A.P.A.C. Ltd.

Archaeological Perspectives Analysis Consultancy

ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF

REPORT

Church Cottage, Mamhilad.

Monmouthshire County Council

Planning Application No: 2012/0000461/Ful

PREPARED BY DR N PHILLIPS
30TH APRIL 2013
 A.P.A.C. Ltd Church Cottage, Mamhilad WB/CCM/13

Non Technical Summary

This document comprises the report for an archaeological watching brief undertaken
during ground work at a site identified as having potential archaeological resources
that may be impacted by any development.

The development of concern is the construction of an extension to an existing building.

A planning application was submitted to Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) and

as part of the planning process, Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust (GGAT)
advised the planning department that the proposed work at the site could likely impact
on archaeological resources.

MCC in accordance with the guidance from GGAT imposed a condition requiring a
written scheme of investigation.

The watching brief recovered some 19th century pottery that may have been
deliberately buried on site but no other archaeological features of any significance
were revealed during ground work.

Copyright Notice:
A.P.A.C. Ltd. retains copyright of this report under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
 A.P.A.C. Ltd Church Cottage, Mamhilad WB/CCM/13

The Ordnance Survey has granted A.P.A.C. Ltd a Copyright Licence (No. 100046577) to reproduce map information; Copyright remains
otherwise with the Ordnance Survey.

CONTENTS

Page

1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 3
2. LOCATION OF THE SITE .......................................................................................... 3
3. BRIEF ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ........................... 3
4. GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY .............................................................................. 4
5. AIMS & OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................... 4
6. WATCHING BRIEF .................................................................................................... 4
7. WATCHING BRIEF RESULTS................................................................................... 4
8. POST-EXCAVATION ................................................................................................. 5
9. DISCUSSION AND INTERPRETATION .................................................................... 5
10. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... 5
11. ARCHIVE ................................................................................................................... 5
12. BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................ 6

FIGURES

01 Location Plan
02 Ordnance Survey Maps 1882 & 1901
03 Site plan

Plates

01 View south, up the lawn towards the remains of the old garden/orchard boundary wall
02 Remains of wall, possibly old garden/orchard boundary
03 Cutting back the already existing bank
04 Stripping off the turf prior to levelling work
05 Example of the bank fill of red sandy/clay
 A.P.A.C. Ltd Church Cottage, Mamhilad WB/CCM/13

1. INTRODUCTION

This watching brief report was prepared by Dr Neil Phillips, A.P.A.C. Ltd, in completion of the condition
imposed on the proposed programme of works, to construct an extension to the existing property; Church
Cottage, Old Abergavenny Rd, Mamhilad. NP4 0JF. NGR 330482 203427, fig 01.

The watching brief was undertaken to oversee the excavation of trenches for footings and services at the
site, thereby ensuring a program of recording or mitigation could be implemented should any archaeological
resources be impacted upon.

The clients, Mr & Mrs J Price, having submitted a planning application to Monmouthshire County Council;
(pl.app.no DC/2012/00462/FUL); through their agent Online CAD, were granted Approval of Planning
Permission, with conditions; one of which required that:

The developer shall ensure that a suitably qualified archaeologist is present during the
undertaking of any ground disturbing works in the development area, so that an
archaeological watching brief can be conducted. The archaeological watching brief
shall be undertaken to the standards of the institute for Archaeologists. The Local
Planning Authority shall be informed, in writing, at least two weeks prior top the
commencement of the development of the name of the said archaeologist and no
work shall begin until the local planning Authority has confirmed, in writing, that the
proposed archaeologist is suitable...
MON1974/JBHD

This Design Brief compiled from information provided by the agent and available on the planning web site
was accepted as ‘fit for purpose’ allowing the work to proceed.
th
The watching brief was undertaken over a single day of the 28 January 2013.

2. LOCATION OF THE SITE

The location of the site can be gained from the A4042, Abergavenny-Pontypool Rd, fig 01. When travelling
NE from the Pontypool direction, along the dual carriageway, take the first left at the roundabout, after the
Waun y Clare Inn. Church Cottage is a few hundred metres along this road on the left just after the church
and before the Star Inn.

3. BRIEF ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The earliest documentary record for the cottage is its inclusion on the First Series Maps of 1832, fig 02
where it is shown to be in an enclosure opposite the church, (MON1974/JBHD).

The church, St Illtyd’s, 02504g is Grade II* and has an associated medieval churchyard cross, 01800g Grade
II and post medieval Stile 02865g, Grade II all enclosed in an originally curved medieval graveyard wall,
(archwilio).

There have also been suggestions that Mamhilad itself was on a pilgrim route Caerleon-Caerwent-
Llantarnam-Trevethin-Mamhiledd-Llanhilleth-Mynyddislion-Gelligaer to the shrine at Penrhys in the Rondda,
and the early map of 1833 shows a fairly straight line marked running from St Illtyd’s to the direction of
Mamhilad, (DB/STI/12).

Interesting that both Llanitlleth and Mamhilad both have churches dedicated to St Illtyd’s.

It is further suggested that the pilgrim route may overlay an earlier Roman Road (ibid).

The house Church Cottage, is shown bottom right; (circled area) fig 02, in a roughly triangular enclosure with
two strips of land leading northwards, down to the stream. To the right is the lane and to the left an orchard:
apportionment no: 563.
 A.P.A.C. Ltd Church Cottage, Mamhilad WB/CCM/13

In the later 1901 map, the layout hasn’t changed much except that the left strip has become incorporated
into the larger orchard. It is this piece of incorporated land that was to be brought to a leve.

4. GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY

The solid geology of the site is dominated by Raglan Mudstone with a good depth of superficial deposit of
head-clay, silt, sand and gravels: www.bgs.ac.uk.

The site lies within a shallow north/south valley within farmland.

Area A is a lawn which gently slopes down to a stream at the north Plate 01. The gradient increases just
beyond the area that is to be brought level. At the south is a low wall, Plate 02, which may be part of the
boundary shown in the 1882 & 1901 maps, fig 02.

Area B is a very steep grassed bank on top of which is a boundary fence to the adjacent property, Plate 03.

5. AIMS & OBJECTIVES

The aim of the watching brief was to preserve by record, within the resources available, any archaeological
deposits uncovered during groundwork.

The watching brief also ensured that: in the event of archaeological resources of significance, being
discovered and requiring treatment beyond the remit of the watching brief, that steps would be implemented
to ensure that their treatment would be undertaken within the standards recommended by the IFA.

6. WATCHING BRIEF

Groundwork at the site entailed a single period of excavation on the 28th January 2013.

The work had two parts.

 Area A was a parcel of land that was to be reduced to provide a level building platform.
 Area B involved the reduction of an existing bank by removing the front face along the south ans west
side of the house.

The excavation was undertaken with a tracked mechanical digger.

7. WATCHING BRIEF RESULTS

The weather was dry and somewhat cold with ground conditions a little wet after having recently been
undercover of heavy snow. Some of the snow can be seen on the lawn, Plate 01 area A, just before work
began.

Excavation started with the removal of the turf followed by a few more centimetres of sub-soil. The
finished operation can be seen in Plate 04. The fill consisted of dark brown sandy clay over the red
clay/sand as can be seen in Plate 04.

Finds were:
 1 sherd of white china cup with blue pattern
 4 sherds of blue and white ‘three fishermen on a bridge’, transfer print.

Area B was completed with equal dispatch revealing some of the subsoil but a considerable depth of
natural red clay/sand, Plate 05.
 A.P.A.C. Ltd Church Cottage, Mamhilad WB/CCM/13
There was one small anomaly within the bank about half way up the slope. It was difficult to interpret
because of its position but a large amount of earthenware was recovered from what appeared to be a
purposefull deposition. Some of the sherds collected refit and none are worn but do badly laminate. The
assemblage is consists of:

 4 sherds of a ‘pearlware’ dish

 1 base of a china figurine
 7 sherds of plain white rimed dish
 1 partial base of a jug staffordware
 40 sherds of earthenware pancheon.

8. POST-EXCAVATION

The finds were cleaned and dried and asesed as to refit examples. These were then listed above and
packed for return to the client.

9. DISCUSSION AND INTERPRETATION

Both areas excavated revealed that a natural deposition lay just beneath the surface of the subsoil and
therefore no archaeological resources were impacted upon.

The finds from both areas were of a domestic nature and consistant in age with the know date range of the
house as verified by the ordnance survey maps.

10. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the contractors for helping me to complete the task in hand without undue complications.

11. ARCHIVE

The copyright for this report shall remain with the A.P.A.C. Ltd.

A copy of the report will be sent to the HER held by GGAT with a copy of the report and archive to the county
records office. A.P.A.C. Ltd will retain the original archive.
 A.P.A.C. Ltd Church Cottage, Mamhilad WB/CCM/13

12. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

DB/STI/12. Desk Based Assessment of land Adjoining Church Farm, St illtyds, Aberbbg,
Abertillery. APAC Ltd. March 2012. Available online at Scrbd, or at GGAT,
Tredegar public library, County Records Office or APAC. Ltd.

English Heritage Management of Archaeological Projects (1991).

GGAT (contracts) 1993 Archaeological Field Evaluation Cog Rd, Sully, South Glamorgan.

nd
Gwent County Records 1st & 2 ed Ordnance survey, Monmouthshire. NGR 330482 203427

IFA . Standard and Guidance for an archaeological watching brief. 2008.

Code of Conduct and the Code of Approved Practice for the regulation of
Contractual Arrangements in Field Archaeology. 2008.

Standard and Guidance for the collection, documentation, conservation and

research of archaeological materials. 2008.

Monmouthshire
County Council Planning Application DC/2012/00461/FUL. Church Cottage, Mamhilad.
29/05/2012.
Approval of Planning Application DC/2012/00461/FUL. Church Cottage,
Mamhilad. 26/10/2012.

Online CAD. Architectural

Services. Existing plans, Elevations and Sections 12-014-PL-01
Existing plans, Site plans & location plan 12-014-PL-02
Proposed plans, Elevations and Sections 12-014-PL-03
Proposed Block Plan, Roof Plan 12-014-PL-04
The Society of Museum
Archaeologists Towards An Accessible Archive (1995)

United Kingdom Institute

for Conservation.
(Archaeology Section) Guidelines for the Preparation of Excavation Archives for Long-Term
Storage (1990)

Online research

HER: http://www.archwilio.org.uk/
British Listed Buildings: http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/wa-13638-church-of-st-john-the-baptist-sully

A.P.A.C. Registered Address: 36 Hatherleigh Rd, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. NP7 7RG

Mobile: 07734962919 Email: apac.philips@btinternet.com
Company Registration No 5041541. VAT Reg No 826 3628 19. www.apac.ltd.uk
Director: Dr. N. Phillips. BA (Hons), MPhil, Phd, PGCE, AIFA.
 Church Cottage, mamhilad

Fig 01: Location A.P.A.C. Ltd WB/CCM/13

 Church Cottage, mamhilad

1882 1:25000
Ordnance Survey

1901 1:25000
Ordnance Survey

Fig 02: Mapping A.P.A.C. Ltd WB/CCM/13

 Church Cottage, mamhilad

Areas of groundwork

Low wall, Probable

garden boundary

Original plan Online CAD Ltd 12-014-PL-02

Fig 03: Site plan A.P.A.C. Ltd WB/CCM/13

 Church Cottage, mamhilad

DSC03375
DSC03374
Plate 01: View south, up the lawn towards the remains of the old Plate 02: Remains of wall, possibly old garden/orchard boundary
garden/orchard boundary wall

DSC03377
DSC03379

Plate 03: Cutting back the already existing bank Plate 04: Stripping off the turf prior to
levelling work A.P.A.C. Ltd WB/CCM/13
 Name of site

DSC03380
Plate 05: Example of the bank fill of red sandy/clay A.P.A.C. Ltd ??/???/09