Post medieval ditches, gullies and pits, Land north of Cockaynes Lane, Alresford (EHER 49995)

Evaluation revealed post medieval ditches, gullies and pits, possibly associated with activity pre-dating the enclosure of Alresford Heath in the 19th century.

Thirty-one evaluation trenches were excavated across the 3.85ha site. Potential archaeological remains were identified in eight trenches, with a slight concentration in the east. No prehistoric features were present and only one piece of residual prehistoric struck flint was recovered. The lack of prehistoric evidence suggests that the immediate landscape was little utilised in the prehistoric period. No remains of Iron Age, Roman or Anglo-Saxon date were identified, nor were any residual finds of this date recovered. Although evidence for localised medieval rural settlement and a field system were previously recorded in excavations south of Cockaynes Lane, there was no evidence of this continuing northwards into the evaluation area. Dated remains consisted of a boundary ditch, parallel gullies and pits all dating to the post-medieval period. The earliest of these may be a series of shallow ENE/WSW aligned gullies, perhaps associated with horticultural activity, dating to the late 18th or early 19th century. At this time, the site was situated in open land known as ‘Alresford Heath’. Crossing roughly through the middle of the site was a NW/SE aligned boundary ditch which contained 19th- or 20th-century artefacts. Historic mapping indicates that the ditch was created in the early 19th century (pre-1843), when the land comprising Alresford Heath was enclosed, and that it was in-filled prior to 1967. Three pits dating to the first half of the 19th century were also present. One in the north may have been used as a rubbish pit and two in the south, close to Cockaynes Lane, contained deposits of charcoal and appeared to be associated with some form of burning activity – perhaps charcoal production. In the south-west corner of the site a NNE/SSW aligned ditch was investigated. The ditch was undated, but aligned with the projected course of a cropmark ditch recorded in the adjoining field (EHER 2590). The ditch demarcated the eastern side of a presumed trackway some 10m or 12m wide. The trackway is not depicted on historic OS mapping and therefore must pre-date 1799. As the site was situated within open heathland at this time, the trackway is likely to pre-date this, perhaps dating to the medieval period or earlier. <1>