In the first of a two-part series, Deirdre Huston talks to archaeologist, Edward Biddulph, about uncovering our local history.

Many of you know Clayton Mills. Perhaps you live there, or maybe you’ve jogged along the footpath, walked your dog around the fields, played on the old bike tracks in the copse, or taken a shortcut along the banks of the stream. Some of you will remember the fields before the present housing estate was built, but did you know that, in 2005 and 2007, Oxford Archaeology carried out excavations at this site?

Like most archaeological work, this was a result of the housing development: it was a condition of planning permission being granted that some archaeological investigation took place in order to mitigate the development’s impact and was funded by Barratts. I spoke with Edward, a Senior Project Manager at Oxford Archaeology, to learn more about what was learned during the project and the processes involved.

First, there was an initial desk-based assessment of existing archaeological work in our area, using the local authority database of heritage records.
Next, during an on-site evaluation, trenches were sunk across the site and yielded evidence which suggested there would be a reasonable chance of finding evidence of past activity.
Finally, a larger excavation was undertaken, involving a team of ten or so archaeologists in the field and an office-based team behind the scenes who wash, process and mark finds, such as pottery, animal bones, tiles or marked flint. (Artefacts made of leather and wood tend not to survive unless in extraordinary circumstances.) The team also analyse environmental samples to find tiny bits of seed, charcoal or grain which give clues to environment use, for example, telling us what crops may have been grown. From this evidence, the archaeologists are able to put together a picture of what human activity may have occurred in this location in the past.

This dug up some interest? Well look out for the January copy of Hassocks Life to read more and find out what Hassocks was like during the Bronze age!

A Hassocks Excavation Part 2 now available here.