Land off Goldfinch Close and Kestrel Close Congleton Cheshire

Archaeological Metal Detector Survey

for Seddon Homes Ltd

CA Project: 5283 CA Report: 15140

March 2015

Land off Goldfinch Close and Kestrel Close

Congleton Cheshire

Archaeological Metal Detector Survey

CA Project: 5283 CA Report: 15140

Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for

revision Approved

by A 17/3/15 Sam Wilson Damian

De Rosa Internal review

Damian De Rosa

B 23/3/15 Sam Wilson Damian De Rosa

Draft for issue

DDR edits Richard Greatorex

This report is confidential to the client. Cotswold Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability to any third

party to whom this report, or any part of it, is made known. Any such party relies upon this report entirely at their own risk. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means without permission.

© Cotswold Archaeology

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CONTENTS

SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 4

1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 5

2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................ 6

3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................... 8

4. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 8

5. RESULTS (FIG 2) .............................................................................................. 9

6. THE FINDS ........................................................................................................ 10

8. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................... 10

9. CA PROJECT TEAM .......................................................................................... 11

10. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 11

APPENDIX A: OASIS REPORT FORM .......................................................................... 12

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site Location Plan Fig. 2 Detected Transects and Finds Fig. 3 Undetectable area, Field A Fig. 4 Detecting in progress, Field A Fig. 5 General view south west, Field B Fig. 6 Ground conditions, Field B

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SUMMARY

Project Name: Land off Goldfinch Close and Kestrel Close

Location: Congleton, Cheshire

NGR: SJ 8624 6214

Type: Metal Detector Survey

Date: 4-5 March 2015

Planning Reference: 12/3025C

Location of Archive: Congleton Museum

Site Code: CONG15

An archaeological metal detector survey was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in March

2015 at Land off Goldfinch Close and Kestrel Close, Congleton, Cheshire.

A small number of post medieval and modern artefacts were recovered in a random scatter

across the site. No additional information can be discerned from their spatial relationship and

it seems probable that all the finds relate to chance losses. Other finds collected, but not

retained during the survey consisted of quantities of modern scrap lead, ferrous nails and

agricultural related fittings, and modern aluminium cans.

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 In March 2015 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological metal

detector survey for Seddon Homes Ltd at Land off Goldfinch Close and Kestrel

Close, Congleton, Cheshire (centred on NGR: SJ 8624 6214; Fig. 1).

1.2 The survey was undertaken to fulfil a condition attached to outline planning

permission (Ref: 12/3025C), granted on appeal (Appeal Ref:

APP/R0660/A/12/2188605) by Cheshire East Council, the local planning authority

(LPA), for the construction of up to 40 dwellings, open space, associated

landscaping, infrastructure and access.

1.2 The metal detector survey was carried out in accordance with a brief for

archaeological evaluation prepared by Mark Leah, Development Control

Archaeologist (DCA), Cheshire Archaeology Planning Advisory Service, the

archaeological advisors to the LPA, and detailed Written Scheme of Investigation

(WSI) produced by CA (2015) and approved by Mark Leah. The fieldwork also

followed Standard and guidance: Archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014), the

Management of Archaeological Projects (English Heritage 1991) and the

Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MORPHE): Project

Manager’s Guide (English Heritage 2006).

The site

1.3 The site is c. 1.8ha in size and is located c. 800m to the south of Congleton, west of

Canal Road and to the north of Lambert’s Lane (Figure 1). The site lies off Goldfinch

Close and Kestrel Close and comprises two fields currently under rough pasture.

Fields lie to the west and the former cemetery related to St Peter’s Church to the

north, beyond which lies residential development around Howley Fields. To the east

lies residential development along Canal Road. Hedgerows and trees mark the

current field boundaries.

1.4 The site is underlain by Bollin Mudstone Member; sedimentary bedrock formed 237-

246 million years ago in an environment dominated by hot deserts. Superficial

deposits of Till, Devensian – Diamicton are also recorded, formed up to two million

years ago in Ice Age conditions (BGS 2014).

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1.5 The site slopes gently downhill to the north-west from approximately 123.3m AOD in

the south east to 117.7m AOD in the north-west.

2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 A heritage desk based assessment (AT 2012) of the site has been undertaken,

setting out the archaeological and historical background of the site. A brief summary

of these results is presented below.

2.2 There are no known sites dating to the prehistoric period within the site. Late

Neolithic/early Bronze Age activity in the Congleton area is most clearly

demonstrated by the Bridestones Neolithic chambered cairn, which is situated at the

southern end of Bosley Cloud. Although much diminished, the Bridestones was

originally a very large monument with a paved crescentic forecourt and a port-holed

stone dividing the main chamber. Other finds of similar date have been found

around Congleton – a polished stone axe was found in the centre of Buglawton and

a Bronze Age flat axe and an unfinished stone axe hammer were found at

Padsbridge Farm. Within Congleton a Late Bronze Age hoard of spears, spear shaft

ferrules and a socketed axe dated to c. 9th- 8th century BC, was uncovered at New

Street, whilst an archaeological evaluation at the Town Hall in 1996 identified

prehistoric pits and a possible prehistoric ditch sealed by later medieval deposits.

2.3 There are no known sites dating to the Roman period within the site, although

immediately to the north lies the site of a coin hoard at Howey Lane. The hoard

comprised c. 7 first-second century bronze coins and was found in a garden in 1859.

Howey Lane is thought to lie on the line of a Roman road that ran between

Congleton and Chesterton (in Staffordshire).

2.4 The Domesday Book notes that an early medieval settlement existed at Congleton

under Earl Godwin and following the Norman Conquest Congleton was in the

possession of a Norman, Bigot de Loges. The name ‘Congleton’ is thought to be

Scandinavian in origin – the ‘tun’ element meaning an enclosure or farmstead and

the first element derived from ‘cung’ (a turning or bend in the river) or ‘conk-hull (a

steep, rounded hill).

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2.5 Congleton, along with Bigot’s other Cheshire estates, formed part of the Aldford,

later the Arderne, fee and in c. 1270 passed to Henry de Lacy, Baron of Halton.

Henry gave Congleton a borough charter and the town thrived, becoming the most

important town in East Cheshire by 1405. A vital part of the town’s economy was

agriculture, but also important were millstone quarrying, corn mills, cloth making and

bell making. However, by the end of the 14th century Congleton suffered an

economic decline (like much of England) as a result of the effects of plague and

famine.

2.6 The Church of St Peter (built c. 1740) to the north of the site is thought to lie on the

site of a Norman/medieval Church – the Higher or Over Chapel is first mentioned in

AD1379 and to the north-west lies the site of a medieval watermill. A strap fitting of

medieval or post medieval date is recorded to have been found to the south of the

site on land off Goldfinch Close.

2.7 During this period Congleton continued as a market centre, whilst its agricultural

hinterland was subject to piecemeal and formal enclosure – although the greatest

changes to the landscape resulted from the increasing importance of

industrialisation (from the 17th century) and the development of transport networks –

the 18th century saw the development of a network of canals (The Trent and Mersey

Canal opened in 1777 and the Macclesfield Canal in 1831), whilst the 19th century

witnessed the establishment of railway lines across Cheshire (1848 saw Congleton

on the line between Manchester and London). The Canal Road area saw a number

of mills located beside minor water courses - Sunnyside Mill, Albany Mill, Moody

Street Mill and Vale Mill. Associated with the mills was terraced housing for the mill

workers and suppliers of bricks, timber and sand as well as a blacksmiths. To the

west of the site a coin hoard was found with 3409 Tudor and Stuart silver coins that

were buried in four earthenware vessels between 1670-1675 and are thought to

have belonged to a wealthy businessman at the time, John Walker, who owned the

field the coin hoard was found in and whose initials JCW were noted on one of the

vessels.

2.8 The earliest maps of Cheshire by Christopher Saxton (1577), John Speed (1610),

John Ogilby (1675) and Peter Burdett (1777) record the location of Congleton, but

show no detail for the site. Christopher Greenwood’s map of 1819 and A Bryant’s

map of 1831 both show Lambert’s Lane, but the site is simply shown as an area of

open land.

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2.9 The Tithe map of 1845 for the township of Congleton, parish of Astbury indicates

through field names the pasture/arable nature of the site and surrounding area. The

1st edition Ordnance Survey (OS) map of 1875 shows the site as one open field. By

the OS map of 1910 the northern field shows only a single subdivision and the rest

of the site is shown as it exists today.

3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

3.1 The objectives of the metal detecting survey were to provide information about the

archaeological resource within the site, including its presence/absence, character,

extent, date, integrity, state of preservation and quality.

3.2 In accordance with the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluation

(CIfA 2014), the metal detector survey has been designed to be minimally intrusive

and minimally destructive to archaeological remains. The information gathered will

enable the DCA acting on behalf of the LPA to identify and assess the particular

significance of any heritage asset, consider the impact of the proposed development

upon it, determine whether further more extensive archaeological mitigation is

required and to avoid or minimise conflict between the heritage asset’s conservation

and any aspect of the development proposal, in line with the National Planning

Policy Framework (DCLG 2012).

4. METHODOLOGY

4.1 The metal detecting survey was undertaken within two fields (Fields A and B)

comprising a total area c.1.8ha.

4.2 The equipment used to carry out the survey consisted of Minelab X-Terra 705 and

Garrett 250 metal detectors, and GPS survey equipment.

4.3 The two fields were split into a series of parallel transects set out 10m apart,

ensuring approximately 10% sample coverage of the ground surface. The transects

were set out using GPS and were marked on the ground using temporary markers

which were removed from site at the completion of each survey day.

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4.4 Metal detecting was undertaken along each transect by sweeping the search head

as close to the surface as possible and allowing for approximately 30% overlap in

order to produce a consistent sample. Each sweep covered a width of c.2m (1m

each side of the centre of the transect).

4.5 An appropriate working offset was employed to either side of any upstanding metal

fences, powerlines or other obstructions, in order to avoid unnecessary interference.

4.6 The survey targeted non-ferrous metals only, due to the potential for a large number

of ferrous metal signals across most land. Additional detecting in all metal mode was

not required as no particular concentrations of artefacts were recovered.

4.7 Artefacts were removed from the ground using a spade and trowel. All holes were

filled and levelled after the removal of material. All metal-detected finds of potential

archaeological significance were plotted using a GPS and labelled with a unique ID

number. Artefacts of undoubted modern date were collected and bagged together by

transect as ‘Junk’ in order to give a representative sample of the ‘background noise’

across the site.

4.8 CA will comply fully with the provisions of the Treasure Act 1996 and Treasure

(Designation) Order 2002 and the Code of Practice referred to therein

4.9 The archive and artefacts from the metal detector survey are currently held by CA at

their offices in Andover. Subject to the agreement of the legal landowner the

artefacts will be deposited with the Congleton Museum along with the site archive. A

summary of information from this project, set out within Appendix A, will be entered

onto the OASIS online database of archaeological projects in Britain.

5. RESULTS (FIGS 2 TO 6)

5.1 A total of 15 transects were detected across the site. Some transects were

shortened or moved to take account of the ground conditions, which only became

apparent after arrival on site, largely consisting of areas of dense tree stumps and

rooting of recently cut vegetation and a large modern spoil heap. In some areas,

vegetation stems were still standing some 0.3m above ground level. Such conditions

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make the detection and excavation of artefacts impractical and in some cases

impossible.

5.2 A total of 10 possibly significant artefacts were recovered as detailed in paragraph 6.

No additional information can be discerned from their spatial relationship and it

seems probable that all the finds relate to chance losses.

5.3 The ‘Junk’ finds collected during the survey consisted of quantities of modern scrap

lead, ferrous nails and agricultural related fittings, and modern aluminium cans.

These finds were collected but not plotted as they had no archaeological value. This

moderate presence of modern material recovered from within the site is typical of

the ‘background noise’ that would be expected when conducting a metal detector

survey across much of the country.

6. THE FINDS

6.1 A total of 10 metallic artefacts were recovered during the survey which were deemed

to not be obviously modern or to potentially have archaeological significance. They

are as follows:

RA No. Field Material Description 1 B Cu Alloy Coin. Young Victoria, date not visible 2 B Cu Alloy C18th/19th Furniture fitting 3 B Pb Bullet. Unfired. Small calibre, probably C18th/19th fowling piece 10 A Cu Alloy Coin. Post Medieval. Very worn. 11 A Cu Alloy C18th/19th Furniture fitting 12 A Cu Alloy C18th/19th Button 13 A Cu Alloy Coin. Post Medieval. Very worn. Possibly George IV/Victoria 14 A Pb Weight/net sinker. Undated 15 A Cu Alloy C18th/19th Furniture fitting 16 A Cu Alloy Coin. Post Medieval. Very worn. Possibly George I to IV

7. DISCUSSION

7.1 The finds recovered are not indicative of any historical site or settlement within the

vicinity, beyond being chance losses within the agricultural periphery of Congleton in

the post medieval period. The find of most potential interest is the undated lead

weight/net sinker. Whilst this most likely to date to the post medieval period, the

difficulty in dating such items means that it is possible for it to date back as far as the

Roman period. Recovery rates may have been adversely affected in areas of the

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site with abundant tree stumps and rooting, although this is unlikely to have

dramatically altered the outcome of the survey.

7.2 The ‘Junk’ finds exhibit a typical level of background noise within the site and are

unlikely to have influenced recovery rates beyond that which may be normally

expected. Most ‘Junk’ finds probably relate to activity associated with the adjacent

modern housing developments, modern use of the land for recreational purposes, or

post medieval agriculture.

7.3 No finds were recovered that might relate to the nearby Roman coin hoard found at

Howey Lane or large Tudor and Stuart coin hoard found to the west of the site.

8. CA PROJECT TEAM

Fieldwork was undertaken by Sam Wilson, assisted by Joe Whelan. The report was

written by Joe Whelan. The illustrations were prepared by Leo Heatley. The archive

has been compiled by Joe Whelan, and prepared for deposition by Adam Howard.

The project was managed for CA by Damian De Rosa.

9. REFERENCES

BGS (British Geological Survey) 2013 Geology of Britain Viewer

http://maps.bgs.ac.uk/geology viewer_google/googleviewer.html Accessed March

2015

Cotswold Archaeology (CA) 2014. Falcon Rise, Congleton, Cheshire. Heritage

Statement (Historic Landscape). CA Project: 5075. CA Report: 14395

Cotswold Archaeology (CA) 2015, Land off Goldfinch Close and Kestrel Close.

Written Scheme of Investigation of an Archaeological Metal Detector Survey

Thompson, Anne (AT) 2012. Land Off ‘The Moorings’ And Land Off Goldfinch Close

And Kestrel Close’, Congleton, Cheshire. Heritage Desk Based Assessment. Report

no. CON02A

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APPENDIX A: OASIS REPORT FORM

PROJECT DETAILS Project Name Archaeological Metal Detector Survey, Land off Goldfinch Close

and Kestrel Close, Congleton, Cheshire Short description (250 words maximum)

An archaeological metal detector survey was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in March 2015 at Land off Goldfinch Close and Kestrel Close, Congleton, Cheshire. A small number of post medieval and modern artefacts were recovered in a random scatter across the site. No additional information can be discerned from their spatial relationship and it seems probable that all the finds relate to chance losses. Other finds collected, but not retained during the survey consisted of quantities of modern scrap lead, ferrous nails and agricultural related fittings, and modern aluminium cans

Project dates 4-5 March 2015 Project type (e.g. desk-based, field evaluation etc)

Metal Detector Survey

Previous work (reference to organisation or SMR numbers etc)

None

Future work Unknown

PROJECT LOCATION Site Location Land off Goldfinch Close and Kestrel Close, Congleton, Cheshire Study area (M2/ha) 1.8ha Site co-ordinates (8 Fig Grid Reference) SJ 6230 2160

PROJECT CREATORS Name of organisation Cotswold Archaeology Project Brief originator Cheshire Archaeology Planning Advisory Service Project Design (WSI) originator Cotswold Archaeology

Project Manager Damian De Rosa Project Supervisor Sam Wilson MONUMENT TYPE None SIGNIFICANT FINDS 4 no 18th / 19th century coins

2 no 19th Century furnish fittings Bullet. Unfired. Small calibre, probably C18th/19th fowling piece Weight/net sinker. Undated likely 18th / 19th century C18th/19th Button

PROJECT ARCHIVES Intended final location of archive (museum/Accession no.)

Content (e.g. pottery, animal bone etc)

Physical Congleton Museum Coins, Furnish fittings, Bullet, weight/net sinker, button.

Paper Congleton Museum Record sheets, survey data

Digital Congleton Museum / ADS Digital photos, survey data.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CA (Cotswold Archaeology) 2015 Land off Goldfinch Close and Kestrel Close: Archaeological Metal Detector Survey. CA typescript report: 15140

Cheshire

CotswoldArchaeology

Cirencester 01285 771022

Milton Keynes 01908 218320

Andover 01264 347630

w www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk

e enquiries@cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk

N

PROJECT TITLE

FIGURE TITLE

0 1km

Reproduced from the 2010 Ordnance Survey Explorer map with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office Crown copyright Cotswold Archaeology Ltd 100002109

c

Land off Goldfinch Close & Kestrel Close Congleton, Cheshire

Site location plan

FIGURE NO.

1PROJECT NO.DATESCALE@A4

DRAWN BYCHECKED BYAPPROVED BY

528317/03/151:25,000

LJHJBDDR

CotswoldArchaeology

PROJECT TITLE

FIGURE TITLE

FIGURE NOs.

3 & 4

Land off Goldfinch Close & Kestrel CloseCongleton, Cheshire

Photographs

Cirencester 01285 771022

Milton Keynes 01908 564660

Andover 01264 347630

w www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk

e enquiries@cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk

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3

3 Undetectable area, Field A

4 Detecting in progress, Field A

PROJECT NO.DATESCALE@A4

DRAWN BYCHECKED BYAPPROVED BY

528317/03/15n/a

LJHJBDDR

CotswoldArchaeology

PROJECT TITLE

FIGURE TITLE

FIGURE NOs.

5 & 6

Land off Goldfinch Close & Kestrel CloseCongleton, Cheshire

Photographs

Cirencester 01285 771022

Milton Keynes 01908 564660

Andover 01264 347630

w www.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk

e enquiries@cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk

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5

5 General view south west, Field B

6 Ground conditions, Field B

PROJECT NO.DATESCALE@A4

DRAWN BYCHECKED BYAPPROVED BY

528317/03/15n/a

LJHJBDDR

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