Land at Mercers Farm Nutfield Surrey

Oxford Archaeology South (OAS) was commissioned by Andrew Josephs Ltd, on
behalf of J and J Franks Ltd, to undertake an archaeological evaluation of land at
Mercers Farm, near Nutfield, Surrey (centred on TQ 3050 5200) ahead of proposed
mineral extraction.
The work was undertaken between 3rd - 27th January 2012. A total of 94 trenches
were excavated across the site.
Evidence was found for activity from three main periods: the earliest spanning the
late Bronze Age to early Iron Age; medieval agricultural use; and post-medieval
activity.
In addition, occasional flint artefacts from the Mesolithic to early Neolithic periods
were found as residual finds in some of the features.
The features of late Bronze Age to early Iron Age date were found largely in the
eastern part of the site. Possible settlement sites were identified in the south-east
corner and close to a palaeochannel in the north of the site. Occasional isolated
features of this date elsewhere across the site may attest to a broader agricultural
landscape.
There were a number of ditches that probably date to the medieval and postmedieval
periods. There is a suggestion that some boundaries may be the remnants
of strip fields with a slightly curved form and could represent a medieval field
system. The site continued in agricultural use in the post-medieval period and
evidence of relatively sophisticated drainage features dating to the early 19th
century were recorded.