Possible medieval field system at Hydes Solar Farm (EHER 48385)

The 2014 geophysical survey indicated the presence of ditches which were the subsequently trial trenched, revealing a possible medieval field system.

2014. Geophysical survey. A detailed gradiometry survey was conducted over approximately 18.75 hectares of agricultural land. A number of features of archaeological origin have been identified throughout the survey area. These include cut features and possible enclosures. These features most likely relate to the possible "...celtic field system dating from the Bronze Age through to the early Middle Ages…" mentioned in the DBA provided by Archaeological Solutions Ltd. The evidence within the survey data correlates with the description that the features "...are often coaxial i.e. forming a system by which boundaries of adjacent fields make a series of long roughly parallel lines." A double ditched feature may well be a trackway. <1> 2014. Trial trenching. There was a good correlation between the geophysical data and the archaeological features. The evaluation trench revealed three ditches. Ditch F1004 contained medieval (13th to 14th century) pottery, and also residual abraded fragments of Roman ceramic building material, probably derived from tegula roof tile. Though it contained no finds Ditch F1006 was cut by Ditch F1004, and therefore is dated to the medieval period or earlier. Ditch F1002 is undated. F1004 and F1006 appear to be part of a medieval field system. The differences in alignment of these ditches to F1002 indicate that it is unlikely that they formed part of the same field system. <2>