Site Event/Activity record ENT5421 - Evaluation near Hayside Cottage, Balderton

Location

Location Hayside Cottage, Lowfield Lane, Balderton, Nottinghamshire
Grid reference Centred SK 81081 51227 (379m by 307m) (3 map features)
Map sheet SK85SW
District Newark
Civil Parish Balderton, Newark

Technique(s)

Organisation

Allen Archaeology Limited

Date

Not recorded.

Map

Description

The site is approximately 6.6 hectares and presently open field separated into several parcels. The trial trenching entailed the excavation of 21 trenches, 19 measuring 50m long by 2m wide and two trenches 25m long by 2m wide. A mechanical excavator fitted with a 2m wide toothless ditching bucket was used to remove topsoil, subsoil and underlying non-archaeological deposits in spits no greater than 100mm in thickness. The process was repeated until the first archaeologically significant or natural horizon was exposed. The archaeological evaluation by trial trenching has shown a below ground presence of furrows from a medieval/post-medieval field system. Two sherds of medieval pottery in reasonably good condition were recovered from a single furrow which gives an indicative date of the field system of approximately 14th century. Due to it being a very small assemblage the date is not conclusive and whilst they could have been incorporated into the furrow from contemporary night soiling of the field, they could have been incorporated through later, post-medieval, agricultural events. Whilst undated potential pits were uncovered on site, their irregular nature and fills suggest a natural origin of bioturbation, whereas the linear, shallow, gully-like features are more likely to represent former hedgerows, probably of post-medieval/modern date. In the third field an L-shaped anomaly recorded on the geophysical survey and seen in LiDAR and Google Earth imagery, cut across two trenches. Two ditches align with this anomaly. This linear feature appears to correspond with a path seen on late-19th century maps. After 1955 the field was occupied by allotment gardens (represented on OS maps from 1965-1973) and it may have continued as some form of boundary within this later use of the field where it appears bounded by the associated field boundaries. LiDAR imagery over the third field shows a subdivided field with the central, north — south boundary being flanked by smaller plots. Whilst it is plausible that it may relate to an earlier feature predating the 19th century, it comfortably fits within the 19th-century field system and boundaries of the modern allotments. It is also plausible that its alignment with one of the ditches, could be circumstantial and that the ditch could represent an earlier ditch or furrow and was part of the wider field system recognised on site.

Sources/Archives (1)

  • --- Unpublished document: Maria Stockdale. 2025. Archaeological Evaluation By Trial Trenching Report: Land Adjacent To Hayside Cottage, Lowfield Lane, Balderton, Nottinghamshire.

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Record last edited

Jan 16 2026 12:43PM

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