ARCHAEOLOGICAL S E R V I C E S

Transcription

1 T H A M E S V A L L E Y ARCHAEOLOGICAL S E R V I C E S Mid to Late Bronze Age and Medieval Occupation and a Roman ditch at the Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire Draft publication report by Sean Wallis Site Code: PRH11/02 (SU )

2 Mid to Late Bronze Age and Medieval Occupation and a Roman ditch at the Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire Draft publication report by Sean Wallis with contributions by Ceri Falys, Steve Ford, Malcolm Lyne and Frances Raymond Report 11/02b ABSTRACT An excavation was carried out in advance of a housing development at Hilsea, Portsmouth, following an earlier evaluation which revealed a small number of features dating to the mid to late Bronze Age and the Medieval period. The current project investigated two areas close to where features were recorded during the evaluation, which correspond with the residential blocks which were to be constructed. A watching brief was carried out during the excavation of service runs and ground beams for the remaining residential blocks. Apart from one gully, which may be Roman, the datable features appear to represent occupation during the mid to late Bronze Age, Medieval and Post-medieval periods. Whilst some prehistoric activity has been recorded in the area around Portsea Island, very little has been found in the vicinity of the present site. The medieval hamlet of Hilsea lay close to the old road from London to Portsmouth, and the current site lies to the north of the presumed extent of the settlement. THE SITE Planning permissions (A*39181/AB and 10/00839/REM) had been gained from Portsmouth City Council to redevelop 1.4 ha of land to the west of Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth (SU ) (Fig. 1). The consent was subject to a condition relating to archaeology, and the site s archaeological potential was confirmed in February and March 2011 (Mcicholl-orbury 2011), when deposits dating from the mid to late Bronze Age and Medieval period were recorded during a field evaluation, along with several undated features. A subsequent excavation focussed on two of the new residential blocks close to where the features had been found during the evaluation, while a watching brief was carried out in respect of the service runs and some of the other residential blocks. The evaluation had established that the north-east corner of the site had been heavily truncated and, as a result, no further archaeological work was carried out in this area. The site is relatively flat and lies at a height of about 3m above Ordnance Datum. Prior to the commencement of building work, the part of the site investigated had been a recreation ground. According to the British Geological Survey the underlying geology consists of 1

3 Raised Marine Deposits (BGS 1998), and this was confirmed during the archaeological work as a mixture of silty sand and gravel (Pl. 1). The excavation took place in April 2011, with the watching brief starting at the same time and continuing through to March ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUD The site is located at the northern end of Portsea Island, which lies between Portsmouth Harbour and Langstone Harbour, and is separated from the mainland by a small channel, known as Portsbridge Creek. At the beginning of the Mesolithic period the coastline was considerably further south than it is today, and Portsea would have been situated inland, between river valleys. It was previously thought that the island was formed during the Mesolithic period, as a result of the rising sea-levels which followed the end of the last Ice Age. However, recent archaeological work on a number of the small islands within Langstone Harbour has shown that this area was a mixture of grassland and woods during much of the prehistoric period, and that the sea only started to seriously inundate the land from the very late Bronze Age early Iron Age onwards (Allen and Gardiner 2000). Prior to the work at Langstone Harbour, evidence of eolithic and Bronze Age activity in the surrounding area tended to be associated with burials, most notably on Portdown Hill, to the north of the site. A number of Bronze Age features had also been discovered, including two in the south-east corner of Portsea Island itself. The finds and environmental data from Langstone Harbour suggest that the area was probably grazed seasonally during the eolithic and Bronze Age periods, and that it was used for salt production and oyster farming once the sea water started encroaching. The marshy climate may be one reason why Portdown Hill appears to have become a favoured location for occupation during the Iron Age, and several settlement sites have been identified in the vicinity with two Bronze Age bronze hoards also recorded (Rudkin 1980). The Romans invested considerably in the fertile coastal plain, and the most striking site from this period is Portchester Castle, which was built in the 3rd century AD to protect Portsmouth Harbour and the main routes to Winchester and Chichester. Despite this obvious presence nearby, little evidence of Roman activity has been found on Portsea Island, although a few sites have been identified on Portdown Hill. The Saxons fished and produced salt around Portsea, and a Saxon boat was recently discovered in Langstone Harbour (Allen and Gardiner 2000). However, it is possible that the marshy conditions continued to deter settlement on Portsea Island until the late Saxon period. Three villages (Buckland, Copnor and Fratton) are mentioned in Domesday Book (1086), whilst Portsmouth is commonly believed to have been established in the late 12th century by Jean de Gisors. It appears to have become an important naval base shortly after, receiving its Royal Charter from Richard I in The medieval settlement at Hilsea was probably a small hamlet, situated close to the main 2

4 road from Portsmouth to London. This road would have crossed the Portsbridge Creek via a bridge. Edwards 1716 map of the area shows Hilsea as a large rectangular green, with houses around its west, east and south sides, and this has been designated as a Local Area of Archaeological Importance (LAAI 14) for medieval and post-medieval remains. The present site lies between this LAAI and another one which is concerned with the mid 18th-century defences known as the Hilsea Lines (LAAI 15). Historic maps indicate that Hilsea managed to remain quite separate from Portsmouth until the second half of the 20th century (Russel 2006). EVALUATIO A field evaluation was undertaken in February and March 2011, to try to determine the archaeological potential of the site (Mcicholl-orbury 2011). Thirteen trenches were excavated, which were between 1.60m and 1.80m wide, and varied in length from 20.20m to 21.80m. Several archaeological features were uncovered in the area of the former recreation ground, including a gully dating from the middle to late Bronze Age, and a medieval pit. The remaining features were largely interpreted as ditches or gullies, but could not be securely dated. The evaluation indicated that the north-east part of the site had been heavily truncated in the past. EXCAVATIO RESULTS Based on the evaluation results it was decided to strip three excavation areas (A, B and C), totalling c. 700 sq m, close to those parts of the site where the archaeological features were recorded. It was quickly established that Area B had been heavily disturbed in the past, probably during the construction of a Second World War air raid shelter, and excavation of this area was therefore abandoned. Topsoil and subsoil in the two remaining areas (A and C) were removed by machine under constant archaeological supervision, to reveal the surface of the underlying geology, and the archaeological features cut into it (Fig. 2). Several other areas were monitored under watching brief conditions, including major service runs, an access road and the ground beams for some of the remaining residential blocks. Many of the features recorded during the watching brief were planned but not excavated due to the fact that they would be preserved in situ beneath the ground beams of the new development. However, in some cases it was possible to date the features from material recovered from their upper fills. The features recorded during the excavation and watching brief represent activity on the site during the mid to late Bronze Age, Roman, Medieval and Post-medieval periods. Several features could not be closely dated. A complete list of excavated features from all phases of work forms Appendix 1. 3

5 Mid to Late Bronze Age A number of features contained mid to late Bronze Age pottery, although most of the assemblages were quite small. In addition there were some features which contained either burnt or struck flint, but no closely datable finds. An E-W ditch (1000) was recorded in excavation area A, which was at least 20m long, although no trace of it could be seen during the subsequent watching brief to the west. The feature was widest towards its eastern terminus (0.85m) where it was 0.35m deep. Six sherds of mid to late Bronze Age pottery were recovered from its fill, along with fragments of burnt and struck flint. It is probably contemporary with another ditch (1001), aligned north-south off ditch 1000, although no stratigraphic relationship could be established between the two. Only 2.5m of ditch 1001 was revealed during the excavation and the feature was seen to be 0.8m wide and 0.25m deep. Three small sherds of mid to late Bronze Age pottery were found within its fill. The terminus of another ditch or gully (29) was observed to the east of ditch This feature was up to 0.45m wide and 0.2m deep, and contained one small sherd of mid to late Bronze Age pottery. The gully disappeared into a dark amorphous silt patch (66) which was interpreted as being a natural hollow; the gully did not continue beyond this hollow in any case. Several sherds of mid to late Bronze Age pottery were found within deposit 66. Pit 18 was recorded against the northern edge of excavation area A. The feature was sub-circular in plan, measuring approximately 0.5m in diameter, and was 0.2m thick. It had a single fill which yielded three sherds of mid to late Bronze Age pottery. Two possible prehistoric features were recorded in the new service runs to the north-west of excavation area A. Feature 45 appeared to be a pit, measuring at least 1.60m by 0.30m, and was 0.37m deep. Seven fragments of burnt flint were recovered from its fill, but no closely dateable finds. The terminus of a probable gully (40) was investigated to the south of pit 45, which may be the same feature as gully 1 which was recorded during the evaluation. The gully was 0.44m wide and 0.22m deep, but (as 40) contained no archaeological finds. However, a single sherd (in 15 fragments) of middle to late Bronze Age pottery were previously recovered from the fill of gully 1. Although not recorded within the watching brief, it is possible that gullys 1 and 40 join gully 1000 to form a near right angled bend. A gully (1006) was investigated in excavation area C, which could be prehistoric in date although the only finds from it were fragments of burnt flint. The feature was up to 0.42m wide and 0.15m deep, but its relationship with a possible Roman gully (1007) could not be established due to its shallowness where the two features met. 4

6 Pit 33 was recorded close to gully It measured 0.58m by 0.48m, and was 0.10m deep, but contained no archaeological finds. Roman Just one feature (1007) was tentatively dated to the Roman period. This gully had originally been investigated during the evaluation (in trench 8), although two slots through the feature failed to produce any dating evidence. The gully was m wide and m deep with a shallow rounded profile. The single fill was a brown silty clay and contained fragments of burnt flint and animal bone. The gully was revealed again during the excavation, along the north-western edge of excavation area C. One further slot was excavated through the feature (41) and a sherd of Roman pottery was recovered from its upper fill. The relationship between gullies 1006 and 1007 could not be established due to the shallowness of the features and the close proximity of the edge of the excavation area. Medieval Several features were recorded which contained medieval pottery, and it is possible that some of the nearby features which did not have any pottery may be contemporary. Ditch 1002 was recorded in excavation area A, and was also observed (but not excavated) in the area to the north which was stripped in advance of a new access road. This E-SW aligned ditch was up to 0.70m wide and 0.30m deep, and contained two fragments of medieval pottery, along with finds of animal bone, oyster shell and burnt flint. Four small chips of abraded Saxon normal pottery were also recovered from the feature., but their abraded nature suggests that they may be the result of field marling. The ditch clearly truncated an earlier linear feature (1000). Ditch 1003 did not contain any closely dateable finds, but the fact that it shares the same alignment as ditch 1002 suggests that the two are contemporary. Ditch 1003 was larger than 1002, measuring up to 1.35m wide and 0.40m deep, and contained fragments of burnt flint and oyster shell. Assuming these two to be contemporary, the gap between them was 13m (14 yards). A line of post-holes (16, 17, 20-3 and 31) appeared to run along the south-eastern edge of ditch These were all investigated but contained no archaeological finds; it is only an assumption that they marked the same boundary as the ditch. A pit (24) to the north-west of ditch 1003, measured 0.45m by 0.40m. It was only 0.18m deep, but contained two sherds of medieval pottery, along with a fragment of oyster shell. 5

7 As well as ditch 1002, a gully (1004) and pit (10) were recorded in the access road strip to the north of excavation area A. Gully 1004 was up to 0.80m wide and 0.18m deep. The only archaeological find from its fill was one small sherd of abraded medieval pottery. It is likely that gully 5, which was found in the evaluation, represents the terminus of gully Aligned approximately perpendicular to ditches 1002 and 1003, this could be a subdivision of the plot they defined. Pit 4 (recorded in the evaluation) was 0.6m across and 0.38m deep with a bowl-shaped profile. The single fill (57) of a brown silty clay contained a single sherd of medieval pottery, fragments of burnt flint and a flint flake, the latter presumably residual. Pit 10 measured 0.80m by 0.74m, and was 0.38m deep. One small sherd of Saxo-orman or medieval pottery was recovered from its upper fill along with fragments of oyster shell, cockle shell and burnt flint. Its primary fill produced no finds. Ditch 1005 was seen to run across excavation area C, and was up to 1.40m wide and 0.40m deep. The ditch contained several sherds of medieval pottery, along with fragments of oyster shell and burnt flint. Further features of this date were revealed during the excavation of ground beam slots for the residential blocks to the north-east of excavation area C. Feature 100 appeared to be a sub-circular pit, which measured at least 0.83m by 0.55m. The pit was not excavated but a sherd of medieval pottery was recovered from the surface of its upper fill, along with fragments of oyster shell and burnt flint. A probable line of post-holes (101, 102 and 110) were observed to the north-east of pit 100 and, once again, these features were left preserved in situ after they had been recorded. Post-hole 101 measured 0.40m by 0.30m, and a sherd of medieval pottery was recovered from its surface, along with burnt flint and oyster shell fragments. Post-hole 102 was 0.50m in diameter, and one sherd of medieval pottery was found on its surface. Six sherds of medieval pottery were recovered from the surface of post-hole 110, which measured 0.53m by 0.40m. Two smaller post-holes (103 and 104) were noted nearby. Feature 103 measured 0.28m by 0.19m, and a sherd of medieval pottery was retrieved from its surface. The only finds recovered from post-hole 104, which measured 0.25m by 0.38m, were two fragments of burnt flint. The probable terminus of a ditch (107) was investigated close to post-hole 110. The feature was at least 0.62m wide, and a large number of medieval pottery sherds were found on its surface, along with fragments of oyster shell and burnt flint, and a probable iron nail. Another possible gully (49) was recorded to the south of feature 107. This gully was aligned E SW, as the other medieval ditches, on the site, and was 0.50m wide, but no archaeological finds were recovered from its surface. Pit 108 was partially exposed to the north of post-holes 103 and 104. The pit was at least 1.1m long and 0.7m wide, and two sherds of medieval pottery were recovered from its stripped surface. 6

8 Post-Medieval and Modern Whilst it is possible that some of the features which did not contain any dateable finds may be post-medieval in date, the relatively small number of post-medieval (as opposed to modern) features recorded on the site is perhaps surprising. The occupation during the medieval period therefore appears to have ended abruptly, and there is no convincing evidence of it even continuing into later medieval times, let alone the post-medieval period. o post-medieval features were recorded in the two main excavation areas (A and C), and none of the undated features in these areas seem likely to date from this period. A ditch (106/109) was seen during the watching brief for ground beams to the north-east of excavation area C. This feature was 0.65m wide and was observed in two of the ground beam slots. It appeared to run approximately E-W, before turning northwards at a right angle. One small sherd of pottery, probably dating from the 16th century, was recovered from the surface of the ditch, along with fragments of oyster shell and tile, and an iron nail. The ditch truncated a medieval pit (108), and another possible pit (105). Pit 105 was only partially exposed during the watching brief, and measured at least 1.45m by 0.60m. The only finds recovered from its surface were fragments of burnt flint and oyster shell. The area to the north-east of ditch 106/109 had been heavily disturbed in the recent past, probably when a large concrete air raid shelter was constructed during the Second World War. Another modern truncation (111) was recorded to the south-west of excavation area C. Although no finds were recovered from the feature, it was clearly seen to be cut from very high up in the section of the ground beam slot. Further modern truncation was noted to the west and north-west of excavation area A. Two possible linear features (46 and 47) were recorded during the excavation of a service trench. Although feature 46 contained fragments of oyster shell and burnt flint, along with an iron nail, it was interpreted as being the result of disturbance from a nearby old service pipe. Feature 47 contained no archaeological finds and appeared to be modern due to the fact that it was cut from quite high up in the section of the service trench. A probable ditch (44/48) was recorded to the east of feature 47 in one of the new service runs. The feature was up to 1.52m wide and 0.61m deep, and contained a sherd of post-medieval pottery, along with fragments of burnt flint, oyster shell, and a small unidentified iron object. The same ditch appeared to terminate in another new service trench to the south (39), although no finds were recovered from this terminus. Two further linear features (38 and 43) were investigated to the east of ditch 39/44/48, but contained no archaeological finds. Feature 38 was 0.40m wide and 0.23m deep, whilst feature 43 was 0.60m wide and 0.27m deep. It is possible that 38 and 43 may represent the same linear feature. Old service runs to the south-west of features 46 and 47 were not recorded in detail but are shown on the plan of ground beam slots monitored during the watching brief. 7

9 FIDS Prehistoric Pottery by Frances Raymond The small prehistoric assemblage is composed exclusively of featureless wall and base fragments from at least five vessels (41 sherds, weighing 141g: Appendix 2). The majority of sherds are in flint tempered wares typical of those produced and used during the middle and late Bronze Age (40 sherds, 138g). The one exception is in a fabric likely to have a slightly later currency spanning the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age. The prehistoric pottery has been recorded by context following the guidelines of the Prehistoric Ceramics Research Group (PCRG 1997). Details of fabric, form, decoration, surface treatment and colour, wall thickness, fragmentation and condition have been entered on a database and are available in the archive. The sherds were sorted into fabric groups with the aid of a binocular microscope at X20 magnification, while the descriptions were prepared using this and a higher magnification of X40. The Fabrics The four middle to late Bronze Age wares are soft with evenly distributed inclusions and were used for vessels with oxidized, partly smoothed or untreated exteriors. All are tempered with common to very common burnt flint, which is coarse in three of the fabrics (up to 7mm; 18 sherds, 106g; from ditch 100, cuts 19 and 26; and deposits 51 (topsoil) and hollow 66) and of medium grade in the fourth (up to 4mm; 19 sherds, 31g; from gully 1, pit 18 and gully 29). The exploitation of more than one source of clay is indicated by the additional presence of sub-rounded quartz sand, which occurs in moderate quantities in one of the coarse wares (0.625 to 0.3mm) and is very common in the medium grade example (<0.625 to 0.125mm). A few tiny fragments of pottery from ditch 1001 are of similar character and are likely to be contemporary, but are too small and abraded for specific fabric attribution (3 sherds, 1g; from cut 15). The one contrasting ware more typical of the late Bronze Age to early Iron Age is hard and unoxidized, with a smoothed exterior (1 sherd, 3g; from ditch 1000, cut 19). It incorporates very common, sub-rounded quartz sand (< to 0.25mm) and has been tempered with moderate amounts of fine burnt flint (0.2 to 2mm). Affinities Densely flint tempered wares had an extended history of production in the area, being dominant in the ceramic assemblages of the middle and late Bronze Age. Such fabrics are more common during the middle Bronze Age on sites to the west and north in Hampshire, such as Twyford Down, Easton Lane (Woodward 2000a, 70) and West Meon (Lewis and Walker 1976, 38; Raymond 2012). They continued to be favoured during the late Bronze Age to the east on the Sussex coastal plain, being most prominent in the early Plain Ware assemblages but 8

10 occurring alongside a wider range of fabrics into the earliest Iron Age (Seager Thomas 2008, 31 and 41). Whereas to the west the late Bronze Age saw a decrease in the density of added flint, a tendency towards the production of well sorted and evenly distributed tempering and an apparent preference for sandier wares (Woodward 2000b, 72). Given the location of the site in an area where potters would have had access to different technological traditions and with such a small group of featureless wall sherds it is simply not possible to refine the dating. Roman and Medieval Pottery by Malcolm Lyne The site yielded one fragment of Roman and 62 sherds (634g) of Saxo-orman and later Medieval pottery from 15 contexts: two Post-Medieval fragments come from a further two contexts (Appendix 3). All of the assemblages are too small for any kind of meaningful analyses but were all quantified by numbers of sherds and their weights per fabric. These fabrics were classified using a x8 magnification lens with inbuilt metric graticule in order to determine the natures, sizes, frequencies and forms of added filler inclusions as well as those naturally present in the clay. Four numbered fabric series were set up with the prefixes R, S, M and PM for Roman, Saxo-orman, Medieval and Post-Medieval respectively. The Assemblages Roman The only Roman sherd from the site is an abraded fragment of Rowlands Castle greyware from the fill of ditch 1007 (cut 41) in Area C. All that can be said about the piece is that it comes from a closed vessel form and dates broadly between c. AD50 and 330, but its condition suggests it may be residual in a later deposit. Saxo-orman (c ). There are 10 small assemblages of 10th- to 12th-century date from the site. Of these, that from the fill of ditch 107 is the largest and comprises 35 fresh sherds (398g) of pottery from two cooking-pots. These handmade cooking pots are both in patchy-fired pimply fabric S1 with profuse crushed flint filler. The simple everted rims of both of these cooking-pots include one closely paralleled at Portchester Castle (Cunliffe 1977, fig.80-55) and are datable to the 12th century. The other assemblages comprise four fragments from ditch 1002 (cut 12), four from ditch 1007 (cut 37), six from posthole 110, two from pit 108, and one each from pits 101 and 102, post-hole 103, and gullies 100 and 1004 (cut 9). Two other fragments from pit 24 include another 12th-century rim paralleled at Portchester (Cunliffe 1977, fig.80-52). Three sherds from gully 48 are abraded and may be residual in their context. 9

11 Most of these sherds (41) are in crushed-flint tempered fabric S1 but also include cooking-pot fragments in fabric S2 with flint and quartz sand filler (Appendix 3). The single sherd from Pit 102 is in fabric S3 with flint and shell filler. Medieval (c ) Single abraded chips from cooking-pots in sandy fabric MI were present in the fills of cut 12 across ditch 1002 and pit 10 and have the appearance of sherds from field marling. Post-Medieval The presence of a fragment from a 16th-century earthenware open form with internal black glaze in the fill of ditch 106 and one from a brown-glazed earthenware bread-crock in the fill of ditch 44 suggests that both of these features are Post-Medieval (or later) in date. Struck Flint by Steve Ford A small collection of 6 struck flints was recovered during the course of the excavation with a further 2 flints recovered during the prior evaluation from the site (Appendix 4). The material appears all to have been derived from a local gravel source. one of the pieces are chronologically distinctive and only a broad eolithic or Bronze Age date can be suggested. The one narrow flake is more likely to be a fortuitous product of the flint knapping process rather than an attempt to make narrow flakes and blades. Burnt Flint by Sean Wallis Over 3kg of burnt flint fragments were recovered during the excavation (Appendix 5). Ditch 1000 produced the largest collection, with 34 fragments, weighing 1089g, being recovered. The second largest collection came from ditch 1005, which produced 31 fragments, weighing 766g. It is clear from these two features, dating from the Bronze Age and Medieval period respectively, that burnt flint could be present in deposits of any date. Animal Bone by Ceri Falys A small assemblage of 27 fragments of animal bone, weighing 250g, was recovered from six contexts within the excavated area, mostly of medieval date (Appendix 6). The overall preservation of the remains was poor, with moderate to high fragmentation. Eighteen bones were from large mammals (horse/cow) and nine were unidentified mammal. A minimum of one cow was represented in ditch 1002, by a right distal humerus in slot 12 10

12 (68) and a left proximal metacarpal in slot 25 (81). To this can be added 33 large mammal and 16 unidentified mammal bones from the evaluation. o further information could be retrieved from these poorly preserved remains. Oyster Shell by Sean Wallis Over a hundred fragments of oyster shell, weighing 1367g, were recovered during the excavation (Appendix 7). These were mostly from features dating from the medieval period, although some fragments were found within post-medieval and modern deposits. The largest collection came from ditch 1005, which produced 40 fragments, weighing 492g. Metalwork by Sean Wallis Five small iron objects were found during the excavation, all of which appear to be nails (Appendix 8). Other Finds by Sean Wallis A small fragment of fired clay, weighing 5g, was recovered from the fill of medieval pit 100 (172). Three small pieces of ceramic building material, most probably tile, were found in ditch 109 (169), which is probably postmedieval in date. DISCUSSIO The archaeological fieldwork at Peronne Road has revealed a number of features dating from the Bronze Age, Roman, Medieval, and Post-medieval periods and which make it one of the most significant sites excavated on Portsea Island to date beyond the medieval city core and dock facilities. There is little recorded for the Bronze Age of Portsea Island and whilst there are clear areas of potential, for prehistoric occupation, this has yet to be realised as outlined above. More Bronze Age remains in the environs of Portsmouth are recorded for Portdown Hill which overlooks the site. The deposits recorded here represent part of an occupation site, comprising boundary features, pits and postholes of Middle to Late Bronze Age date. The limited amount of faunal remains recovered gave few clues as to what animal species were being exploited as did a lack of charred plant remains. However, there is little to suggest that its economic base is dependent on coastal resources and the site here would appear to be a fairly typical farming settlement of this period. Although only one feature was tentatively dated to the Roman period, this in itself is an important find as very little evidence of Roman activity has been found on Portsea, despite its close proximity to Portchester 11

13 Castle. Little further can be said other than there is likely to have been a Roman settlement somewhere within the area. The medieval features are also noteworthy in that they provide some much needed detail to the topography of the medieval settlement. In themselves, the features seem to represent boundary and other features typical of a farming settlement, perhaps even a croft, though lacking an obvious house site. The settlement exploited a typical range of domestic animal species but also coastal resources (oysters). Hilsea is not mentioned in Domesday Book yet some of the pottery recovered does date broadly to the Saxon-orman transition perhaps indicating a late Saxon origin for the remains recorded here. The settlement of Hilsea has traditionally been believed to be centred around a village green, to the south of the present site. It is therefore a possibility that the medieval features recorded on the site represent a self contained farmstead, or part of the original focus of Hilsea, which probably shifted it's location further to the south during the later medieval period. ACKOWLEDGEMETS The project was commissioned by Ms Kathryn Jehan and funded by Taylor Wimpey Plc. The fieldwork was managed and supervised by the author, to a specification approved by Mr Andrew Russel, Senior Archaeologist with Southampton City Council, and was monitored by him. The archive, including finds, is currently held by Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd (TVAS) and will be deposited with Portsmouth Museum in due course. The site code is PRH 11/02. The fieldwork team included Kyle Beaverstock, Aidan Colyer, James Earley, Felicity Howell and Jacqueline Pitt. Steve Preston prepared the text for publication. Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd retains copyright for the text and illustrations. All TVAS unpublished fieldwork reports are available at 12

14 REFERECES Allen, M J and Gardiner, J, 2000, Our Changing Coast : a survey of the intertidal archaeology of Langstone Harbour, Hampshire, CBA Res Rep 124 BGS, 1998, British Geological Survey, 1:50000, Sheet 316, Solid and Drift Edition, Keyworth Cunliffe, B, 1977, Excavations at Portchester Castle. Volume III: Medieval, the Outer Bailey and its Defences, Rep Res Comm Soc Antiq London 34 Lewis, E and Walker, G, 1976, A middle Bronze Age settlement site at Westbury, West Meon, Hampshire, Proc Hampshire Fld Club Archaeol Soc 33, Mcicholl-orbury J, 2011, Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, An Archaeological Evaluation, Thames Valley Archaeological Services Report 11/02, Reading PCRG, 1997, The Study of Later Prehistoric Pottery: General Policies and Guidelines for Analysis and Publication, Occasional Papers 1 and 2 (revised version) Raymond, F, 2012, Prehistoric pottery in S Ford and C Falys, Storey s Meadow, Marland Lane, West Meon, Hampshire: Post-Excavation Assessment, Thames Valley Archaeological Services unpubl rep 11/109, Reading, 5 8 Rudkin, 1980, Early man in Portsmouth and South-east Hampshire, Portsmouth Russel, A D, 2006, Local Areas of Archaeological Importance in the City of Portsmouth, Portsmouth Seager Thomas, M, 2008, From potsherds, to people: Sussex prehistoric pottery, Sussex Archaeol Collect 146, Stoodley, (ed), 2002, The Millennium Publication : a review of archaeology in Hampshire , Southampton Woodward, A, 2000a, Early and middle Bronze Age assemblage, in K E Walker and D E Farwell, Twyford Down, Hampshire: Archaeological Investigations on the M3 Motorway from Bar End to Compton, , Hampshire Field Club Monogr 9, 70 2 Woodward, A, 2000b, Late Bronze Age, in K E Walker and D E Farwell, Twyford Down, Hampshire: Archaeological Investigations on the M3 Motorway from Bar End to Compton, , Hampshire Field Club Monogr 9,

15 APPEDIX 1: Feature details Cut Fill(s) Group Type Date Dating evidence and other finds 1 54 Gully Middle to late Bronze Age Same as feature 40? Pottery, burnt flint 2 55 Pit Undated Burnt flint 3 56 Ditch Undated Burnt flint 4 57 Pit Medieval Pottery, burnt flint, struck flint Gully Medieval Same as feature Gully Roman? Same as feature Gully Roman? Same as feature 41. Burnt flint 8 61 Gully Undated Struck flint Gully Medieval Same as Pottery 10 63, 64 Pit Medieval Pottery, oyster shell, burnt flint Gully Medieval Same feature as Ditch Medieval Pottery, burnt flint, medieval Ditch Middle to late Bronze Age Ditch Middle to late Bronze Age Ditch Middle to late Bronze Age Pottery Post-hole Undated Post-hole Undated Pit Middle to late Bronze Age Pottery Ditch Middle to late Bronze Age Pottery, struck flint, burnt flint Post-hole Undated Post-hole Undated Post-hole Undated Post-hole Undated Pit Medieval Pottery Ditch Medieval Same as 12. Burnt flint, animal bone Ditch Middle to late Bronze Age Pottery Burnt flint Ditch Middle to late Bronze Age Burnt flint 28 84, Ditch Medieval? Oyster shell, burnt flint Gully Middle to late Bronze Age Pottery Ditch Medieval Same as 12. Oyster shell, burnt flint Post-hole Undated Gully Prehistoric? Burnt flint Pit Undated 34 91, Ditch Medieval Oyster shell, burnt flint 35 93, 94, Ditch Medieval? Oyster shell, burnt flint, struck flint Gully Prehistoric? 37 97, Ditch Medieval Pottery, oyster shell, burnt flint Gully Undated Same as 43? Ditch Medieval? Same feature as 44 and 48? Gully Middle to late Bronze Age? Same as feature 1? Gully Roman? Pottery Ditch Medieval Same as 12. Oyster shell, burnt flint Gully Undated Same as 38? Ditch Medieval Same as 39 and 48? Fe object Pit Undated Burnt flint Ditch Modern Pottery, oyster shell, burnt flint, fe nail Ditch Modern Ditch Medieval Same as 39 and 44?. Pottery, oyster shell, burnt flint Gully Undated Pit Medieval Pottery, oyster shell, burnt flint, burnt clay, animal bone, struck flint Post-hole Medieval Pottery, oyster shell, burnt flint Post-hole Medieval Pottery Post-hole Medieval Pottery Post-hole Undated Burnt flint Pit Undated Oyster shell, burnt flint Ditch Post-medieval Same feature as 109? Pottery, oyster shell, fe object Ditch Medieval Pottery, oyster shell, burnt flint, animal bone, fe objects Pit Medieval Pottery Ditch Post-medieval? Same feature as 106? CBM Post-hole Medieval Pottery Pit Modern Stratigraphic

16 APPEDIX 2: Prehistoric pottery catalogue Group Cut Deposit Date o. Wt (g) Fabric Comments 1 54 middle to late Bronze Age FS/2 likely to have been deposited as a single sherd 51 middle to late Bronze Age 1 2 F/ middle to late Bronze Age flint tempered, but too small for classification middle to late Bronze Age 1 4 FS/ middle to late Bronze Age 2 2 FS/ middle to late Bronze Age 1 30 F/ late Bronze Age to early Iron Age 1 3 FS/ middle to late Bronze Age 4 4 F/ middle to late Bronze Age 1 3 FS/2 66 middle to late Bronze Age 1 8 F/1 66 middle to late Bronze Age 2 13 F/1 66 middle to late Bronze Age 7 6 F/1 66 middle to late Bronze Age 2 43 FS/1

17 APPEDIX 3: Roman, medieval and post-medieval pottery catalogue Context Fabric Form Date-range o of Weight (g) Comments sherds [9] 62 S1 c Gp Gully.Abraded. T3 Eval [10] 64 M1 c Abraded pellet. Pit WB [12] 68 S1 M1 Cooking-pot c c Fresh Abraded GP [24] 80 S2 Ev.rim cooking-pot c Fresh. Pit Area A Excav [37] 97 S2 c Abraded. Gp ditch fill. Area C.Excav [37] 98 S2 Cooking-pots c Fresh. Gp ditch fill Area C Excav [41] 152 [44] 155 [48] 159 [100] 160 [101] 161 [102] 162 [103] 163 [106] 166 [107] 167 [108] 168 [110] 170 R1 Cooking-pot c Abraded. Dtch fill Area C Exc PM2?Bread crock c Ditch fill WB S2 Cooking-pot c Abraded S2 Cooking-pot shoulder c Abraded. Pit fill WB S2 Cooking-pot c Fresh. Pit fill WB S3 Cooking-pot c Sl abraded. Pit fill WB S2 Cooking-pot c Posthole WB PM1 Open form 16 th c. 1 7 Fresh. Mod ditch WB S1 Cooking-pots c Fresh. Ditch/Pit? WB S2 Cooking-pot c Fresh 1 pot. S2 Cooking-pots c Posthole WB

18 APPEDIX 4: Struck flint from evaluation and excavation Cut Fill Type Comment 51 Intact flake 4 57 Broken flake Medieval pit 8 61 Intact flake Intact flake; Spall Spall Broken flake Intact narrow flake

19 APPEDIX 5: Burnt flint catalogue Cut Deposit Group o. Wt (g)

20 APPEDIX 6: Animal bone catalogue Cut Deposit o frags Wt (g) Large Unidentified (cow) (cow) Total / MI cow -

21 APPEDIX 7: Oyster shell catalogue Cut Deposit Group o. Wt (g)

22 APPEDIX 8: Metalwork catalogue Cut Deposit o Wt (g) Comments Probable nail ail ail Probable nails

23 Hants Fld Club template Paulsgrove Cosham Port Solent Highbury Portchester Castle Roman Saxon Shore Fort Horsea Island SITE Hilsea Whale Island orth End Portsea Island aval Base SU00000 Milton Old Portsmouth Southsea Fratton Eastney Fort Cumberland PORTSMOUTH SZ Figure 1. Location of site on Portsea Island

24 Bapaume Road Service Runs demolished TA centre Block A 4 Excavation Area A Block C 5 orthern Access Road 6 12 Excavation Area B (abandoned) Excavation Area C 8 7 o. 10 York Terrace Block B 9 o. 20 M/LBA Roman Medieval Copnor Road Peronne Road o. 21 Undated SU Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, 2012 Archaeological Excavation and watching brief Figure 2. Plan of Areas Monitored PRH 11/ m

25 SERVICE RUS Modern disturbance 45 44/ Trench /14 BLOCK A EXCAVATIO AREA A Trench 1 Trench SU Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, 2012 Archaeological Excavation and watching brief Figure 3. Plan of Block A, Excavation Area A and Service Runs PRH 11/ m

26 04140 ORTHER ACCESS ROAD Trench Modern truncation / Trench / /22/23 EXCAVATIO AREA A SU Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, 2012 Archaeological Excavation and watching brief Figure 4. Plan of Excavation Area A and orthern Access Road. PRH 11/ m

27 9 Trench BLOCK C Modern disturbance Trench Trench EXCAVATIO AREA B SU Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, 2012 Archaeological Excavation and watching brief Figure 5. Plan of Block C and Excavation Area B PRH 11/ m

28 7 Trench 8 SU / EXCAVATIO AREA B Modern disturbance Trench BLOCK B Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, 2012 Archaeological Excavation and watching brief Figure 6. Plan of Block B and Excavation Area B PRH 11/ m

29 Service Run Sections E 151 W W E W E W E S S Excavation Area A Sections W SE W E S W E S S W E PRH 11/02 Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, 2012 Archaeological excavation Figure 7. Sections 0 1m

30 Excavation Area A Sections S S E SW WW ESE W SE S SE W S W SE W E W Area A SE orthern Access Road Sections E SW E W E SW Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, 2012 Archaeological excavation Figure 8. Sections PRH 11/02 0 1m

31 Excavation Area B Sections S SE W S S S Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, 2012 Archaeological excavation Figure 9. Sections PRH 11/02 0 1m

32 Plate 1. Excavation Area A, looking along Ditch 1000, looking west, Scales: 0.5m and 0.3m. Plate 2. Excavation Area A, looking west. PRH 11/02b Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, 2012 Archaeological Excavation Plates 1-2.

33 Plate 3. Excavation Area A, looking south west. Plate 4. Excavation Area A, relationship between ditches 1000 and 1002, looking north, Scales: 1m and 0.3m PRH 11/02b Recreation Ground, Peronne Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, 2012 Archaeological Excavation Plates 3-4.

34 TIME CHART Calendar Years Modern AD 1901 Victorian AD 1837 Post Medieval AD 1500 Medieval AD 1066 Saxon AD 410 Roman AD 43 BC/AD Iron Age 750 BC Bronze Age: Late Bronze Age: Middle Bronze Age: Early 1300 BC 1700 BC 2100 BC eolithic: Late eolithic: Early 3300 BC 4300 BC Mesolithic: Late Mesolithic: Early 6000 BC BC Palaeolithic: Upper Palaeolithic: Middle Palaeolithic: Lower BC BC 2,000,000 BC

35 Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, De Beauvoir Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5R Tel: Fax: Web: