Lodge Farm, Norton Village, Runcorn, Cheshire Archaeological Strip and Record, and Excavation Report

Planning permission (07/2007/0230/FUL) was granted for the redevelopment of Lodge Farm in Norton Village, near Runcorn, Cheshire (NGR SJ 55539 81993). The planning application allowed for the demolition of the existing farmhouse, and the construction of six new houses on the 0.17 hectare site. A condition attached to planning consent required that an appropriate scheme of archaeological investigation was carried out in advance of the development. In response to a request from Seddon Construction Ltd, for a programme of
archaeological excavation prior to the proposed development, Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) was commissioned to undertake the work. Following consultation with Julie Edwards, Cheshire Shared Services, and Mark Leah, Cheshire Archaeology Planning Advisory Service, it was recommended that the topsoil be stripped under strict archaeological conditions, and a full record made of any archaeological remains exposed. This consisted of over 77 archaeological features, which included postholes belonging to timber buildings, ditches, which for the most part appear to be of medieval date, as well as post-medieval walls. Subsequently, a further Written Scheme of Investigation was issued
outlining a programme of archaeological excavation of the features and deposits. The development site lies within the shrunken medieval village of Norton, evidence of which was provided by an excavation carried out between 1974-6. This had focused on land immediately south of the present study area, and provided evidence for four medieval buildings, with tofts alongside the road, separated by boundaries. Other medieval features included trackways, boundary ditches, pits, drains, and several unidentified structures. Finds recovered from the excavation suggested that the site had been occupied from the thirteenth/fourteenth century, and continued until the late eighteenth century. The present excavation confirmed that the archaeological remains located during the 1974-6 excavation continued into the present study area. The results of the excavation revealed two
broad phases of activity, with the earliest being medieval, which could be subdivided into three sub-phases and the later phase was post-medieval date. The earliest phase (1a) comprised two parallel ditches, a pit and postholes. Two of the postholes were contained within one of the ditches, implying that they were part of a structure. The ditches were dated by radiocarbon assay, providing dates of AD 1160-1270 (820 ± 30 BP, SUERC 35504), and AD 1310-1440 (545 ± 30 BP, SUERC-35500). These dates are consistent with the accepted chronology of Norton Village which was thought to
fall within this period; the 1974-6 excavations produced only small amounts of twelfth century pottery, but large quantities of thirteenth century pottery. Phases 1b and 1c were dated by the presence of medieval pottery, and were located toward the east end of the site on the street frontage; features belonging to these phases included a
number of inter-cutting ditches and pits. This activity was bounded by a hollow-way, later partially metalled, which could be traced from the previous excavations, and was identified as the boundary between the toft and fields to the west, as seen on the JE map of 1757.
The second broad phase, dating to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, revealed at least three structures. Two of these were post-built, whilst a third, situated on the street frontage, was constructed in stone and dated to the mid- to late- eighteenth century.