Archaeological Evaluation of Land at Halton Lane, Weston Turville, Buckinghamshire (cotswold2-270794)

In May 2016, Cotswold Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation of land at Halton Lane, Weston Turville, Buckinghamshire. The fieldwork was undertaken to accompany a planning application for residential development of the site. The evaluation comprised the excavation of nineteen trenches. A recent geophysical survey identified a rectilinear anomaly within the northern part of the site. The anomaly appeared to represent an enclosure measuring 60m by 74m with a possible internal division. The Buckinghamshire Historic Environment Record records the postulated line of the Lower Icknield Way passing through the centre of the site as well as two or more undated inhumations located to the west. The evaluation identified ditches within the northern part of the site which corresponded to anomalies identified through geophysical survey. Pottery dating from the Late Bronze Age was recovered from the fills of these ditches. The evaluation identified two post-medieval/early modern ditches. They fit within the general alignment identified within the surrounding field systems depicted on historic and current Ordnance Survey mapping. The ditches are likely to represent boundary and/or drainage features. No human remains or evidence of burials were identified and it seems likely that activity associated with the graves excavated to the west did not extend as far as the site. Post-medieval ploughing had evidently caused significant truncation of deposits across the site, completely removing the subsoil in places.