Old Carlisle Farm, Wigton, Cumbria- Watching Brief

Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) was invited by Cumbria County Council Historic Environment Section (CCCHES) to submit a project design for an archaeological watching brief during the insertion of a field drain at Old Carlisle Farm, Wigton, Cumbria (NY 26294 46453 - NY 26337 46308). This necessitated the excavation by a 360º machine using a toothed bucket of a trench measuring 150m x 0.7m to a depth of between 1.2m and 1.5m. Following the acceptance of the project design, OA North was commissioned to undertake the project, which took place over three days in March 2005.
The trench was located c220m to the east of the Roman fort at Old Carlisle and was aligned broadly north/south. The watching brief identified a ditch, 5, a pit, 8, and a Roman road, 11/15. Ditch 5 was revealed in the section of the trench, and measured 2.15m wide and 0.41m deep. It contained two fills, 3 and 4, although no finds were retrieved and the ditch thus remains undated. Pit 8 was again only seen in section, with a single piece of pottery recovered from 7, its only fill. The road consisted of a metalled surface, 15, overlying substantial foundations, 11, comprising stones set in a matrix of loose, light yellow sand. The road appeared to be aligned broadly north-west/south-east, although, given the constraints of the trench, this remained uncertain.