ENN110596 - Gayton Solar Farm, 2022 (Trial trench)

Archaeological trial trench evaluation of two proposed solar farms near Gayton. The northern parcel contained 18 trenches; an undated ditch was identified in one trench. There was no evidence for below-ground archaeological features corresponding to the enclosure anomaly recorded in the eastern part of the area. The southern parcel contained 89 trenches. A number of ditches were recorded in the northern part of the parcel and represented elements of former field systems. Associated dating evidence was rare, although a quantity of mid/late Iron Age pottery was found in one ditch and a single sherd of Roman pottery was found in another. A concentration of ditches and pits dating to the mid/late Iron Age was found in two trenches in the south-western part of the parcel which probably corresponded to sub-cicular enclosures noted by the geophysical survey. Part of a shallow ring ditch was recorded in another.