Berryfields, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, Archaeological Evaluation

In March and April 2002, Oxford Archaeology (OA) carried out a field evaluation at Berryfields near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire (NGR: SP 787160, centred), on behalf of CPM Environmental Planning and Design. The site, comprising an area of land c 2.88 km2 to the north of Aylesbury, has been identified as a Major Development Area for mixed development within the Aylesbury Vale District Plan (AVDC).

The evaluation followed a series of studies undertaken by CPM for the Berryfileds Consortium, who are proposing to develop the site. The evaluation was to inform on the quality of archaeological remains within the proposed development area that had been identified previously by Geophysical Survey or were inferred from earlier assessments.

In the SW part of the site, evidence was recovered for a late prehistoric settlement. Geophysical survey had revealed circular dwelling or barrow-like structures and a possible enclosure ditch. trial trenching indicated good preservation of features and the survival of animal bones and pottery sherds here was good. Environmental evidence from features here indicated that domestic crops and wild varieties were being grown at this time.

To the east of this area, the Geophysical Survey allied to fieldwalking results had identified what appeared to be a Romano-British roadside settlement, comprising a row of ditches plots adjacent to a NE/SW aligned trackway. Evidence was recovered to date some of the features associated with the settlement to the Roman period and to map its extent and character. A broad 1st-4th century date is suggested by the pottery recovered from features, though the slight predominance of 2nd century sherds recovered could suggest that the site was more intensively occupied at this time.

Trenching in the north part of the development area recovered ephemeral evidence from a complex series of linear features located by the geophysical survey. No firmly dated artefacts were recovered from these features though the site's limits were nonetheless confirmed.

Evidence of medieval activity across the site as a whole was limited to the recovery of a few sherds of pottery. A further area of the site was intensively trenched following the mapping of hitherto unrecorded earthworks identified during a walkover survey just south of Berryfields House. this area of earthworks, comprising ditched hollows and raised platforms, lay to the east of the development site, and proved to be of late post-medieval date, probably associated with a farm building in this period. An undated enclosure close to Quarrendon House Farm was also investigated. Trenching in the south of the development area revealed very few features of any date.

A notable aspect of the evaluation was the damage caused to underlying features by medieval and later ploughing; plough furrows were evident in the majority of the trenches.