Site Event/Activity record ECH6456 - Mickle Trafford to Ellesmere Port Pipeline, Cheshire: Archaeological Evaluation and Palaeoecological Analysis

Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) undertook a programme of archaeological assessment, requested by the Chester City Archaeologist, on behalf of United Utilities Ltd, in advance of the proposed route for a new waste water pipeline. The pipeline runs from Ellesmere Port Waste Water Treatment Works SJ 3423 3740 to Mickle Trafford Waste Water Treatment Works SJ 3440 3709. The archaeological programme of work comprised a desk-based assessment in conjunction with a palaeoenvironmental assessment, rapid identification walkover and geophysical survey, undertaken during April 2003 (OA North 2003). The proposed pipeline would necessitate the below-ground disturbance of a large area of land, and so the possibility that archaeological deposits would be disturbed during the work was considered to be high. The brief requested a desk-based assessment and walkover survey to include a geophysical investigation and environmental sampling. The study was intended to appraise rapidly the likely archaeological value of the specified area, and to locate and record potentially interesting or important features in the landscape, whether or not they were visible as surface remains. Following on from, and informed by, the first phase of work a full programme of evaluation trenching was implemented to cover 5% of the targeted study area located in the southern part of the pipeline route, in the area to the south-east of Picton. This amounted to 400m2 of trenching, eight trenches of varying length were excavated as dictated by surface topography and restrictions imposed by the ecological fencing across the study area. The trenching was recommended in this area where archaeological potential was thought to be high, based on previous field walking exercises and the results of the geophysical survey. The majority of the trenches were orientated north-south and excavated to an average depth of 0.65m. Trenches 3 and 7 failed to produce any features or deposits of an archaeological nature, although the topsoil and subsoil of Trench 7 produced a small number of post-medieval potsherds. A number of land drains, aligned approximately west-south-west/east-north-east, were recorded in the other six trenches These drains were all agricultural in character and date in all probability to the modern period. The subsoil from Trench 8, 802, produced a single medieval potsherd from the twelfth or thirteenth century, and the subsoil of Trench 2 contained two heavily abraded potsherds, potentially of medieval date although far too abraded for conclusive identification. Seven post-medieval potsherds, twenty two ceramic building material fragments and two pieces of burnt or cremated animal bone were recovered from both the topsoils and subsoils of the trenches, with the exception of Trenches 3 and 4. In addition to two of the land drains previously noted, Trench 1 contained, a possible plough scar haphazardly cutting into the natural geology on a west-south-west/east-north-east alignment. This feature produced a single fifteenth century potsherd. The evaluation was accompanied by a palaeoecological analysis of the palaeochannel in the northern part of the route identified by the earlier palaeoenvironmental assessment (OA North 2003), which runs parallel to the River Gowy, from which three cores were taken to examine the environmental conditions of the site during the period represented by the sediments collected. Subsequently, a series of cores was taken (0.00-1.37m from ground level), using a hand-held gouge auger, from the location of Core 7a for palaeoecological examination in order to determine the environmental conditions of the site during the time represented by the sediment sequence. Twenty-four subsamples were submitted for palynological analysis, and two for radiocarbon dating. The first of the two samples submitted for dating was taken from near the surface of the uppermost clayey organic silt in order to provide a date from near the surface of the deposits; it provided a date of 780 Cal AD – 990 Cal AD. Material for the other date came from near the base of the profile, providing a date of 3100 Cal BC – 2900 Cal BC. The pollen assemblages of the samples submitted from Mickle Trafford provide evidence for the environment around the coring site over approximately the last 5000 years. Three specific clearance phases seem to be represented. The first phase occurred in Neolithic times when there was some clearance of the deciduous lime/oak woodland, possibly including the use of fire indicated by the charcoal content in the samples, and the growth of cereals. The second phase, perhaps during the Bronze Age, featured cereal growth and pasturing. The third phase comprised the major clearance of woodland, probably in the late Iron Age/early Roman times, with extensive arable and pastoral farming. (1)