Site Event/Activity record ECH6413 - Excavation of Two Enclosures at Puddington Lane, Burton, Wirral, Merseyside: Assessment Report

A programme of archaeological mitigation was undertaken in response to the installation of the Western Link HVDC cable route. This report focuses on the results of investigation of two specific enclosure sites at Burton, Wirral (monuments 2879 and 2880). Both enclosures were first identified as cropmarks during aerial reconnaissance in 1989-1990 and are located either side (north and south) of Puddington Lane. Between 2010 to 2013 archaeological work undertaken by the National Museums Liverpool included field walking, metal detecting and trial trenching for both enclosures, and geophysical survey for just the southern enclosure (see ECH4784 and ECH4301). Further excavation, preceding installation of the ‘Western Link’ cable, was conducted in June and July 2015, by staff from Oxford Archaeology North and National Museums Liverpool. This report gives an overview of all the stages of work undertaken and gives recommendations for further study. The work done between 2010-2013 indicated that the southern, sub-circular enclosure was established in the late Prehistoric, probably Iron Age, period, and that it continued in use, although not necessarilly continuously, into the Roman period (late third/mid fourth century AD). The two trenches excavated located the perimeter ditch of the enclosure. The area excavation undertaken in 2015 was confined to the route of the easement for the cable which was being laid in the area to the west of the enclosure. Although this section of the route did not cross the enclosure it did expose five pits likely to be associated with it. The earlier evaluation (2013) similarly indicated a Roman date (second to late third/mid fourth century AD) for the northern enclosure. Two trenches located the perimeter ditch of the enclosure on the south and east sides. A further ditch extending into the north-east extent of the enclosure recorded post holes and a probable oven. The 2015 excavations consisted of a mixture of trial trenches and area excavation where the cable route crossed the north-west quadrant of the enclosure. This work demonstrated that the enclosure was defined by a single ditch and that it contained widely scattered post-holes, pits and gullies likely to relate to buildings and other structures. Finds consisted of pottery, metalwork, glass, industrial waste from metalworking and other material which suggest that the main phase of occupation dated to the mid third to fourth century AD, though there are hints of earlier late first to mid second century activity and possibly even Bronze Age. (1-2)