ENN111289 - Preston Deanery Solar Farm, 2023 (Trial trench)

Archaeological remains were concentrated in the north-east corner of the site, where a series of ditches were identified that corresponded with the position of anomalies recorded by the geophysical survey previously conducted across the proposed development area. Most of the recorded features dated to the Middle Iron Age and these produced a small assemblage of pottery, animal bone and a single spindlewhorl. The Middle Iron Age features most probably derive from activities that occurred on the periphery of a nearby settlement and some of the recorded features may have formed part of an enclosure. A further probable enclosure was also recorded, which possibly dated to the Late Iron Age. In the north of the site, three ditches dating to the Romano-British period were recorded, all within a single trench. Two of the smaller ditches identified possibly comprised cultivation ditches (also referred to as planting trenches) and the other feature – a large north-east to southwest aligned ditch – probably comprised a former field boundary. This ditch produced most of the finds from the site, including pottery, slag, animal bone and an assemblage of charred plant remains. These features probably related to the agricultural use of the site in the Romano-British period and the site was probably located on the periphery of a nearby settlement. Overall, only limited archaeological evidence was recorded within the proposed development area and this suggests that for much of the past, the site has been located within the agricultural hinterlands of nearby settlements. The large number of furrows recorded across the site – which were unable to be dated – further indicates that this parcel of land has a long history of being used for arable agriculture. [Inf from OASIS online form]