EDO186 - New Parsonage Site, Godwin's Orchard, Kington Magna; evaluation

The front of the site, parallel to a hollow-way known locally as Cart Road Hill, is marked by a low, wide bank which was thought might represent the site of structures pre-dating the earliest mapping of the village. Trial trenches revealed a broadly similar sequence of deposits, this being modern topsoil/agricultural soil to a depth of up to 0.4m, on top of loamy clay up to 0.1m deep and in places heavily flecked with charcoal and containing artefacts of medieval to modern date. Below this was the natural subsoil, a yellow-brown sandy clay. The excavators noted that a substantial quantity of medieval pottery was found, most from a sealed horizon which appeared to be undisturbed by later ploughing. Although no substantial subsoil features were observed, the large size and unabraded condition of the pottery sherds was felt to indicate activity close by. The excavators felt that the evidence did not rule out the possibility of medieval settlement remains on the site, which might be revealed by excavation of a larger area.