Site Event/Activity record ENT5372 - Trial Trench Evaluation at Tickhill Road, Harworth

Location

Location Tickhill Road, Harworth, Nottinghamshire
Grid reference Centred SK 61626 92381 (763m by 730m) (2 map features)
Map sheet SK69SW
District Bassetlaw
Civil Parish Harworth, Bassetlaw

Technique(s)

Organisation

MAP Archaeological Practice

Date

Not recorded.

Map

Description

The proposed development area covers the area known as Phase 2, which measures approximately 13.6Ha and is located approximately 17km southeast of Doncaster and approximately 1.4km north-east of Harworth town centre. The site is bounded to the west by Tickhill road, to the south and east by residential development and to the north by agricultural land. Forty trial trenches were excavated, all measuring 50m x 2m. The trenches were positioned across the site to investigate features observed in aerial photographs but also areas which appear void of cropmarks. The trenches were stripped of topsoil and subsoil with a mechanical excavator fitted with a toothless ditching bucket, under archaeological supervision. Machining ceased at the top of either archaeological or naturally formed deposits, depending upon which was located soonest. The exposed surfaces were cleaned appropriately. Segments were excavated across all features to determine their function and form. This evaluation has confirmed the cropmark data, as highlighted by previous phase of trial trenching. They too lacked any material culture or any datable material, though their form and alignment resemble other Iron-Age/Romano-British field systems in the area. No features other than those indicated by the cropmarks were revealed, suggesting a relatively simple system of land division, possibly associated with pasture and livestock rather than arable agriculture or settlement. This is substantiated by the lack of archaeological artefacts and limited anthropogenic inclusions uncovered. Of the fourteen environmental samples taken, only three produced identifiable results. This included oak fuel waste from two trenches along with possible food waste including oat and cherry remains in another trench. These findings are not concentrated to a single feature, nor a single part of the site and appear to suggest a low level of activity in proximity to the open ditches.

Sources/Archives (1)

  • --- Unpublished document: Alistair Cross. 2022. Land off Tickhill Road, Harworth, Nottinghamshire: Archaeological Evaluation by Trial Trenching.

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

  • Linear cropmarks, Harworth (Element)

Record last edited

Sep 3 2025 3:49PM

Comments and Feedback

Do you have any questions or more information about this record? Please feel free to comment below with your name and email address. All comments are submitted to the website maintainers for moderation, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible. Comments, questions and answers that may be helpful to other users will be retained and displayed along with the name you supply. The email address you supply will never be displayed or shared.