ENOCK'S COAL YARD, 75 OCK STREET, ABINGDON

The Oxford Archaeological Unit carried out a field evaluation at Enock's coal yard, Ok street, Abingdon on behalf of Thomas Merrifield. Three trenches were excavated in the area of the proposed development. In Trench I the evaluation revealed a probable 12th centuary horizon overlain by a wall and yard surface. These settlement features were overlain by 13th and 14th century occupation deposits. Further evidence of settlement was identified in Trench 2 in the central area of the site, consisting of a ditch, a pit, two lines of postholes and two gullies. One of the gullies contained 14th century pottery. In all of the trenches the archaeologcial features were overlain by a thick homogenous layer which appeared to represent a late medieval and post-medieval accumulation, possibly of garden soil. The lack of archaeological features within this layer tends to suggest a period of inactivity in the proposed development area during this period.