Monument record 15398 - Speakman's Moss

<1> Leah, MD; Wells, CE; Appleby, C; Huckerby, E, 1997, The Wetlands of Cheshire (North West Wetlands Survey 4), p.124, 194 (Monograph). SCH3260.

Speakman's Moss was investigated by the North West Wetlands project, an archaeological and paleoecological study of the varied wetlands of Cheshire, undertaken between 1993-95. It forms part of a series of wetlands lying between Crewe and the Shropshire border, with a further outlying group to the north-east, between Crewe and Alsager. Within this area, a variety of wetland types is represented from numerous small basin mires, often less than 1 hectare in extent, to the valley mire deposits found alongside some of the minor rivers and streams. Larger mosses (circa 10-20 hectares) such as White Moss, Oakhanger Moss and Wybunbury Moss, also occur. The underlying geology is masked by drift deposits made up of both till and fluvio-glacial sands and gravels. In places these deposits have resulted in the flat landscape characteristic of the Cheshire Plain, but in some areas, particularly to the south of Crewe, a much more varied and irregular topography occurs. Many wetlands developed in kettle holes left in the surface of these glacial deposits, although the role of subsidence of salt solution hollows also played a part in some cases, such as Wybunbury.

Speakman's Moss is located on the Doddington Estate, the location of several small basin mires which form the eastern extent of a cluster of basin mires roughly contained within the triangle of roads formed by the A51, B5071 and Bridgemere-Birchall Moss minor road. Of the Doddington Estate mires, Speakman's Moss, together with Pepperstreet Moss (CHER 15397), were chosen for palaeolecological study, whilst Birchall Moss (CHER 15382) was selected for an example of a mire on the western extent of the cluster. Both sites support stands of woodland which have helped preserve deep peat deposits. The stratigraphy of both sites is similar; the base of the mosses contain gyttjas, with the organic infill comrising sequences of sedge/wood peats, Eriophorum/Calluna peats and Sphagnum peats. Both mosses contained S sect Cuspidata pool peats circa 0.20-0.35m deep, while macroscopic charcoal was also recorded in the Pepperstreet peats.

Speakman's Moss proved to have 3.40m of organic deposits. A single sample was taken at 3.40m depth and the pollen content examined. The pollen spectrum consisted of 57% birch, 4.5% willow, 2% juniper and a variety of herbs. This suggests an open birch scrub from the late post-Glacial transition or Devensian II, indicating that the site could provide a record for the early Flandrian period, including the Mesolithic and possibly Neolithic.