Site Event/Activity record ECH4336 - Archaeological watching brief; Shotwicklodge Farm, Saughall.

The archaeological investigation comprised monitoring of groundworks to the south west of the existing farmyard. The present farmhouse is thought to stand on the site of an earlier, medieval manorial hunting lodge. The topsoil and made ground sealed in an earlier farm surface; a thin layer of manure, hay and straw. Limited root activity could be seen at the base of this deposit, indicating that it was at one time an active surface layer. This farm surface overlay the natural sand clay subsoil. The lack of topsoil between the surface and the subsoil may indicate that the area was levelled prior to being used and as such archaeological deposits or features would have been removed. The subsoil sealed in a deposit of naturally occurring boulder clay.