Report on Level 1 Archaeology Training – Thursday 24 June 2021

Background

As part of the project to investigate the Roman Road between Chatburn and Coal Pit Lane, at Rimington, Jayne Ashe of the Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership (PHLP) arranged level 1 archaeological survey training which was run by Rebecca Cadbury Simmons of Northern Archaeological Associates.

There were 2 sessions, morning and afternoon, and the author was on the afternoon session, which he understands was very similar to the morning session. The 2 landowners C & A Smith and J Taylor kindly agreed to access off footpaths for this activity.

Participants

9 trainees, R Cadbury Simmons, J Ashe , Rebecca  Oldfield ( UCLAN PHLP archaeology intern), B Tyrer & L Mills.

Activity

Field numbers refer to those given for this project.

The party met at Rimington Memorial Institute, and then walked along Stopper Lane and then entered the field to the right (field 37) were there is a footpath. The group were then briefed on the activity at SD 81513 45468.

Briefing

There was a short look at features in the field which primarily consisted of old hedge and ditch fencing, no longer performing any function. Whilst the first OS map and LIDAR show the Roman road as being in this field there is no immediate evidence now on the ground.

The group then went into the field immediately to the east (field 38). One of the participants,  T Marklew who lives in Rimington, was particularly interested in an agger like feature  which starts at SD 81493 44527 and runs to a tree at SD 81518 45550 and is broadly where LIDAR and 1st OS map indicate Roman Road to be. However RSC disabused him of this since she thought that that was an old field boundary. However she did feel that the Roman Road was possibly a few metres to the SE and running from SD 81504 45518 to SD 81596 45564.

The trainees were then split into 2 groups and each group then did a basic survey of the orientation, profile and length of the 2 features identified above.  Those results are with NAA. Just to the NW side of the possible Roman Road there is a significant amount of stone in a small gulley which could be eroded from the road.

                                                           

Surveying possible agger 
Surveying old boundary

Stones in gulley

The group then followed the possible route of the road downhill to the stream where the road would have had to cross. No obvious evidence. The stream was crossed at a shallow ford to the north and then an old footpath followed to Wolfendale where field 42 was entered. The group then walked uphill to SD 81978 45773 where, on 11 June, a test pit was dug, on what appeared to be the site of the agger. The 2 stone layers on a clay base were consistent with Roman road construction. B Tyrer showed the trainees pictures of what had been found.

 Test pit in field 42

The group left the field opposite Martin Top Chapel and walked along Newby Lane back to the Institute. On the way they passed the site of 3 shops, 2 schools, a textile mill, a Methodist chapel, an abattoir and a wind mill powered saw mill. All of these are now houses.

T Marklew  24 July 2021