Please read Important information about Oxfordshire’s Historic Environment Record data on Heritage Gateway

Monument Type(s):

• DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• TOWN DEFENCES (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Summary

Evaluation revealed traces of early medieval occupation in the form of ditches and pits. Excavation recorded a large post medieval ditch thought to be the town civil war defences cutting a series of pits and ditches, probably tenement plots.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds:

Description

1) Presence of Late Saxon/Early Medieval along with early Medieval pottery suggests early medieval occupation (C12th-C13th). No buildings were found but may lie in north part of site. Site may have lain within precincts of the Abbey during medieval period but this has not been proven
2) Excavation revealed a number of ditches and inter-cutting pits dated to the medieval period as well as a rectangular enclosure which possibly represents tenement boundaries. No further medieval activity after the C15 but site cut by a very large C17 right-angled ditch. This is thought likely to be the remains of a Civil War defensive ditch surrounding the town.
3) The earliest medieval deposits are in the form of a series of intercuting quarry pits. These are overlain by a grid like pattern of linears possibly related to tenement boundaries. The alignment of the boundaries seen at the Penlon site do not seem to have changed over time suggesting that either the layout of the properties remained the same or that the site was short lived. These were in turn cut by a number of small pits, which contained no dating material. The final feature on this area was a large right angled ditch 1m deep by 6m wide thought to be part of the Civil War defences. This is thought to be the same ditch located in area A and E (PRN No. 16802) and thought to surround the town. Two right angular turns in the ditch very close to each other is of a similar pattern to the Oxford defences although no maps survive.

<1> AOC Archaeology Group, 1998, An Archaeological Evaluation at the Penlon Site, Radley Road, Abingdon (Unpublished document). SOX37.

<2> Oxford Archaeology, 2005, British Gas Site, The Vineyard and Penlon Site, Radley Road, Abingdon: Post Excavation Assessment (Unpublished document). SOX1781.

<3> Oxford Archaeology, 2007, The Excavation Of Iron Age, Roman, Medieval And Civil War Features South Of The Vinyard, Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Final Publication Report, Final Report (Unpublished document). SOX1891.

<4> Oxford Architectural & Historical Society, Oxoniensia, Vol LXXII (2007) pp.73-106 (Serial). SOX284.

Sources

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.