Garlands Hospital, Carlisle, Cumbria. Archaeological Report

Over a two week period, during November 1996, an archaeological evaluation was carried out on
a c 18ha greenfield site (NY 430 540 centred) covering five fields (labelled A-E on Figure 3), at
Garlands Hospital, Carlisle, in advance of proposed residential development. The evaluation was
carried out by Lancaster University Archaeological unit (LUAU) on behalf of Lakeland
Healthcare NHS Trust, and involved the machine excavation of 101 trenches measuring c 30m by
1.6m, under archaeological supervision. All trenches were then recorded and, where appropriate,
investigated further.
Across much of the site trial trenching revealed nothing except modern drainage features, cut into
the natural subsoil. The exceptions to this picture were provided by Trench 17, at the northern end
of Field A, where a probable burnt mound was located, Trench 37, parallel to the western
boundary of Field B, where an undated piece of wood was recovered from a damp, but not fully
waterlogged, organic deposit sealed by modern tipping, and Trench 21, at the north-eastern
boundary of Field C, where the presence of possible colluvial and alluvial deposits, perhaps cut by
undated linear features was demonstrated. Finally, Trench 13, along the eastern boundary of Field
A, produced evidence of a shallow, possibly ancient linear feature.