 660125 DJB DRAWN BY APPROVED BY LM DATE 02-10-2014 00 REVISION SCALE@A4 1:25,000 FIGURE NO. 1 3 4 Cirencester 01285 771022 3 4 Cotswold Archaeology The site prior to monitored groundworks, looking north-east West-facing representative section of foundation trench (scale 1m) Milton Keynes 01908 218320 Andover 01264 347630 w www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk e [email protected] PROJECT TITLE Manor House, 4 High Street, Sherington, Milton Keynes FIGURE TITLE Photographs PROJECT NO. 660125 DJB DRAWN BY APPROVED BY LM DATE 02-10-2014 REVISION 00 SCALE@A4 N/A FIGURE NO. 3&4
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