T H A M E S V A L L E Y
S E R V I C E S
ARCHAEOLOGICAL
Land at Folly Hill, Farnham, Surrey
Archaeological Recording Action
by Andy Taylor
Site Code: FUF19/44
(SU 8320 4830)
Land at Folly Hill,
Farnham, Surrey
An Archaeological Recording Action
for CALA Homes (South Home Counties) Limited
by Andy Taylor
Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd
Site Code FUF 19/44
i Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47–49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading RG1 5NR
Tel. (0118) 926 0552; email [email protected]; website : www.tvas.co.uk
Summary
Site name: Land at Folly Hill, Farnham, Surrey Grid reference: SU 8320 4830 Site activity: Recording Action Project Coordinator: Tim Dawson Site supervisor: Andy Taylor Site code: FUF 19/44 Area of site: c.400 sq m Summary of results: The excavation did not encounter any further archaeological deposits beyond the single cremation deposit identified in the evaluation. This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford� 27.09.19 Steve Preston�27.09.19
Land at Folly Hill, Farnham, Surrey An Archaeological Recording Action
by Andy Taylor
Report 19/44c
Introduction
A small archaeological recording action was carried out by Thames Valley Archaeological Services on land at
Folly Hill, Farnham, Surrey (SU 8320 4830) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Mr Stuart Forrester, of
CALA Homes (South Home Counties) Limited, Tilford House, Farnham Business Park, Weydon Lane,
Farnham, Surrey, GU9 8QT.
Planning permission (WA/2016/1224) has been gained on appeal (APP/R3650/W/17/3171409) from
Waverley Borough Council for a proposed residential development. The appeal consent is subject to a condition
(24) relating to archaeology, requiring a programme of archaeological investigation prior to the development.
This is in accordance with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s National Planning
Policy Framework (NPPF 2018) and the Borough Council’s policies on archaeology.
A trial trench evaluation on the site revealed a single undated cremation burial, and therefore a follow-up
excavation was required to satisfy the archaeological condition on the planning consent. The work was carried
out according to a written scheme of investigation approved by Mr Nick Truckle, Archaeological Officer with
Surrey County Council, advisers to the Borough on matters relating to archaeology.
The stripping of the site, using a JCB-type machine fitted with a toothless grading bucket, took place
between 19th and 23rd September 2019. The archive is currently held by Thames Valley Archaeological
Services, 47-49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading, RG1 5NR and will be deposited at Farnham Museum in due
course.
Topography and geology
The site is located on the south-west edge of Hog Hatch, north-west of Farnham and west of Farnham Park (Fig.
1) The excavation area comprised a 400sq m square area in the south western corner of the site (Fig. 2). The site
as a whole covers a c.5.8 ha parcel of land. It consisted of grass land with Folly Hill on its eastern side, Upper
Old Park Lane to the north and fields to the west and south. The underlying geology is mapped as 2nd Terrace
River Gravels and Reading Beds (BGS 1976), with clay, flint and gravels observed across the trenches. The site
undulates with a general slope down from north to south and lies at a height of c.145m in the north-east corner
dropping to c.135 in the south-west corner where the excavation was located.
Archaeological background
The archaeological potential of the site had been highlighted in a briefing note prepared by Mr Nick Truckle of
Surrey County Council drawing on the results of desk-based assessment (HA 2016) and supplemented by
geophysical survey (Stratascan 2016). In summary, there were no known archaeological deposits on the site
itself but there are a range of sites and finds within the wider area of Mesolithic and Roman date. The site lies on
or close to the edges of a medieval and post-medieval deer park (Farnham Park). The geophysical survey
revealed a number of linear anomalies which were possibly of archaeological origin although this geological
outcrop is not usually responsive to geophysical survey. In addition there are four extant pill boxes with two
other levelled examples on or adjacent to the site, which formed part of the GHQ stop line in the Defence of
Britain, 1940 (Wills 1985). The four pillboxes were subject to building recording (Dawson and Kruger 2019).
Evaluation of the site itself (Taylor 2019) located very few deposits of certain or possible archaeological
interest. Of these an area in the south-west contained a single undated cremation burial.
Aims and Objectives
The general objectives of the project were to:
excavate and record all archaeological deposits and features within the area threatened by the proposed development; produce relative and absolute dating for deposits and features recorded on the site; establish the character of these deposits in attempt to define functional areas on the site such as industrial, domestic etc.; and to produce information on the economy and local environment and compare and contrast this with the results of other excavations in the region.
Specific objectives for the excavation were to attempt to address the following questions:
What is the date, nature and extent of any burial deposits? Are there any pyre deposits? Are there any deposits associated with the burial rites?
The area to be excavated was c.400 sq m as shown in Figure 2, centred on evaluation trench 26, which had
identified a cremation burial, undated but possibly of Bronze Age or Roman date.
The Excavation
The excavation area was stripped mechanically under constant archaeological supervision, to a depth of c.0.45m
and showed stratigraphy comprising 0.25m of topsoil overlying 0.20m of subsoil overlying clay natural geology.
It did not reveal any further deposits beyond the cremation identified during the evaluation.
Finds
Cremated Bone by Ceri Falys (Repeated from Taylor 2019)
A small quantity of burnt bone was recovered during the evaluation, from shallow pit 1 (52). The deposit of
bone was whole-earth recovered, as the feature was excavated in a series of three, 0.02m thick spits. The bone
and surrounding soil were floated and wet-sieved to a 2mm mesh size during post-excavation processing. The
bone was collected from surrounding residue for osteological analysis.
A total of 33 fragments of burnt bone were present for analysis, weighing just 1.5g (Appendix 2). An
overall poor state of preservation of the remains was noted. The pieces of bone were all rounded, weathered and
chalky in texture, making all fragments non-descript in appearance. The bone was uniformly white in colour,
indicating the organic components within the bone had been fully oxidized by the “cremation” process, which is
accomplished by heating the bone above 600oC (Holden et al. 1995a, b).
Maximum post-excavation fragment sizes ranged from 8.9mm (spits 1 and 3) to 13.0mm (spit 2), however,
fragments measuring larger than 7mm were uncommon in all spits. It was not possible to identity any of the
fragments to element or species of origin, and no further information could be retrieved form this small deposit
of burnt bone.
Conclusion
Despite the potential for further deposits related to the cremation burial, identified during the evaluation, no
further deposits or finds of any archaeological interest were encountered during the archaeological works on
site. Seemingly isolated undated cremation burials, or cremation related deposits, are a recurrent if poorly
understood event in the archaeological literature (e.g., Milbank 2010), as are isolated but dated examples which
had been placed in pots (e.g., Taylor 2003). It is assumed that some at least were burials placed at a long
vanished prominent location in the contemporary landscape such as by a favourite tree, or placed under a small
turf-built ditchless barrow, now long ploughed away (Summers 1923; Ashbee 1960).
Acknowledgements
The excavation was funded by CALA Homes (South Home Counties) Limited and it was carried out by the
author. Illustrations are by Andrew Mundin.
References Ashbee, P, 1960, The Bronze Age Round Barrow in Britain, London BGS, 1976, British Geological Survey, 1:50,000 Sheet 285, Drift Edition, Keyworth Dawson, T and Kruger, A, 2019, ‘Four Pillboxes at Folly Hill, Farnham, Surrey, Building Recording, Thames
Valley Archaeological Services’, unpubl rep 19/44b, Reading HA, 2016, ‘Folly Hill, Farnham Surrey archaeological desk-based assessment’, Headland Archaeology,
Edinburgh Holden, J L, Phakley, P P and Clement, J G, 1995, ‘Scanning electron microscope observations of incinerated
human femoral bone: a case study’, Forensic Science International, 74, 17–28 Holden, J L, Phakley, P P and Clement, J G, 1995, ‘Scanning electron microscope observations of heat-treated
human bone’, Forensic Science International, 74, 29–45 Milbank, D, 2010, ‘Shinfield Glebe, Shinfield, Reading, Berkshire, An archaeological recording action
(cremation burial area)’, Thames Valley Archaeological Services unpubl rep 09/22c, Reading NPPF, 2012, National Planning Policy Framework, Dept Communities and Local Government, London Sumner, H, 1923, ‘Excavation of barrows on Ibsley Common’, Trans Bournmouth Fld Club and Archaeol Soc
14, 69–78 Taylor, A 2004, ‘Whitehall Lane, Egham, Surrey, an archaeological evaluation’, Thames Valley Archaeological
Services, unpubl rep 03/93, Reading Taylor, A, 2019, ‘Land at Folly Hill, Farnham, an archaeological evaluation’, Thames Valley Archaeological
Services, unpubl rep 19/44, Reading
APPENDIX 1: Catalogue of Excavated Features Trench Cut Fill (s) Type Date Dating evidence
26 1 52 Cremation related deposit Bronze Age? pottery
APPENDIX 2: Catalogue of Cremated Bone Trench Cut Deposit Spit No. frags Wt (g) Max frag size (mm) Colour Comments
26 1 52 1 15 0.5 8.9 white not possible to identify 26 1 52 2 13 0.5 13.0 white not possible to identify 26 1 52 3 5 0.5 8.9 white not possible to identify
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SU83000 84000
Land at Folly Hill,Farnham, Surrey, 2019
Archaeological Recording ActionFigure 1. Location of site in relation to Farnham and Surrey.
FUF 19/44c
47000
48000
49000
Reproduced under licence from Ordnance Survey Explorer Digital mapping at 1:12500Crown Copyright reserved
SITE
Staines
Guildford
Egham
Woking Weybridge
ReigateAldershot
Redhill
GodalmingFarnham
SITE
N
FUF 19/44c
Figure 2. Location of area.
Land at Folly Hill, Farnham,Surrey, 2019
Archaeological Recording Action
0 100m
SU 83100 83200 83300 83400 83500
48000
48100
SANG Area
31
24
57 69 8
10
17
18
26
19
25
20
151611
1412
13
27 28
2421 22
2930
31
23
48200
48300
48400
48500
PB1
PB2
PB3
PB4
cremation 1
Old
ParkLane
Upper Old Park Lane
Folly Hill
Exc
Plate 1. Site shot, looking W.
Plate 2. Site shot, looking S, Scales: 2m and 1m.
Land at Folly Hill, Farnham, Surrey, 2019Archaeological Recording Action
Plates 1 and 2.
FUF 19/44
TIME CHART
Calendar Years
Modern AD 1901
Victorian AD 1837
Post Medieval AD 1500
Medieval AD 1066
Saxon AD 410
Roman AD 43 AD 0 BCIron Age 750 BC
Bronze Age: Late 1300 BC
Bronze Age: Middle 1700 BC
Bronze Age: Early 2100 BC
Neolithic: Late 3300 BC
Neolithic: Early 4300 BC
Mesolithic: Late 6000 BC
Mesolithic: Early 10000 BC
Palaeolithic: Upper 30000 BC
Palaeolithic: Middle 70000 BC
Palaeolithic: Lower 2,000,000 BC
Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd,47-49 De Beauvoir Road,
Reading RG1 5NR
Tel: 0118 9260552Email: [email protected]: www.tvas.co.uk
Offices in:Brighton, Taunton, Stoke-on-Trent and Ennis (Ireland)