BREL19 Engleton Lane, Brewood, Staffordshire BRE20 An Iron Age Pit Alignment at Engleton Lane, Brewood, Staffordshire,Archaeological Excavation Report

BREL19
Between October and November 2019 Oxford Archaeology undertook an archaeological evaluation for RPS Group on behalf of Lovell Ltd at Engleton Lane, Brewood, Staffordshire. A total of 19 trenches were excavated across the site to assess its archaeological potential. Seventeen of the evaluation trenches contained no archaeological remains, with the natural geology overlain by subsoil and topsoil. A few natural features and geological variations were investigated as a precaution. A north-south aligned ditch, possibly a post-medieval field drainage ditch, was investigated in Trench 3. The only significant remains uncovered comprised a potential prehistoric pit alignment found in Trench 6 consisting of nine closely spaced pits. Even though the pits were undated and no finds were recovered, the sterile character of the fills are consistent with similar prehistoric pit alignments discovered within the area.

BRE20
During March 2020, Oxford Archaeology undertook an archaeological strip, map and sample excavation of the site of a proposed residential development at Engleton Lane, Brewood, Staffordshire (NGR SJ 8881 0943). The excavation comprised a 100m by 6m area along with further exploratory trenches, following the length of a prehistoric pit alignment which had been discovered during a previous evaluation. A total of 44 pits were revealed, extending over a length of at least 205m on a south-west to north-east alignment, running downslope towards the River Penk. Each contained largely sterile fills whose nature suggests that the pits were left open to silt up. Charcoal from the lower fill of one pit produced a radiocarbon date of the mid 4th to early 2nd centuries cal BC, placing it in the middle Iron Age, and another pit contained pottery sherds consistent with this date. Medieval pottery from the upper fill of a further pit could be intrusive. The pit alignment was cut by a ditch of unknown date. The only other features were post-medieval furrows and a drainage gully.