EDO6262 - School Hill, Chickerell; evaluation 2016

Archaeological evaluation comprising the machine excavation of thirty trenches each 30 metres long. The geology consisted generally of a silty clay with flint and limestone inclusions, and localised outcrops of limestone were also noted. Trenches towards the east of the site contained a clay/silt subsoil which increased in depth southwards down the slope. Traces of limestone or ceramic field drains were seen in most of the trenches. Significant archaeological features or deposits were recorded in Trenches 12-14, 20 and 27. A sinuous gully was seen in Trench 12, and possibly continued into Trench 13. A spread of stones was recorded in the eastern half of Trench 13 and continued into Trench 14. This contained late medieval pottery and ceramic building material, and beneath it were features of Romano-British date, consisting of ditches/gullies and pits. The ditches represent field boundaries and drainage features relating to a probable Romano-British farmstead. A post-medieval ditch was recorded in Trench 27 and a modern ditch in Trench 20; geophysical survey suggested that these two features may be related.