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The development site lies on the north-east fringe of Poulton-le-Fylde (SD 337 389) and covers an area of approximately six hectares. There is a drift cover of boulder clay overlain by a c 1.0m thick band of peat in the eastern part of the site, with the underlying solid geology consisting of Keuper Marl. The site is separated into a western and an eastern part by a curving hedgerow, aligned essentially north-south. A large pond is situated, roughly centrally, in the western part of the site; the remains of the foundations of modern glasshouses are also located in this part of the site, to the west of the pond.
A desk top assessment of the development area was undertaken by Northern Archaeological Associates in December 1995. This documented previously known finds from the area. These included the well known complete skeletal remains of an elk (Lancashire SMR 2663), associated with bone barbed points dating to the Upper Palaeolithic period which lies a short distance to the south-west of the development area. A Middle Bronze Age (c1200-1000BC) palstave axe, now in the care of the Harris Museum, Preston (Accession no. A2000), had been recovered from the development site. Further evidence of Bronze Age activity was recovered from the area, 140m to the east of the study area, in the form of a Bronze Age arrow-head (Lancashire SMR 1616). Other medieval and post-medieval sites were recorded in the vicinity.
In October 1997 an archaeological evaluation of the development area was undertaken by Earthworks Archaeological Services. The evaluation incorporated information from both archaeological field work and from a number of test pits undertaken by the developer. From this data the extent of the peat deposits in the eastern part of the site were mapped and it was suggested that the area was a former valley mire rather than an ancient water course. No archaeological material was recovered from the evaluation and therefore no further archaeological work was recommended.
During the routine groundworks ahead of the construction of houses on the development site, a human skull was found by a member of the general public in the section of a trench. The Lancashire Constabulary and the County Coroner were notified, who contacted Mr Peter McCrone, Lancashire County Council archaeological development control officer, to confirm that the skull was an archaeological artefact.
Lancaster University Archaeological Unit (LUAU) were contracted by Lancashire Constabulary, at the recommendation of Mr McCrone, to undertake a small archaeological evaluation to establish a context and approximate date for the deposition of the skull. The work, undertaken between 30th and 31st January 1998, consisted of an inspection of the surrounding peat deposits, and a limited excavation (2m2) of the immediate area to retrieve any further human remains and identify any associated artefacts.
The small-scale excavation revealed that the skull had been recovered from within a layer of wood peat and that there were no further skeletal remains in the immediate vicinity. The peat in the locality of the excavation had been truncated by a layer of cobbling and subsequent modern activity which may have been related to market gardening. Owing to the small-scale nature of the investigation, it is not clear if this truncation was limited to the area of the skull findspot or extended across wider areas of the peat.
As the skull had been removed prior to the archaeological evaluation, it was not possible to view the skull in situ, and theories regarding the nature of the deposition of the skull can only be speculative. The skull was retrieved from a band of peat, characterised in its lower horizons by numerous root systems of a dense hazel wood, in the intermediate zone by a high hazel brushwood content, and in its upper reaches by a brushwood-free relatively silty peat. A hole in the section of a drain trench showed where the skull had been removed. Unfortunately, although the hole lay entirely within the band of peat, it was not clear if the skull was associated with the lower hazel rootbowls, the intermediate brushwood, or the upper brushwood-free silty peat.
Hazel is generally associated with dry conditions, yet the area seems to have become wet rapidly. It is possible that the peat was formed as a result of a rapid sea-level change, comparable to those experienced during the Mesolithic period (8000bc-4000bc) in the area. During the course of excavation through the brushwood, a number of wood fragments were recovered which showed marks possibly indicative of anthropogenic and/or animal activity on the site. One possibility for the rapid inundation of the area may have been beavers building a dam downstream, thus flooding the immediate locality. One of the pieces of 'worked' wood had been formed by beaver activity.
There was no evidence for soft material associated with the skull, and whilst the preservative properties of peat differ markedly within individual mires, it remains a possibility that the skull was deposited in a defleshed state and not as a severed head. This would suggest a ritual deposition of the skull, for which there are comparable examples from the immediate area. The head of a woman was recovered from Pilling Moss in 1864 which had been deposited in a woollen cloth and was associated with two strings of jet beads, one with amber (Middleton et al 1995:66). It has been suggested that this head was deposited during the Bronze Age (2000bc-700bc) although other examples of head burials from the Greater Manchester region, such as that from Worsley, which have been accurately carbon dated, indicate a late Iron Age-early Romano-British tradition.
Without further information as to the precise positioning of the skull and its orientation, it was not possible to be certain as to the nature of its deposition. Ritual activity was one explanation, but the absence of associated artefacts made this suggestion difficult to confirm or refute.
In order to establish the chronological context of the skull, four samples were sent to the Scottish Universities Research and Reactor Centre for AMS radio carbon dating. These consisted of one sample from the skull, one from the beaver-worked wood, one from a piece of anthropogenically-worked wood, and one from hazlenut samples found at the base of the peat sequence. The results suggest a late Bronze Age date for all the samples except the beaver-worked wood, which gave an Early Iron Age date. The skull thus adds to the corpus of later prehistoric human remains recovered from bogs and mires in Northwestern England.
A limited watching brief of the trenches excavated across the peat bog for the various services associated with the development scheme was carried out on 5th, 6th and 9th March 1998. The information gained from examination of these trenches, when combined with the results of the 1997 evaluation and the test pits excavated by the developer, will be used to characterise the topography of the peat bog.
The archive consists of a paper record of the contexts identified, photographs of the site, digital survey data, an excavated pollen core, the skull itself and a small number of possible worked wood fragments.
These results will be assimilated with the results of the analysis outlined below to form a full project archive, in accordance with current English Heritage guidelines (English Heritage 1991). The project archive represents the collation and indexing of all the data and material gathered during the course of the project. The deposition of a properly ordered and indexed project archive in an appropriate repository is considered an essential and integral element of all archaeological projects by the IFA in that organisation's code of conduct.
This archive will be structured according to the English Heritage Central Archaeology Service format, (as a printed document and as ASCii files) together with a synthesis of the information. Copies will be deposited withh the Lancashire Sites and Monuments Record and the National Archaeological Record in London. Following discussion with the landowners and Lancashire County Archaeological Service (LCAS) it is proposed to deposit the completed project archive with the Lancashire Museums Service.
The academic aims of the project will be:
The site records, finds and the column sample will be subject to a programme of post-excavation analysis as outlined in the English Heritage guideline document Management of Archaeological Projects, 2nd edition, 1991, leading to the production of an assessment report. The report will make recommendations for further analysis and publication of the results.
The following work programme is submitted in line with the aims and objectives summarised above.
The pollen core will be processed and an assessment made of its potential to provide detailed information on environmental change in the area of the skull findspot. The data will be produced as per the methodology established for the North West Wetlands Survey, and will subsequently be electronically manipulated using Tilia and Tiliagraph to produce pollen diagrams.
The possible 'worked' wood fragments will be examined in detail to shed light on their derivation, either through human agency or animal activity.
The results of the 1997 evaluation and the test pits carried out by the developer will be combined with the results of a watching brief work to characterise the topography of the peat bog.
The site archive of the field work undertaken on the 30th and 31st January and 6th, 7th and 9th March 1998 will be checked and augmented as necessary.
An assessment of the results of the analysis will be produced according to MAP 2. The assessment will include details of any further analytical work deemed necessary, an outline of an eventual publication, and costings for these elements.
English Heritage, 1991 The Management of Archaeological Projects, 2nd edition, London
Middleton R, Wells, CE, Huckerby, E, 1995 The Wetlands of North Lancashire, Lancaster Imprints 4, Lancaster
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