Promoting awareness of the archaeology and history of north Devon
Promoting awareness of the archaeology and history of north Devon
WEST YEO FARM, WITHERIDGE
Page 1 - April 2009 - Society visit to West Yeo Farm - link
Page 2 - June 2009 - Geophysical survey, Pond Meadow and garden feature - link
Page 3 - July 2009 - Fieldwalk of New Close - link
Page 4 - October 2009 - Fieldwalk at Long Park - link
Page 5 - March 2010 - Earthwork Survey and Planning, Causeway - April 2010 - Geophysics survey Pond Meadow: barn, cottage site, feature opposite quarry - link
Page 6 – Spring/Summer 2010 – Excavation, gradiometry training and Fieldwalking Long Park - link
Page 7 - Spring/Summer 2011 - Excavatons - link
Page 8 - Autumn 2011 - Excavations
WORK AT WEST YEO FARM, AUTUMN 2011
Interim Report
August 2011
T4: Removed layer C421 (dark stony soil) plus 1” of clay pad, to determine extent of clay layer. Tiny Mesolithic bladelet butt (damaged) found by Eastern section (SF No. 111).
T4 - Removing 421, dark stony soil from clay surface.
Two parallel lines of medium sized stones appearing from out of W section, towards SE. Possible drain/gulley - F425. Small stakeholes in clay pad near North section. Find: copper alloy strip – possible old knife blade (damaged) found at S edge of clay band (SF No110).
T4 - Two parallel lines diagonal N-S (left to right).
Sieved soil from the gully of the wall feature F407 (sample S7). No finds.
Examined stake holes – some disregarded as small depressions containing dark soil. New stakehole identified in NW corner F429.
T6 Pond meadow (test pit):
Half sectioned, taken down to look for stone wall or natural. Revealed small/med angular stones at North end. Finds: iron hinge/ pieces of farm tool, green glass, pot handle, glazed pot. 2 cobbles. Wall plaster, Substantial amount of lime mortar at S end.
T5: Cleaned NW corner. Apparent ditch 0.6 m wide abutting (west of) wall F5(4), with dark soil/tumbled stone. Possible foundation ditch for wall?
New feature noticed beside west section: 2 parallel lines of medium stones E – W from west section, dark soil in between. Appear to be edging stones bordering an area of red ?natural clay in NW corner. Also noted concentration of stones in the west section immediately above the gap between these lines. Finds: salt glazed pot sherds, bottle glass, thin flat green glass (window?). Brick sherds. Internally glazed pot sherds.
North West corner of T5.
Cleaning W – E across clay band, removing dark charcoal stained soil C514 revealed definite edge to clay band, becoming heavier mid brown loam to east with small stones underneath. Dark ?burned soil going into south section. Gap in small stony surface may have been caused by mechanical digger on opening trench. No finds.
T5 - cleaning west to east, revealing limit of clay band (?robbed out wall).
South East 2m section W-E; removal of mid brown soil around small stones revealed hard layer of close packed small stones, resembling a floor surface (C524) with possible circular edge of larger flat stone.
Central; more flat stones SE – NW towards a depression in the clay band, soggy stone-filled depression to west still beside clay band.
Drain gully revealed parallel/alongside clay band NE/SW ?eaves drip/drain C525.
Another drainage gully 527 NW/SE – big flat stones – straight edge and side next to floor/stony layer, running towards C525.
Eastern central; curved shallow gully 528 revealed when lifting flat stone in circular edging stones next to small stony surface, SE-NW from SE corner. Possible continuation of gully up towards wall F5(4). Stakehole F5(21) examined and disregarded.
Plan drawing done.
September (very wet, trenches filled with water, had to be baled out and not able to work properly.
Two waterlogged trenches!
T4: Cleaned clay surface again. Noted spread of loose angular stone in north section directly dumped onto clay. Therefore assume clay C404 is not natural and could be floor surface! Clay surface dips down at southern edge. With layer of hard packed small stones C431 underneath (?possible preparation layer for clay floor?).
1 small sherd 13-15th C pot. 1 green glaze pot sherd and 2 medieval gritty pot.
NW corner; drain feature runs SE in a gully of dark soil and stones. With larger stones appearing at south termination of gully. ?possible sump C432. Flint SF112 and thin piece 13-15th C medieval pot SF114 and piece of charcoal.
 T4 - looking west. Diagonal gully of stones ending in 'sump', central to picture. |
 T4 - cleaning termination of 'sump' - 13th-15th C pot found here. Note dark soil next to clay band extreme left of photo beside wall. |
Cleaned off 2m Southern section to expose red clay band and dark soil next to South section, East of wall feature. No finds. Cleaned off “sump” and started plan drawing.
T5: Emptied posthole F5(23). Dark soil fill and stake remnant SF No.122 + 1 glazed pot sherd. … Rain stopped play.
Final day in late September, 2 more gulleys revealed. One east of robbed out wall is a stone lined drain C525. 1 curved gulley from wet area at junction of walls F5(4) and F5(2). Also made a small section beside west section between parallel stone rows, into apparent small pit of dark soil C532. Some pot and bone. Drawings completed.
Drains numbered as follows:
528 Curved stone lined drain
527 Straight covered drain joining 528
525 Drain beside clay band (S)
523 Heavy stones beside clay band (covering drain?)
 Photo of final drains in T5, September 2011. |
 Photo of T5 with final view of complete trench, September, with possible pit to west. |
On the last wet day, members walked the north boundary of oval feature shown on the Tithe map to look for “missing” portion of boundary – bumps evident in field. Possibly return in 2012 to carry out geophys earth resistance to compare results with boundary line (old road) in Pond Meadow on previous geophys. Also looked at remaining linhay; possibly to return to do a building recording. (Also to compare materials/size of wall with that found in T5).
Dr Andy Woodcock identified a D shaped gunflint (unstratified) from T5 and a stone rubbing ball from T4.
Both trenches covered with terram, T5 to be backfilled by farmer. T4 to remain open until spring 2012 for further limited excavation.
Derry Bryant, November 2011