Author: Yvonne Wolframm-Murray. Illustrations: Olly Dindol. Northampton. Project Manager: Antony Maull

Transcription

1 Written Scheme of Investigation for a programme of archaeological observation, investigation, recording, publication and archiving at Dinton Castle, Dinton, Buckinghamshire Author: Yvonne Wolframm-Murray Illustrations: Olly Dindol MOLA Northampton Project Manager: Antony Maull Event Number: TBC NGR: SP MOLA Bolton House Wootton Hall Park Northampton NN4 8BN sparry@mola.org.uk

2 Written Scheme of Investigation for a programme of archaeological observation, investigation, recording, publication and archiving at Dinton Castle, Dinton Buckinghamshire Accession No: TBC Project Manager: Antony Maull Planning application: 16/02259/APP Issue No. Date approved: Quality control and sign off: Checked by: Verified by: Approved by: Reason for Issue: 1 01/02/2017 Claire Finn Steve Parry Draft for client approval 2 06/02/2017 Claire Finn Corrections in line with client comments Author: Yvonne Wolframm-Murray Illustrations: Olly Dindol MOLA Northampton 2016 MOLA Bolton House Wootton Hall Park Northampton NN4 8BN sparry@mola.org.uk MOLA Northampton is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with company registration number and charity registration number Registered office: Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London N1 7ED.

3 Written Scheme of Investigation for a programme of archaeological observation, investigation, recording, publication and archiving at Dinton Castle, Dinton, Buckinghamshire SITE NAME: Dinton Castle, Dinton NATIONAL GRID REF: SP CLIENTS: Jaime Fernandez DATE: 31 January 2017 ACCESSION No: PLANNING APP: TBC 16/02259/APP LISTED BUILDING CONSENT: 16/02261/ALB CONTRACTOR: MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) Bolton House Wootton Hall Park Northampton, NN4 8BN 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 MOLA has been commissioned by Mr J Fernandez, to carry out a programme of archaeological observation, investigation, recording, publication and archiving at Dinton Castle, Dinton, Buckinghamshire (NGR SP , Fig 1). A planning application has been approved to restore the castle to its original function as an accessible, utilitarian building, and change its use to a dwelling (Planning App. 16/02259/APP), with Listed Building Consent (16/02261/ALB). 1.2 Phil Markham, Senior Archaeological Officer with the Buckinghamshire County Archaeological Service (BCAS) has advised that a programme of archaeological investigation, recording, publication and archiving should be undertaken in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF; DCLG 2012) 1.3 This Written Scheme of Investigation has been prepared by MOLA to describe the proposed methodology to be undertaken for the archaeological works. It has been produced in accordance with current best archaeological practice as defined in the Chartered Institute for Archaeology s Code of Conduct (CIfA 2014a) and Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Watching Brief (CIfA 2014b), and county guidelines (BCAS 2015). The procedural document Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MoRPHE) (HE 2015) was also adhered to. 1.4 An accession number will be requested prior to the commencement of works. This will be used as the site code. MOLA Page 1 of 8

4 2 BACKGROUND AND BUILDING Location, topography and geology 2.1 The proposed development area lies c 450m north of Dinton and c 4km south-west of Aylesbury. The castle is situated on a ridge and is surrounded by trees and arable fields to its west, east and north. The Aylesbury to Thame Road (A418, Aylesbury Road) is located on its south-east side. 2.2 The area lies at c.110m above Ordnance Datum (aod). The underlying geology lies on the border of two formations which are Whitchurch Sand Formation sandstone and Purbeck Group - limestone and argillaceous rocks, ( The soil is Aberford association loam over limestone. The history of Dinton Castle 2.3 A Heritage Assessment for the site has recently been undertaken by MOLA (Strawbridge 2016) and previously a building recording survey was carried out in 2009 (Wolframm- Murray 2010). HER information pertinent to the site was summarised by Buckinghamshire County Archaeological Service (Markham 2016). The following historical background is summarised from these documents. 2.4 Dinton Castle is a Grade II* listed building located beside the Aylesbury to Thame Road (A 418, Oxford Road), near Dinton. Whilst it is listed as a sham gothic castle it was built in 1769 by John Vanhattem to house his collection of fossils. Dinton Castle is located a short distance north-east from Dinton Hall, and was built on a ridge with the aim to be seen from the grounds of the Hall as an eye catcher (Images of England number ww.imagesofengland.org.uk, Whitelaw 1997). An investigation of the relevant maps shows it first appearing on the 1879 Ordnance Survey map. Dinton Castle does not lie within the Dinton, Wellington, Upton and Gibraltar Conservation Area (Strawbridge 2016). 2.5 Dinton Castle has a castellated form typical of the period and reflects its location on high ground, a reference to earlier defensive structures. A survey in 2009, in advance of consolidation work due to deterioration, provided a drawn internal elevation showing differentiating blocks of stone and brickwork. The drawing also shows any missing brickwork. Photographs were taken during the renovation and also on a visit after the works were completed and with the scaffolding removed. The structure was stabilized by replacing any missing or damaged bricks on the internal walls, the parapet, and the window detailing. New wooden lintels were inserted in the windows and wooden bracketing. Second floor windows have been repaired and the window above the entrance had its external carved stone ogee arch replaced (Wolframm-Murray 2010). 2.6 Dinton Castle is octagonal with projecting faceted bays in plan. There are remains of a porch on the south side. The main body of the building comprises two stories with a halfbasement. There is a single room per floor. The two turrets house the staircase and fireplaces and are three stories tall. The building was constructed of both limestone and red brick. The structure included large ammonites incorporated in its external walls. The survey found that the lower and upper floors were originally finished differently, with the former plastered and the latter probably panelled (Wolframm-Murray 2010). Historical and archaeological background 2.7 The earliest relevant finds recorded in the Historic Environment Record (HER) referred to a Neolithic pit and Neolithic to Bronze Age worked flint found in evaluation trenches for the golf course (Markham 2016). 2.8 The ridge around Dinton Castle was also the location of an early Saxon cemetery, (Aylesbury Vale District Council 2008). The 1879 and 1938 Ordnance Survey Maps MOLA Page 2 of 8

5 make note of Saxon remains at this location. In the HER, reference has been made to a Saxon inhumation cemetery that was found during the excavation of the foundations of the castle (Markham 2016). The Buckinghamshire County Museum record card refers to glass vessel and spear heads as finds along with the bones found in Further excavations to the west and north-west of Dinton Castle were carried out in 1859 by Akerman and Rev. Goodall with a similar range of finds. To the north-west further skeletons with pot and glass fragments were found. 2.9 An evaluation was carried out at the location of a proposed golf course in the early 1990s, 11m to the west of the site. The excavations revealed further skeletons with grave goods, including brooches, beads, knives and urns among the finds. Also a possible boundary ditch of the cemetery and an Iron Age ditch with pottery sherds were uncovered (Hunn et al 1994) The Dinton name is possibly Anglo-Saxon in origin, however the earliest mention is in the Domesday Book as Danitone, owned by Bishop of Bayeux. Several Deserted Medieval Villages (DMVs) with largely well-preserved earthworks are in the vicinity; the closest is south-east of Wallace Farm. Medieval ridge and furrow field systems are also present along with a Scheduled medieval moat (Strawbridge 2016) The characteristics of the historic landscape are predominantly Parliamentary enclosure fields, enclosed in There is also evidence of earlier, pre 18th century, irregular fields systems (Strawbridge 2016) There are fourteen listed buildings in the vicinity, including Dinton Hall. Dinton Castle used to be within the grounds of Dinton Hall where it served as an eye catcher (Strawbridge 2016). 3 OBJECTIVES 3.1 The aims of the observation and recording works are to: mitigate the impact of the development through preservation by record; establish the date, nature and extent of activity or occupation in the development site; establish the relationship of any remains found to the surrounding contemporary landscapes; recover artefacts to assist in the development of type series within the region; recover paleo-environmental remains to determine local environmental conditions as an intrinsic part of the investigation. 3.2 Specific research objectives will be drawn from national and regional research frameworks as relevant depending upon the results of the work (EH 1991 and 1997; Hey and Hind 2014). 4 METHODOLOGY 4.1 The archaeological fieldwork will comprise the continuous observation of removal of overburden to the required formation depth or the highest archaeological horizon, whichever is encountered first. This will be followed by the investigation and recording of any archaeological features that are revealed. The monitoring and recording will cover all development groundworks, including services, access, and landscaping. 4.2 The archaeological monitoring and recording work will record the location, extent, date, character, condition, significance and quality of any surviving archaeological remains. MOLA Page 3 of 8

6 4.3 A toothless bucket will be used for the removal of topsoil and subsoil down to the final formation level or identified archaeological deposits. Any archaeological deposits encountered will be sampled sufficiently by hand excavation to determine their date and character. 4.4 All archaeological deposits and artefacts encountered during the course of excavation will be fully recorded. Recording will follow standard MOLA procedures (MOLA 2014). All archaeological features will be given a separate context number. Deposits will be described on pro-forma context sheets to include details of the context, its relationships, interpretation and a checklist of associated finds. Finds will be collected from the individual deposits and appropriately packed and stored in stable conditions by context. Artefacts will be collected by hand and retained, receiving appropriate care prior to removal from site (CIfA 2014c; Watkinson and Neal 2001). Unstratified animal bones and modern material will not be collected. Material that comprises a large quantity of a standard product (e.g. brick or tile) will be retained as a sub-sample representing its typical composition. 4.5 The location of any archaeological features will be plotted on a general site plan, which will be annotated as appropriate. If no archaeological remains are found annotated sketch sections will be prepared to illustrate the general stratigraphy. Measured plans at 1:50 and sections will be drawn at an appropriate scale where necessary. 4.6 In addition, a record and plan(s) will also be made of: the investigation area; the state and nature of any archaeological resource that is to remain undisturbed by the works. This will include an interpretative model and plan of the areas of surviving archaeological deposits, detailing depth of overburden and top and bottom of deposits. 4.7 A photographic record will be maintained by high resolution digital photography exceeding 12 megapixels, and monochrome negatives. 4.8 If any burials are encountered they will be investigated sufficiently to confirm identification and then left in situ. BCAS Senior Archaeological Officer, H M Coroner and the client will be informed immediately upon discovery of human remains. It is proposed to leave burials in situ. Alternative routes of service trenches have been proposed. If removal is required by the monitoring officer this will take place under the appropriate licence and according to the conditions set out therein. 4.9 Samples will be taken for environmental analysis from all suitable contexts following the guidance for sampling as outlined by Historic England (Campbell, Moffett and Straker 2011). Bulk environmental soil samples would normally be taken from securely dated, sealed archaeological features or deposits for plant macro fossils, small animal bones and small artefacts. The volume of such samples will be context and sediment specific and will be 40 litres or 100% of feature fills (whichever is less). If necessary advice on sampling strategies will be sought from Historic England s Regional Scientific Advisor and specialist consultants (see below) All samples will be processed at MOLA, using the flotation technique to retrieve seed, charcoal and mollusc remains. All the resultant residues will then be hand sorted to retrieve bones and other finds The excavated area and spoil heaps will be scanned with a metal detector to ensure maximum finds retrieval. The requirements of the Treasure Act (1996) will be adhered to. Finds coming under the definition of treasure as defined by the Treasure Act 1996 will be reported to the Coroner and dealt with under the procedures of the Treasure Act and Code of Practice. This includes both precious metals and base metals where they are of prehistoric date. Suitable measures will be taken to ensure their security where removal MOLA Page 4 of 8

7 cannot take place (i.e. they are within a human burial). Any finds falling under the provision of the Treasure Act will notified to the Portable Antiquities Scheme within 48 hours Should significant archaeological deposits or structural remains be encountered that require preservation in situ, consultation will be held with both the client and the BCAS Senior Archaeological Officer in order to pursue an appropriate methodology. 5 POST-EXCAVATION, REPORTING AND ARCHIVE 5.1 The post-excavation aspect of the project will be undertaken following the methodology set out in MoRPHE (HE 2015) and the CIfA (CIfA 2014c). All finds will be cleaned, catalogued and prepared for storage in accordance with the guidelines contained in Guidelines for the Presentation of Excavation Archives for Long Term Storage, Guidelines no.2 (Walker 1990) and Standards in the Museum Care of Archaeological Collections (MGC 1992). 5.2 A report will be produced between 4-6 weeks after the completion of the fieldwork which will include all current stages of the work. Any variation to the reporting timetable due to the site evidence/specialist input will be discussed with the University of Buckingham and BCAS Senior Archaeological Officer. The report will be prepared following the CIfA Standard and Guidance documents (CIfA 2014b, c and d) and fully consider the results of previous archaeological work in the immediate and regional surroundings where appropriate and relevant. 5.3 Specialist reports will be added as necessary, with acknowledgements, bibliography and contents included. The MPRG's A Standard for Pottery Studies in Archaeology will be adhered to (Barclay et al 2016). If human remains are encountered the post-excavation assessment will contain an analysis of the remains, address future research potential and options for reburial. 5.4 Accompanying illustrations will include a location plan at national, regional and local levels. A location plan of all interventions on the site, based on Ordnance Survey, will show main archaeological features. Scaled site plans and sections will be reproduced. 5.5 A draft copy of the report will be submitted to BCAS Senior Archaeological Officer for comment. Once approved, one pdf digital copy and one hard copy will be supplied to the local planning authority and Buckinghamshire Historic Environment Record (HER), and any other relevant parties. 5.6 The physical site archive will be available for deposition within six months of completion of the fieldwork, under Accession Code (number TBC). The site archive will be accompanied by the research archive, which will comprise the text, tabulated data, the original drawings and all other records generated in the analysis of the site archive. The archive will be fully catalogued and prepared for deposition in accordance with the specific Buckinghamshire archiving standard (BCM 2013), as well as with national guidelines by Walker (1990), Brown (2011), the CIfA (2014f) and the Museum and Galleries Commission (1992). Any material requiring special curation will be handled under the recognised guidelines (Watkinson and Neal 2001). Specifications for the long term storage of the remaining digital archive material is currently under review at MOLA and final storage will be agreed at completion of the project. 5.7 The completed project archive will be made available for submission to a suitable repository, including a digital copy of the final report. If there is no further stage of archaeological work, but the results of the evaluation are of sufficient interest, publication as a summary will be considered in the appropriate local journal. 5.8 All projects conducted by MOLA contain an Online Access to the Index of Archaeological Investigations (OASIS III) registration form in the front pages of the report. This data is used to keep the online database up to date with the most recent projects conducted by MOLA Page 5 of 8

8 MOLA. When completed the digital report will be uploaded to OASIS for submission to the Archaeological Data Service (ADS) website. 6 KEY PERSONNEL AND TIMETABLE 6.1 MOLA is a CIfA registered organisation, under the overall management of Janet Miller MA FSA, Chief Executive Officer. MOLA Northampton is under the overall management of Steve Parry BA MA FSA MCIfA, Director. 6.2 The project will be carried out under the management of Ant Maull Arch Cert, Project Manager. The fieldwork will be supervised by one of MOLA s qualified and experienced supervisors supported by Project Assistants drawn from MOLA s team of permanent and temporary staff if required. The number of staff may fluctuate, depending upon the material found and will be deployed accordingly. All staff will be suitably competent to undertake the tasks to which they are appointed. 6.3 Tora Hylton, Finds Manager will examine small finds and appoint specialists as required. Specialist analysis will be undertaken by period and artefact specialists from MOLA, or regularly used by MOLA. Other project staff will be appointed as appropriate and may include key staff from the table below: Flint Yvonne Wolframm-Murray BSc PhD (MOLA) Prehistoric pottery Andy Chapman BSc MCIfA FSA (MOLA ) Roman pottery Rob Perrin BA MLitt PGCE MCIfA FSA (Freelance specialist) Jane Timby (Freelance Specialist) Medieval pottery Paul Blinkhorn BTech (Freelance specialist) Ceramic building material Pat Chapman BA CMS ACIfA (MOLA) Coins, metalwork, and small finds Tora Hylton (MOLA) Conservation/ x-ray photography MOLA London Faunal remains Rebecca Gordon BSc MSc (MOLA) Plant macrofossils Karen Stewart, Senior Archaeobotanist, (MOLA) Val Fryer BA MCIfA (Freelance specialist) 6.4 The commencement date of the work outlined above is currently 7th March The fieldwork is expected to take 2 to 3 days to complete. The Archaeological Officer for BCAS will be given at least one weeks notice of commencement of works, monitoring will be agreed appropriately. 7 HEALTH AND SAFETY 7.1 A site specific risk assessment and safety plan (RAMS) will be prepared before the start of the project and will be updated throughout the project if appropriate. All site staff are inducted in the site specific risk assessment and made aware of potential hazards before they commence the works on site. 7.2 MOLA is a responsible employer and all work is conducted in accordance with MOLA s established Health and Safety Policy. This provides a practical framework for the implementation of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the management of Health and Safety at Work regulations 1992 and other relevant legislation. MOLA Page 6 of 8

9 BIBLIOGRAPHY Aylesbury Vale District Council 2008, Dinton, Westlington, Upton and Gibraltar Conservation areas, Aylesby Vale District Council Barclay, A, Knight, D, Booth, P, Evans, J, Brown, D H, and Wood, I, 2016 A Standard for Pottery Studies in Archaeology, Prehistoric Ceramics Research Group, Study Group for Roman Pottery, Medieval Pottery Research Group BCAS 2015, Generic brief for an archaeological watching brief/small-scale investigation BCM 2013 Procedures for Notifying and Transferring Archaeological Archives, Buckinghamshire County Museum BGS 2017 British Geological Survey GeoIndex, Brown, D H, 2011 Archaeological Archives: A guide to best practice in creation, compilation, transfer and curation, Second edition, Archaeological Archives Forum Campbell, G, Moffett, L, and Straker, V, 2011 Environmental Archaeology: A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Methods, from Sampling and Recovery to Post-excavation (2nd edition), Historic England CIfA 2014a Code of Conduct, Chartered Institute for Archaeologists CIfA 2014b Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Watching Brief, Chartered Institute for Archaeologists CIfA 2014c Standard and Guidance for the Collection, Documentation, Conservation and Research of Archaeological Materials, Chartered Institute for Archaeologists CIfA 2014d Standard and Guidance for the Creation, Compilation, Transfer and Deposition of Archaeological Archives, Chartered Institute for Archaeologists DCLG 2012 National Planning Policy Framework, Department of Communities and Local Government EH 1991a Exploring Our Past, English Heritage EH 1997 Research Agenda (draft 8th April 1997), English Heritage HE 2015 Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment: The MoRPHE Project Managers Guide, Historic England Hey, G, and Hind, J, 2014 Solent-Thames: Research Framework for the Historic Environment: Resource Assessments and Research Agendas, Oxford Wessex Monograph, 6 Hunn, A, Lawson, J, and Farley, M, 1994 The Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Dinton, Buckinghamshire, Anglo-Saxon Studies Vol 7, Markham, P, 2016 Consultation with the Buckinghamshire County Archaeological Service, dated 14 June 2016, Ref CBC11874 MGC 1992 Standards in the Museum Care of Archaeological Collections, Museums and Galleries Commission MOLA Page 7 of 8

10 MOLA 2014 Archaeological fieldwork manual, MOLA Northampton Strawbridge, M, 2016 Dinton Castle, Dinton, Buckinghamshire Heritage Statement, Museum of London Archaeology Walker, K, 1990 Guidelines for the preparation of excavation archives for long-term storage, United Kingdom Institute for Conservation Watkinson, D, and Neal, V, 2001 First Aid for Finds, UK Institute for Conservation Whitelaw, J W, 1997 Shire Book of Follies, Shire Publications Wolframm-Murray, Y, 2010 Archaeological building recording of Dinton Castle, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire Archaeology report, 09/174 MOLA Northampton 01 February 2017, revised 06 February MOLA Page 8 of 8