Monument record 2879 - Excavated Iron Age(?) and Roman Enclosure/Farmstead, South of Puddington Lane

<1> Cheshire Historic Environment Record, 1990-2001, Jill Collens and Rob Philpott's Aerial Photographs, LM 90.2028-32 (10/08/1990), 3.712-4 (10/08/1990) (Aerial Photograph). SCH5403.

A cropmark depicting part of curvilinear enclosure, measuring 90m east-west and 50m north-south. The circuit is incomplete and the southern half of the enclosure is not visible as the cropmark disappears into a area of unripened crop. Discovered during Aerial reconnaissance in 1990.

<2> Various, Written Communication to the HER, Phillpot R 15/02/2011 (Written Communication). SCH3756.

In September 2010 two trenches were excavated across the enclosure ditch by Robert Philpott, National Museums Liverpool. The ditch was up to 2.65m wide and survived up to a depth of 0.94m. Finds included a deposit of charcoal and fire cracked stone, flints, metal working waste and one sherd of prehistoric pottery. Three sherds of relatively unabraded Romano British pottery dating from the 1st to 4th centuries AD were recovered from the subsoil and topsoil and may have been ploughed out of archaeological features. The enclosure is therefore interpreted as possibly late prehistoric and/or Romano-British in date. The circuit, as depicted by the cropmark, is incomplete due to a cropmark in the southern part of the enclosure caused by an area of deeper soil and/or a change in the drift geology.

<3> GSB Prospection, 2011, Puddington Lane, Geophysical Survey, Cheshire, R3283 (Client Report). SCH6678.

A geophysical survey was carried out in 2011 across the extent of the enclosure and its immediate environs in connection with the proposals for the new Wirral HVDC Cable Project. The aim of the exercise was to define the extent of the enclosure more precisely and establish whether other features of potential interest might be present. The perimeter ditch of the enclosure was located, indicating an oval form measuring approximately 91m north-south by 86m east-west. A former field boundary has been noted in the results but this is only really defined from old mapping. All survey areas are dominated by modern ploughing trends; a former sand pit was located in the small survey area to the north of Puddington Lane.

<4> National Museums Liverpool, 2013, Investigation of Two Enclosures at Puddington Lane, Burton, Wirral (Unpublished Report). SCH8302.

Report produced in 2013 by Rober Philpott giving an overview of the programme of archaeological work (field walking, metal detecting, geophysical survey, trial trenching) undertaken for the sub-circular enclosure between 2010-2013 (as described in source 2). From the artefactual evidence recovered, three main phases of activity on site were identified. The earliest evidence consists of lithics (worked chert and flint) of early Mesolithic date found in the topsoil and enclosure ditches, these are thought to be residual, but indicates a more widespread and diffuse earlier activity across the site. A later prehistoric pottery sherd, probably Iron Age, was recovered from a primary fill of the enclosure ditch, providing evidence that the enclosure was constructed and used from this date. Three pottery sherds of Roman date were recovered, including a black-burnished sherd from a primary fill of the ditch, dating between 120-350 AD. The other sherds recovered were a piece of Cheshire Plains orange ware, of probable second to third century date, and a mortarium rim dating to the late third to mid fourth century, indicating later activity on site. Both trenches produced evidence of metal working waste.

The report also details a subsequent and similar programme of work, undertaken in 2013, focusing on a second, sub-rectangular enclosure located immediately to the north of the first (recorded separately as monument 2880). This assessment proved that both enclosures were of Romano-British date and apparently occupied at the same time, so raising questions on the relationship between the two adjacent sites. It is possible that the sub-circular enclosure represents the earlier of the two enclosures, being established in the Iron Age and displaying a traditional form of sub-circular enclosure plan in use in this region during this period. This enclosure was also occupied, although not necessarilly continuously, in the Roman period with pottery sherds found from the second century and also the later third to mid fourth century. The artefactual evidence for the northern enclosure indicate a Roman date, with a foundation in the mid second century. It is possible that the reason for the co-existance of the two enclosures is that they performed different functions, whether for different combinations of agricultural, dwelling, or small-scale industrial use, or possibly it demonstrates different ownership, or indeed a fission of holdings through population growth.

<5> Oxford Archaeology North, 2017, Excavation of Two Enclosures at Puddington Lane, Burton, Wirral, Merseyside: Assessment Report, R4052 (Client Report). SCH8301.

In 2015 further archaeological investigative work was carried out on the two enclosures at Puddington as a result of the laying of underground cable for the Wirral HVDC Project. The southern enclosure was not directly affected by the cable route, but the area immediately to the west of the enclosure was. The area excavation (trench XII) , undertaken in July 2015, was confined to the area of the easement for the cable. Most of the excavated features were linear ditches which corresponded with post medieval field boundaries shown on historic mapping, or which contained post medieval ceramics. However, five cut features were identified which may relate to the cropmark enclosure although there was little evidence for their function or date and they are very widely dispersed. The fills of these features were broadly similar to those of the cut features associated with the northern enclosure (see 2880) which suggests that they are related to the enclosure to the east. This report also presents a detailed overview and sysnthesis of all the previous phases of work.