EDO4254 - Fordington Farm Evaluation Trench T

The Duchy of Cornwall commissioned Wessex Archaeology to conduct an archaeological evaluation of land to the south and west of Fordington Farm , prior to the sale of the land for development. The work took place between May and October 1986. The area of a proposed new sports field was subject to geophysical survey, earthwork survey, testpitting and evaluation excavation. The remains of a Bronze Age round barrow of three identified phases was identified together with a number of possible Roman features and medieval field earthworks. Trench T measured 25m x 1m and was aligned N-S, located to investigate a vague semi-circular anomaly in the middle of the field and to section a suspected Roman Road surviving as a bank running NW-SE across the field. The cause of the magnetic anomaly was not discovered, and the bank proved to be colluvium with two parallel robbed out walls along the same alignment as boundaries depicted on the 1779 survey of the manor of Fordington. There were no indications of a road.