Monument MPM1189 - Plough marks, buried plough soil and trackway, Eastern Road

Evidence of modern/early modern agricultural activity and a probable trackway revealed during an archaeological evaluation in 2007. Three plough scars of unknown date, a layer of buried plough soil, and two linear features thought to be associated with a 19th/early-20th century trackway were recorded.

Several features relating to post-medieval/early modern agricultural activity and a probable trackway were revealed in Trench 1 during an archaeological evaluation excavation on the site of East Shore School in 2007. These consisted of three plough scars of an unknown date, a layer of buried plough soil, and two linear features thought to be associated with a 19th/early 20th century trackway. Several features were also found in two further trenches during the evaluation. A layer of buried plough soil was recorded in Trench 2 (see HER record MPM1190) and probable drainage ditches and buried plough soil in Trench 3 (see HER record MPM1191).

Three plough scars (F13, F16 and F18) on a north-south alignement were revealed in the evaluation trench. Their measurements were as follows: F13 was 1.89m long x 0.25m wide x 0.03m deep. The top of the scar was 2.90m OD; F16 was at least 1.6m long x 0.05m wide x approximately 0.03m deep. The top of the scar was 2.85m OD; F18 was at least 1.2m long x 0.05m wide x approximately 0.03m deep. The top of the scar was 2.85m OD. It was not possible to date the features as they did not contain any finds.

In the same trench, 0.4m below the ground surface, was a deposit of what was thought to be buried plough soil which contained charcoal flecking. This sealed the fills of the three plough scars. The plough soil was cut by two north-south aligned linear features (F9 & F11). Feature 9 measured at least 9.1m long x 0.47m wide x 0.1m deep. Feature 11 ran parallel to feature 9 and measured at least 5.7m long x 0.2m wide x 0.1m deep. Its fill (12) contained a small sherd of 18th/19th century pottery. Both of these features were thought to be of the same date and it is likely represented a modern/early modern trackway which ran alongside field boundaries shown on late 19th and early 20th century Ordnance Survey maps.

Accession number: 2007/10

Eeverill, P, Dr & Garner, M F, 2007, Archaeological Evaluation Excavation at East Shore School, Eastern Road, Portsmouth (Unpublished document). SPM162.