The Old Post Office, Cowbridge

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan Archaeological field evaluation May 2008

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A report for Mr Nigel England by Rob Dunning BSc & Andy Sherman BA

GGAT report no. 2008/023 Project no.P1247 National Grid Reference: SS 99807452 99677470

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The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Ltd Heathfield House Heathfield Swansea SA1 6EL

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Contents

1

2 3 4

Page

Summary ............................................................................................................................. 2 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 2 Copyright notice.................................................................................................................. 2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 3 1.1 Project background and commission................................................................................ 3 1.2 Location, geology and topography................................................................................... 3 1.3 Archaeological and historical interests ............................................................................ 4 Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 6 Results ................................................................................................................................... 10 Finds report by Andy Sherman BA................................................................................... 12 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................... 26 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 27 Appendix I......................................................................................................................... 28 Inventory of contexts......................................................................................................... 28 Appendix II ....................................................................................................................... 30 Finds Index........................................................................................................................ 30

Figures Figure 1: Location of sites ......................................................................................................... 7 Figure 2: Location of the Old Post Office development area (red) and evaluation trenches (blue) ......................................................................................................................... 8 Figure 3: Location of the Former British Legion development area (red) and evaluation trenches (blue)....................................................................................................... 9 Figure 4: Plan of Trench 1....................................................................................................... 14 Figure 5: Northwest facing section of Trench 1 .................................................................... 15 Figure 6: Plan of Trench 2....................................................................................................... 16 Figure 7: Southeast facing elevation of cess-pit (2009) area in Trench 2............................ 17 Figure 8: North facing section of Trench 2 ............................................................................ 18 Figure 9: South facing section of Trench 3 ............................................................................ 18 Figure 10: Southwest facing section of Trench 5................................................................... 19 Figure 11: Southwest facing section of Trench 6................................................................... 20

Plates Plate 1: View of northwest facing section of Trench 1, looking southeast .......................... 21 Plate 2: View of sub-circular pit (1005), looking southeast .................................................. 21 Plate 3: View of structure (2006), looking south ................................................................... 22 Plate 4: View of structure (2009), looking west ..................................................................... 22 Plate 5: View of Trench 3, looking north ............................................................................... 23 Plate 6: View of Trench 4, looking north ............................................................................... 23 Plate 7: View of Trench 5, looking south ............................................................................... 24 Plate 8: View of Trench 6, looking southeast......................................................................... 25 Plate 9: View of Trench 6, looking northeast......................................................................... 25

1

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Summary Mr Nigel England has submitted a planning application to the Vale of Glamorgan Council through his agents Robertson Francis Partnership (Planning Application number 2007/01285/FUL) to demolish former post office outbuildings and replace them with four three-bedroom townhouses (the Old Post Office Site). Mr England has also submitted a planning application (2007/01752/FUL) to demolish a former club house building, in order to replace it with twelve two-bedroom apartments (the Former British Legion site). Both developments are located in areas where it is possible that archaeological remains relating to the medieval and Roman settlement of the area may survive. Therefore, Mr England has commissioned an archaeological evaluation in advance of the development. At the Old Post Office site, a sub-circular pit (1005) was excavated at the base of Trench 1 which contained a small assemblage of unabraded medieval pottery, dating this feature to the 14th or 15th century. Trench 2 contained a sub-square cesspit/soakaway (2009) constructed of faced stone bonded with a very soft, grey-yellow lime mortar, which contained isolated flecks of coal. The composition of this lime mortar suggests a construction date of the late 18th century or early 19th century, however, the artefactual evidence recovered from the fill of this feature (2011 and 2012) suggest that it did not go out of use until sometime in the late 20th century. At the Former British Legion site, a steeply sloping deposit of alluvial clay (6006) possibly representing the former course of the River Thaw was partially excavated within Trench 6. However, as maximum safe working depth was reached it was not possible to fully excavate this feature. All archaeologically significant features or structures identified during the course of the evaluation were fully excavated, with the exception of the possible archaic river channel (6006). The results of this evaluation demonstrate the presence of medieval activity within the Old Post Office development area and it is possible that further deposits, structures or artefacts may be encountered during construction activities. Acknowledgements The project was managed by Richard Lewis BA MIFA and the fieldwork was undertaken by Rob Dunning BSc and Andy Sherman BA of GGAT Projects. The finds were processed and analysed by Andy Sherman. The report was written by Andy Sherman and Rob Dunning and the illustrations prepared by Rob Dunning and Paul Jones (Senior Illustrator). Copyright notice The copyright of this report is held by the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Ltd, which has granted an exclusive licence to Mr Nigel England and his agents to use and reproduce material it contains. Ordnance Survey maps are reproduced under licence (AL 10005976). Annotations are GGAT copyright.

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

1 Introduction 1.1 Project background and commission Mr Nigel England has submitted a planning application to the Vale of Glamorgan Council through his agents Robertson Francis Partnership (Planning Application number 2007/01285/FUL) to demolish former post office outbuildings and replace them with four three-bedroom townhouses at NGR SS 9980 7452 (the Old Post Office site). Mr England has also submitted a planning application (2007/01752/FUL) to demolish a former club house building, in order to replace it with twelve two-bedroom apartments at NGR SS 9967 7470 (the Former British Legion site). Both developments are located in areas where it is possible that archaeological remains relating to the medieval and Roman settlement of the area may survive. Therefore, Mr England has commissioned an archaeological evaluation in advance of the development, the findings of which form the subject of this report. An archaeological specification (Dunning 2008) was approved by the archaeological advisor to the Local Planning Authority and the fieldwork untaken between 03/03/08 and 19/03/08. 1.2 Location, geology and topography The Old Post Office development area is located to the north of Eastgate Street, Cowbridge (see Figure 1). The site is essentially square in plan, and approximately 0.12 hectares in area (see Figure 2). It is currently utilised as a car parking area, although a pair of disused, former outbuildings are also extant on the site. The Former British Legion development is approximately rectangular, aligned east-west and with an area of around 0.13ha (see Figure 3). It is located to the south of a car park, adjacent to Town Hill Square, Cowbridge (see Figure 1). A former clubhouse currently stands on the site, with the River Thaw running directly adjacent to the southern edge of the development area. The town is situated on a glacial terrace of sands and gravels. However, the surrounding area is composed of Jurassic lias with carboniferous limestone outcroppings, with the resultant soils being mostly brown earths (Robinson 1980).

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

1.3 Archaeological and historical interests The area of Cowbridge was first occupied during the Roman period, and is likely the site of Bomium of the Antonine Itinerary lying on the coastal road from Caerleon to Carmarthen (Margary 1957, 58). The evidence suggests that the site has been occupied from the 1st century through to the 4th century, and whilst such an early settlement is likely to be military in nature, little evidence for such structures have been discovered. However, finds from a bath house at Arthur John car park included tiles bearing the stamp LEG II AUG, which suggests a link with the legionary fortress at Caerleon, (Evans 1996) even if it was no more than the use of soldiers to construct an official building (Evans 2000, 491). The settlement took the form of a ribbon development along the Cardiff-Neath road, with a likely cemetery at the western end, as indicated by the discovery of the ‘Cowbridge Lion’, a piece of funerary sculpture from Hopyard Meadow, now in the National Museum, Cardiff. Cowbridge itself was founded as a planned town in the middle of the 13th century by Richard de Clare, although it has been suggested that an established settlement may have already been in place prior to the granting of the charter in 1254. The medieval town can be divided into three separate areas of burgage plots; the walled town centre and the two undefended ‘suburbs’ of Eastgate and Westgate (Robinson 1980). No castle was constructed at Cowbridge as it was defended by the nearby Llanblethian Castle, but the town serviced de Clare’s manor at Boverton and his demesne lordships of Llanblethian and Talyfan. The town began to prosper, being ideally situated in fertile farmland and along the still important transportation line of the Roman road. Such prosperity is reflected in the increase in number of burgages from 59 in 1262, to 233 in 1295 and 276 in 1306, making it the fifth largest town in South Wales. With the aid of numerous charters which exempted Cowbridge from many of the Crown taxes, the number of burgages had risen to 320 in 1425. However, a slow decline began at this period and this can be seen in the decrease in revenue for the town from £17 15s. 11d. in 1427 to £5 18s. 6d. in 1457. By 1514 it had plummeted to £2 3s. 2d. The decline in the fortunes of the town seems to have been halted and indeed reversed after the Acts of Union (1536-43). Cowbridge was recognised as a borough and enjoyed its own Member of Parliament, and by 1543 the revenue had recovered to £9 10s (Appleton-Fox 1999). The town seems to have been remarkably static during the late post-medieval period, indeed both the Cowbridge Tithe map of 1841 and the 1st edition OS map of 1878 reveal that Cowbridge had an almost identical settlement pattern to that of the medieval period (Robinson 1980); the greater part of habitation was still concentrated in the town centre and Eastgate (now known as East Village). The tithe maps for Penlline and Llanbethian parishes show that the surrounding landscape was almost entirely agricultural in nature. Land ownership was divided between small farmers and large estates, with land usages being dominated by pasture and meadow, but with some arable fields. Indeed, it is not until the 20th century that the burgages become fully urbanised. The Old Post Office site lies within the medieval suburb to the east of the walled town of Cowbridge. It is believed that the settlement of this area occurred in the 13th century. The landholdings in the locality all display a similar layout; that of the traditional rectangular medieval burgage plots, with the narrower ends fronting onto the streets. It is also located to the north of Eastgate Street, which follows the line of the Roman road linking Cowbridge with Cardiff. Furthermore, it is located opposite the former location of either two standing stones, or one broken stone, known as Carreg Wen. Whilst a previous evaluation determined that the stone to the west of the house was placed there at the end of the 19th or beginning of the 20th centuries, remains associated with prehistoric activity may yet survive in the area. 4

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

The Former British Legion site lies outside the known extent of the medieval town, but within the Roman occupation area. It is located to the north of the Roman road in an area that previous investigations have indicated contains significant archaeological remains. For example, a thirteen room bath-house, two kilns and four burials have been uncovered in the Arthur John car park. Furthermore, a complex series of gullies, pits, postholes and stakeholes were discovered during an evaluation at Bear Barn, and an elaborate water management system has been discovered in Bear Field. The presence of a number of archaeological interests indicates the potential for archaeological remains to be found in the vicinity of either development. However, the specific archaeological potential of the development areas is currently unknown.

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

2 Methodology The archaeological specification (Dunning 2008) specified that two trenches both measuring 10m by 2m would be excavated on the Old Post Office site, whereas three trenches, one measuring 17m by 2m and two measuring 25m by 2m would be excavated on the Former British Legion site (see Figures 2 and 3). However, it was decided on site that one of these trenches (Trench 3) would be split into two small trenches in order to avoid obstructions on the ground (Trench 3 measuring 10.5m by 2m and Trench 4 measuring 10.5m by 2m). The trenches were mechanically excavated using a 1.8m wide toothless grading bucket under direct archaeological supervision. Sufficient excavation of archaeological features and deposits were undertaken to establish the nature and extent of archaeological remains, including the nature and depth of the natural horizons. The archaeological works were carried out to the professional standards laid out in the Institute of Field Archaeologists’ Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Field Evaluation Specifications (1994, revised 1999). A written and photographic record was made of all archaeological features and deposits in accordance with the GGAT Manual of Excavation Recording Techniques. Contexts were recorded using a continuous numbering system, and are summarised in Appendix I. All significant contexts were photographed using a digital camera (with a minimum resolution of 8mp). The excavated area was located in relation to standing buildings and/or published boundaries and the site datum related to Ordnance Survey (OS) datum. Levels are related to the OS benchmark (BM 25.64m) located on the southern corner of the Town Hall. All context depths were measured from the present ground surface. All classes of finds were retained, cleaned, and catalogued and remain in temporary store until arrangements for final deposition are agreed, in line with the requirements of the Institute of Field Archaeologists’ Standard and Guidance for the collection, documentation, conservation and research of archaeological materials (2001). The project archive will be deposited with an appropriate receiving organisation, in accordance with the UKIC and IFA Guidelines. A copy of the archive index will be deposited with the National Monuments Record, Royal Commission on the Archaeological and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW), Aberystwyth.

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Location of former British Legion Club

See Figure 3

Location of the Old Post Office

See Figure 2

GRID N

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Figure 1. Location of sites 7

Based on the Ordnance Survey 1:25000 Explorer 151 with the permission of The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, © Crown Copyright, Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Ltd, Licence number AL10005976

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Based on the Ordnance Survey 1:5000 Landplan with the permission of The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, © Crown Copyright, GlamorganGwent Archaeological Trust Ltd, Licence number AL10005976

GRID N

Trench 1 Northwest facing section (Figure 5)

Trench 2

North facing section (Figure 8)

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Figure 2: Location of the Old Post Office development area (red) and evaluation trenches (blue) 8

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Based on the Ordnance Survey 1:5000 Landplan with the permission of The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, © Crown Copyright, GlamorganGwent Archaeological Trust Ltd, Licence number AL10005976

GRID N

Southwest facing section (Figure 10)

Trench 3 Trench 6

Trench 5

Trench 4

South facing section (Figure 9)

Southwest facing section (Figure 11)

ha w T r e R iv

50metres

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Figure 3: Location of the Former British Legion development area (red) and evaluation trenches (blue) 9

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

3 Results Due to restrictive nature of the Old Post Office development area and the proximity of the River Thaw to the Former British Legion site; as well as the existence of numerous services running through both sites, the test-trenches were limited in size (see Figures 2 and 3). Trench 1 measured 7m by 2m, and was excavated to a maximum depth of 1.63m (see Figures 4-5 and Plates 1-2). The basal excavated deposit was that of a hard orange-red clay with natural limestone rock inclusions (1007) and a minimum depth of 0.03m. This was overlain by an orange sandy clay (1008), with a minimum depth of 0.37m and which contained isolated patches of orange clay and natural, rounded flint pebbles (<0.01m in diameter). Overlaying 1008 was a mid-brown silty-clay (1004) with a minimum depth of 0.32m. The deposit contained occasional sub-angular stones (<0.2m in diameter), isolated charcoal flecking and burnt red clay. A dark brown-black silty-clay (1003) with a minimum depth of 0.71m, overlay 1004 and contained moderate fragments of lime mortar and frequent fragments of coal. This in turn was overlain by a levelling material composed of machine-made brick, stone, slag, coal and tarmac fragments in a loose matrix of black silty-clay (1002), with a minimum depth of 0.22m. The uppermost excavated layer was a black tarmac (1001) with a minimum depth of 0.09m. Deposit 1008 was cut by a sub-circular pit (1005) with a steep break of slope and slight undercut. The feature was filled by a mid-brown silty-clay (1006) which is similar to 1004, but with isolated orange clay inclusions (<0.06m in diameter), that may indicate tip lines. Trench 2 measured 7.4m by 2m, and was excavated to a maximum depth of 1.26m (see Figures 6-8 and Plates 3-4). The earliest excavated deposit was that of an orange sandy-clay (2005) with isolated patches of dark brown-black silty-clay (possibly re-deposited 2004), and a minimum depth of 0.69m. This was overlain by a dark brown-black silty-clay (2004), with a minimum depth of 0.44m and containing isolated pockets of orange clay (<0.06m in diameter) and isolated fragments of coal and lime mortar. Overlaying 2004 was a layer of hardcore chippings (2003) with a minimum depth of 0.54m, and is likely to represent the original hardcore for the car park. An additional hardcore deposit (2002) composed of sub-angular stones (<0.4m in diameter), with a loose matrix of red clay as a bonding material, overlay 2003 and had a minimum depth of 0.53m. Deposit 2002 is likely to represent the secondary hardcore following the re-instatement of the carpark in 2007 by Site Serv staff. The earliest excavated layer was a black tarmac (2001) with a minimum depth of 0.09m. Deposit 2005 contained an inspection chamber (2006) with the fill (2008) of the construction cut (2007) being a dark grey silty-clay with frequent sub-angular stones (<0.2m in diameter) and occasional fragments of machine-made brick. The chamber was composed of cementbonded brick with a minimum of two courses and capped by a concrete slab 0.15m in depth. A cesspit/soakaway (2009) was also located in this trench, and was composed of faced stone bonded with a very soft, grey-yellow lime mortar with isolated coal inclusions. The floor of the structure was formed of orange clay, with a mix of sub-angular stone and lime mortar. The basal fill was composed of a mid-brown cess material (2012) with fragments of blue plastic. This was overlain by a dark black silt (2011) with occasional sub-angular stones (<0.3m in diameter) and pockets of dark orange clay (<0.06m in diameter). The uppermost fill of 2009 was composed of hardcore chippings (2010) that are likely to be identical to 2003. A total of three inlet pipes (2013, 2014, and 2015) fed into the cesspit/soakaway (2009) and varied in diameter from 0.08m to 0.18m. Trench 3 measured 10.5m by 2m, and was excavated to a maximum depth of 0.98m (see Figure 9 and Plate 5). The earliest excavated deposit was that of a natural, white-grey limestone bedrock (3007) with a minimum depth of 0.44m. Numerous hollows and depressions within the limestone were filled with a mid brown-orange sandy-clay (3006), 10

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

containing occasional patches of blue-grey alluvial clay. This was overlain by a light greybrown silty-clay (3005), with a minimum depth of 0.18m and which contained isolated subrounded stones (<0.06m in diameter) and frequent manganese flecking. Overlying 3005 was a blue-grey alluvial clay (3004) with a minimum depth of 0.08m, containing isolated fragments of coal and possibly represents a significant flooding episode. A black silty-clay (3003) with a minimum depth of 0.19m, overlay 3004 and contained occasional sub-angular stones (<0.06m in diameter), fragments of machine-made brick and coal. This in turn was overlain by a hardcore (3002) composed of sub-angular chippings (<0.03m in diameter) in a matrix of pinkgrey sand with occasional fragments of plastic, and a minimum depth of 0.22m. The most recent excavated layer was a black tarmac (3001) with a minimum depth of 0.08m. Trench 4 measured 10.5m by 2m, and was excavated to a maximum depth of 0.34m (see Plate 6). The earliest excavated deposit was that of a natural, white-grey limestone bedrock (4003) with a minimum depth of 0.04m. Numerous hollows and depressions within the limestone were filled with a mid brown-orange sandy-clay (4002). This was overlain by a dark greybrown silt loam topsoil (4001), containing occasional sub-rounded stones (<0.06m in diameter) and with a minimum depth of 0.34m. Trench 5 measured 11m by 2m, and was excavated to a maximum depth of 0.94m (see Figure 10). The earliest excavated deposit was that of a natural, white-grey limestone bedrock (5003) with a minimum depth of 0.30m. Numerous hollows and depressions within the limestone were filled with a mid brown-orange sandy clay (5002). This was overlain by a dark greybrown silt loam topsoil (5001), containing occasional sub-rounded stones (<0.06m in diameter) and with a minimum depth of 0.32m. Trench 6 measured 17m by 2m, and was excavated to a maximum depth of 1.22m (see Figure 11). The earliest excavated deposit was that of a natural, white-grey limestone bedrock (6007) with a minimum excavated depth of 0.17m. Overlying this was a clean, blue-grey alluvial clay (6006) with a minimum depth of 0.56m. This was overlain by a dark brown silty-clay (6005), with a minimum depth of 0.17m and which contained occasional sub-rounded and rounded stones (<0.06m in diameter), and isolated coal fragments. Overlying 6005 was a highly compacted layer of iron slag and brick fragments (6004) with a minimum depth of 0.10m. A further highly compacted layer, in this instance composed of coal waste and brick fragments (6003) overlay 6004, with a minimum depth of 0.19m. This in turn was overlain by a hardcore (6002) composed of sub-angular chippings (<0.03 in diameter) set into sub-angular rubble, and with a minimum depth of 0.27m. The latest excavated layer was a black tarmac (6001) with a minimum depth of 0.08m. It was apparent that the alluvial clay (6006) sloped significantly towards the River Thaw, possibly representing the archaic river channel (see Figure 11).

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Finds report by Andy Sherman BA Introduction Artefactual material from six trenches spread across two separate sites were analysed; Trenches 1 and 2 were excavated on the site of the Old Post Office, whilst trenches 3 to 6 were excavated at the site of the Former British Legion. The artefactual assemblages from all six trenches date exclusively to between the 17th and 20th centuries with the exception of a small assemblage of medieval pottery from context 1006. The results of this analysis are summarised below, with full details presented in the finds index (see Appendix II). Results Trench 1 The unstratified material recovered from this trench consisted largely of domestic pottery dating from the late 17th to early 20th centuries including local coarsewares, yellow-glazed buffwares, transfer-printed white earthenwares and white semi-porcelain, as well as postmedieval bottle glass and clay pipe stems. An assemblage of pottery and glass dating to the late 17th and 19th centuries where recovered from context 1002 and 1003 including local coarsewares, yellow-glazed buffwares and transfer-printed white earthenwares, a small fragment of ceramic sewerage pipe was also recovered from context 1002. A small assemblage of medieval pottery, consisting of five sherds in four different fabrics was recovered from context 1006. This assemblage included the rimsherd of a glazed jug and a fragment of comb-decorated handle from a second jug. A small collection of domesticated animal bone was also recovered from this context. Trench 2 Context 2004 produced a selection of modern material including electrician's tape, typewriter spool and plastic coated steel wire along with a collection of post-medieval glass and ceramics dating to the 19th and early 20th centuries including a sherd from the neck of a grey stoneware jar dating to the Victorian period, which probably contained marmalade or a similar preserve. This assemblage also included two sherds from an earlier, thin-walled blackware vessel dating from the 17th century. A selection of undiagnostic metalwork was recorded within context 2005, including a fragment of iron water pipe with a diameter of 35mm and a small piece of metalworking slag. Context 2005 also produced a small assemblage of ceramics dating to the 18th and 19th centuries including grey stonewares, yellow-glazed buffwares, transfer-printed white earthenwares and sewerage pipe. Trench 3 An artefactual assemblage consisting of post-medieval pottery and glass was recovered from three contexts within Trench 3 (contexts 3002, 3003 and 3004), this assemblage consisted of a fragment of modern window glass (context 3003), local coarsewares, yellow-glazed buffwares and transfer-printed white earthenwares. A single fragment of a salt-glazed stoneware vessel, most probably either a plate or mug, dating from the early–mid 18th century was also recovered from context 3004. 12

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Trench 4 A small assemblage of post-medieval ceramics was recovered from context 4001 consisting of two fragments of ceramic water pipe and single fragments from a local coarseware vessel and a white earthenware transfer-printed vessel with a green underglaze. Trench 5 Context 5001 produced a small assemblage of post-medieval pottery consisting of two sherds from local coarseware vessels and two sherds from transfer-printed white earthenware vessels as well as a fragment of clay pipe stem. Trench 6 An assemblage of modern glass was recovered from context 6003 consisting of a fragment from the base of a milk bottle and two fragments from a wine bottle, one of green coloured glass the other of clear glass, along with a fragment of wall tile with a white glaze and a bodysherd from a brown glazed, grey stoneware bottle dating to the late 19th or early 20th century. Context 6005 produced an assemblage of post-medieval pottery dating from between the late 17th and early 20th centuries including local coarsewares, yellow-glazed buffwares, transfer-printed white earthenwares and white semi-porcelain, alongside five fragments of clay pipe stem and a single piece of animal bone. A single rimsherd from a local coarseware vessel was recovered from context 6006. Conclusion The artefactual assemblages produced by all six trenches are entirely consistent with a postmedieval urban environment and contained domestic pottery dating from between the 17th and 20th centuries in both and fine and coarsewares, along with post-medieval bottle and window glass, industrial ceramics, metalwork and iron slag. The medieval pottery recovered from context 1006 dates from between the 14th and 15th centuries and it’s unabraded appearance suggests that it was recovered from it’s depositional layer, positively dating deposit 1006 to the medieval period.

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

SONDAGE

1008

1005 1007

Northwest facing section (Figure 5)

Stone

D RI G N

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Figure 4: Plan of Trench 1

14

1.00

2.00metres

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

E

W 1001

1002

1003 27.33m OD

1004 1008 1006 1005 1007

Stone

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Figure 5: Northwest facing section of Trench 1

15

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

(2015)

(2014) Electricity cable

2009

2009

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Southeast facing elevation (Figure 7)

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2008

2007

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Figure 6: Plan of Trench 2

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

NE

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(2015)

Void

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2009

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Figure 7. Southeast facing elevation of cess-pit (2009) in Trench 2

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1.00metre

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

SW

NE 2001 2003 2002

28.02m OD

2004

2005

2007

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2007

2009 2005

2006

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Figure 8: North facing section of Trench 2

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3002

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3001 3003 3004

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3005 3007

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Figure 9: South facing section of Trench 3 (trench continues for a further 2.55m to the northeast with little variation) 18

2.00metres

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

NW

5001

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Figure 10: Southwest facing section of Trench 5 (trench continues for a further 7.1m to the southeast with little variation)

19

Section continues

SE

24.63m OD

2.00metres

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

W

E 6001

6002 Section continues

24.78m OD Section continues

6003 6004 6005

6007 6006

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Figure 11: Southwest facing section of Trench 6 (trench continues for a further 7.6m to the northwest and 5.3m to the southeast with little variation)

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Plate 1: View of northwest facing section of Trench 1, looking southeast

Plate 2: View of sub-circular pit (1005), looking southeast

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Plate 3: View of structure (2006), looking south

Plate 4: View of structure (2009), looking west

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Plate 5: View of Trench 3, looking north

Plate 6: View of Trench 4, looking north

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Plate 7: View of Trench 5, looking south

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Plate 8: View of Trench 6, looking southeast

Plate 9: View of Trench 6, looking northeast

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

4 Conclusions At the Old Post Office site, a sub-circular pit (1005) was excavated at the base of Trench 1 which contained a small assemblage of unabraded medieval pottery, dating this feature to the 14th or 15th century. Trench 2 contained a sub-square cesspit/soakaway (2009) constructed of faced stone bonded with a very soft, grey-yellow lime mortar, which contained isolated flecks of coal. The composition of this lime mortar suggests a construction date of the late 18th century or early 19th century, however the artefactual evidence recovered from the fill of this feature (2011 and 2012) suggest that it did not go out of use until sometime in the late 20th century. At the Former British Legion site a steeply sloping deposit of alluvial clay (6006) possibly representing the former course of the River Thaw was partially excavated within Trench 6. However, as maximum safe working depth was reached it was not possible to fully excavate this feature. All archaeologically significant features or structures identified during the course of the evaluation were fully excavated, with the exception of the possible archaic river channel (6006). The results of this evaluation demonstrate the presence of medieval activity within the Old Post Office development area and it is possible that further deposits, structures or artefacts may be encountered during construction activities.

26

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Bibliography Appleton-Fox N, 1999, The Town Walls, Cowbridge: a report on a desk-based assessment, Marches Archaeology 057 Dunning R, 2008, The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological evaluation specification, GGAT Report Evans E M, 1996, Bear Field, in Parkhouse J and Evans E (eds.), Excavations in Cowbridge, South Glamorgan 1977-88, BAR British Series 245 Evans E M, 2000, The Caerleon canabae: excavations in the civil settlement 1984-90, Britannia Monograph 16 Margary I D, 1957, Roman Roads in Britain, vol 2, London Robinson D M, 1980, Cowbridge: the archaeology and topography of a small market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, GGAT Town Survey No. 1

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The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Appendix I Inventory of contexts Context

Type D

Average Depth (m) 0-0.09

1001

Description Tarmac

1002

D

0.09-0.23

Hardcore

1003

D

0.23-0.60

Dark brown-black silty clay

1004

D

0.60-0.92

Mid brown silty clay

1005

C

-

Sub-circular pit

1006

D

-

Fill of 1005

1007

D

-

Hard orange-red clay

1008

D

0.92-1.14 n.b.

Orange sandy clay

2001

D

0-0.09

Tarmac

2002

D

0.09-0.54

Hardcore

2003

D

0.09-0.50

Rubble hardcore

2004

D

0.52-0.74

Dark brown-black silty clay

2005

D

0.74-1.27 n.b.

Orange sandy clay

2006

S

-

Inspection chamber

2007

C

-

Construction cut for 2006

2008

D

-

Fill of 2007

2009

S

-

Cesspit/soakaway

2010

D

-

Tertiary fill of 2009 (chippings)

2011

D

-

Secondary fill of 2009 (black silt)

2012

D

-

Primary fill of 2009 (mid brown cess)

2013

S

-

Inlet pipe

2014

S

-

Inlet pipe

2015

S

-

Inlet pipe

3001

D

0-0.08

Tarmac

28

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation 3002

D

0.08-0.23

Hardcore

3003

D

0.23-0.34

Black silty clay

3004

D

0.34-0.41

Blue-grey alluvial clay, possible flooding episode

3005

D

0.41-0.53

3006

D

0.53-0.86 n.b.

Light grey-brown silty clay with frequent manganese flecking Mid brown-orange sandy clay

3007

D

0.53-0.90 n.b.

White-grey limestone bedrock

4001

D

0-0.27

Topsoil

4002

D

0.27-0.30 n.b.

Mid brown orange clay

4003

D

0.27-0.30 n.b.

White-grey limestone bedrock

5001

D

0-0.30

Topsoil

5002

D

0.30-0.94

Mid brown-orange clay

5003

D

0.30-0.51 n.b

White-grey limestone bedrock

6001

D

0-0.07

Tarmac

6002

D

0.07-0.34

Hardcore

6003

D

0.34-0.50

Coal waste

6004

D

0.50-0.58

Iron slag

6005

D

0.58-0.68

Dark brown silty clay

6006

D

0.68-1.12

Blue-gray alluvial clay

6007

D

1.12-1.20 n.b

White-grey limestone bedrock

Note: D = Deposit S = Structure C = Cut nb = context not bottomed.

29

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Appendix II Finds Index Trench 1 Context

Material type

U

/S Trench 1

Animal bone

U

/S Trench 1

Clay pipe

U

/S Trench 1

Description

Quantity

Weight (kg)

Period

1

0.008

U

Stem fragment

1

0.004

Postmedieval

Glass

Bodysherd of bottle (green)

1

0.008

Postmedieval

U

/S Trench 1

Pottery

Rim and body sherd from two local coarseware vessels

2

0.040

Postmedieval

U

/S Trench 1

Pottery

White earthenware, transferprinted (one plate base and two vessel bodysherds)

3

0.096

Postmedieval

U

/S Trench 1

Pottery

Basesherd originating from a white semi-porcelain plate

1

0.006

Postmedieval

1002

Glass

Bodysherd of vessel (black)

1

0.002

Postmedieval

1002

Ceramic

Fragment of ceramic sewer pipe

1

0.144

Postmedieval

1002

Pottery

Two basal sherds and a bodysherd from white earthenware, transferprinted plates

3

0.006

Postmedieval

1003

Clay pipe

Stem fragment

1

0.001

Postmedieval

1003

Pottery

Bodysherds originating from local coarseware vessels

3

0.062

Postmedieval

1003

Pottery

Yellow-glazed buffware bodysherd

1

0.004

Postmedieval

1006

Animal bone

-

12

0.186

U

1006

Pottery

5

0.044

Medieval

-

Glazed pottery, (four separate fabrics present) including a rimsherd and fragment of comb decorated handle

30

/D

/D

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Trench 2 Context

Material type

Description

Quantity

Weight (kg)

Period

2004

Cu object

Thin copper strip (width 4mm) with a rounded end

1

0.001

U

2004

Fe object

Nail ends

2

0.004

U

2004

Animal bone

2

0.060

U

2004

Plastics

One piece electrician’s tape, one typewriter spool

2

2004

Plastics

Plastic coated steel wire

1

0.001

Modern

2004

Cu object

Alloy coated copper pipe

1

0.002

Modern

2004

Glass

Window fragment

1

0.004

Modern

2004

Glass

Bottle fragments (clear)

8

0.110

Postmedieval

2004

Clay pipe

Stem fragments

3

0.008

Postmedieval

2004

Pottery

Local coarseware bodysherd

1

0.010

Postmedieval

2004

Pottery

Necksherd from a grey stoneware bottle

1

0.016

Postmedieval

2004

Pottery

Bodysherd from white stoneware bottles

2

0.034

Postmedieval

2004

Pottery

Rim and body sherd from yellowglazed buffware vessels

2

0.014

Postmedieval

2004

Pottery

Rim, body and base sherds from white earthenware, transfer-printed vessels and plates

7

0.108

Postmedieval

2004

Pottery

Fragment of decorative figurine in transfer-printed white earthenware

1

0.004

Postmedieval

2004

Pottery

Basal and rim sherd of a blackware vessel

2

0.020

17th Century

2005

Fe object

Bolt

1

0.166

U

0.100

U

1

0.080

U

2005

Fe object

-

Pipe with 35mm diameter

1

-

-

/D /D /D

Modern

/D /D

2005

Slag

2005

Ceramic

Ceramic sewerage pipe

1

0.296

Postmedieval

2005

Pottery

Bodysherd of grey stoneware bottle

1

0.003

Postmedieval

2005

Pottery

Bodysherd of yellow-glazed buffware

1

0.001

Postmedieval

2005

Pottery

Bodysherds of white earthenware, transfer-printed vessels

2

0.002

Postmedieval

31

/D

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Trench 3 Context

Material type

Description

Quantity

Weight (kg)

Period

3002

Pottery

Rimsherd of a white earthenware transfer-printed plate with a blue underglaze

2=1

0.034

Postmedieval

3003

Fe object

Fe washer

1

0.006

U

3003

Glass

Fragment of window glass

1

0.002

Modern

3003

Pottery

Rimsherd from a white semiporcelain vessel

1

0.004

Postmedieval

3003

Pottery

Rim and body sherds from local coarseware vessels

5

0.084

Postmedieval

3004

Animal bone

1

0.004

U

3004

Glass

Bodysherd of glass vessel (black)

1

0.006

Postmedieval

3004

Pottery

Bodysherds of a local coarseware vessels

4

0.078

Postmedieval

3004

Pottery

Bodysherds of a salt-glazed stoneware vessel

2

0.010

Postmedieval

3004

Pottery

Bodysherd of a white earthenware transfer-printed vessel

1

0.002

Postmedieval

Context

Material type

Description

Quantity

Weight (kg)

Period

4001

Ceramic

Ceramic water pipe

2

0.044

Postmedieval

4001

Pottery

Local coarseware rimsherd

1

0.018

Postmedieval

4001

Pottery

Basesherd of a white earthenware transfer-printed vessel with a green underglaze

1

0.002

Postmedieval

Context

Material type

Description

Quantity

Weight (kg)

Period

5001

Clay pipe

Stem fragment

1

0.002

Postmedieval

5001

Pottery

Local coarseware bodysherds

2

0.014

Postmedieval

5001

Pottery

Bodysherds from white earthenware transfer-printed vessels

2

0.006

Postmedieval

-

/D

/D

Trench 4

Trench 5

32

The Old Post Office and Former British Legion, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological field evaluation

Trench 6 Context

Material type

Description

Quantity

Weight (kg)

Period

6003

Glass

Base of milk bottle

1

0.030

Modern

6003

Glass

A neck and body sherds from wine bottles

2

0.016

Modern

6003

Tile

Wall tile with a white glaze

1

0.002

Modern

6003

Pottery

Grey stoneware bodysherd

1

0.001

Postmedieval

6005

Animal bone

2=1

0.020

Postmedieval

6005

Clay pipe

Stem fragments

5

0.014

Postmedieval

6005

Pottery

Local coarseware bodysherds

7

0.148

Postmedieval

6005

Pottery

Yellow-glazed buffware body and basal sherds

2

0.030

Postmedieval

6005

Pottery

Bodysherds from white earthenware transfer printed vessels

7

0.060

Postmedieval

6005

Pottery

Rimsherd from a white semiporcelain plate

1

0.016

Postmedieval

6006

Pottery

Rimsherd from a local coarseware vessel

1

0.050

Postmedieval

-

Note: U

/D: Undiagnostic

U

/S: Unstratified

X=1: Fragments join

33