Find Spot record MDO8835 - Peat deposits at Parley Court Farm, Hurn

Peat deposits sampled and analysed in the course of an archaeological evaluation of the site in 1993. The peat deposits were considered to be relatively modern.

Archaeological evaluation revealed an undated ditch and two gullies, and four peat-filled former watercourses, all in the northern half of the site. The excavators felt that the ditch related to a former drain noted on OS maps as recently as 1976. No finds were recovered during the evaluation. Analysis of a column of peat samples taken from one of the former watercourses revealed the peat to be a relatively modern formation.

<1> Crockett, A and Fitzpatrick, A P, 1993, Parley Court Farm, Hurn, Dorset: Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SDO12552.

‘… four of the trenches (14, 15, 17 and 18) revealed evidence for peat-filled former watercourses. A column for environmental samples was taken from the peat in Trench 18 … Channel 1404 (Trench 14) and channel 1503 (Trench 15) were identified as part of the same curving channel, traceable as a visible earthwork across the site. … Sample column 1850, incorporating six samples of peat (1851 – 1856), was taken through the channel of the former watercourse 1803 (Trench 18) as such relict channels are potentially of major importance as the peats may contain a long sequence of vegetational and human land-use history. The peat sequence was about 0.6m deep and was not accompanied by any dating evidence. It was overlain by up to 0.2m of topsoil.
All the sampled peat was subject to a visual examination, and seen to consist of moist light unconsolidated silty humic peat to peaty organic matter 2.5YR 2/1 to 10YR 2/2 (black to very dark brown). Preservation of plant macrofossil remains was very high and many elements were very well preserved; an almost complete leaf (cf. Fagus) was recovered from one of the samples. The nature of the fabric of the peat, its organic contents and general moistness etc., make it likely that this peat is of historic date (i.e. relatively modern). It is not well decomposed nor easily paralleled with ancient (i.e. or early prehistoric) peats recorded.
The likelihood that the peat is relatively modern, together with the lack of dating evidence makes the palaeo-environmental potential and analytical value of these sequences low.’

Record last edited

May 20 2019 2:17PM