Land adjacent to 40 Royal Oak Lane, Pirton. Archaeological Evaluation (OASIS ID: heritage1-234704)

In order to investigate the archaeological potential of a proposed residential development site adjacent to 40 Royal Oak Lane, Pirton, Hertfordshire, the Heritage Network was commissioned to undertake a field evaluation by trial trenching. Seven trenches were excavated across the site, each covering 32m², representing a 5% sample of the 0.44ha site by area. Four of the trenches, located on the southern end, exposed linear features including a boundary ditch in Trenches 5 and 6 (shown on modern mapping), two small undated linears in Trenches 6 and 7, and two features of probable natural origin in Trenches 4 and 6. No archaeological features or deposits were revealed in the other three trenches and no finds were recovered. No evidence for any features or deposits pre-dating the post-medieval period was recorded; the post-medieval remains on the site are considered to be of negligible archaeological significance. On the basis of the results of the evaluation, the risk that the proposed development might have a negative impact on remains of archaeological significance may be considered to be Low for all periods.