Machine-read text (OCR) of 9200671arch.pdf, 17 pages.
Vale of Glamorgan Council planning file 92/00671 (reserved matters 92/00671/RES, outline 89/01396/OUT), Great House Farm, Llandough.
Supplied by the family from the Vale of Glamorgan Council planning file 92/00671.
Scan: https://wayback.bucklerfamily.estate/pdf/evidence/1990-08-00_wp77_land-at-great-house-farm-llandough-an-archaeologic.pdf
Catalogue: https://wayback.bucklerfamily.estate/artifacts/#EV-0126
OCR is machine output; the scan is the record. Drawings and handwriting read poorly.

===== page 1 of 17 =====
LAND
AT
GREAT
HOUSE FARM,
LLANDOUGH

a ~
- sh iy \
Sy | ee
er a

2

AN ARCHAFOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

The Glamorgan~Gwent

Archaeological
Trust Ltd.

August
I990

===== page 2 of 17 =====
LAND
AL
GREAT
HOUSE FARM,
LLANDOUGH

_ AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF
REDEVELOPMENT AT THE SITE OF
GREAT HOUSE FARM, LLANDOUGH

The Glamorgan~Gwent
Archaeological
Trust Ltd.

===== page 3 of 17 =====
AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF
REDEVELOPMENT AT THE SITE OF
GREAT HOUSE FARM, LLANDOUGH

1) INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Following the demolition of Great House Farm, Llandough in December 1988
the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust (GGAT) entered into discussion
with Debenham Tewson, agents for the site owners B P Properties Ltd, on the
possible archaeological implications of redevelopment. The Trust, in its
capacity as archaeological advisor to the Vale of Glamorgan Borough Council
(VGBC), informed the local planning authority of the archaeological
sensitivity of the site, and also kept in close contact with the Llandough
Community Council, who initially contacted the Trust about the
redevelopment.

It was agreed that tne potential archaeological interest should be
considered in the light of Welsh Office planning guidance and the County
and Local Plans. Accordingly the VGBC determined that, in granting outline
planning consent, ‘no development shall take place until a field evaluation
survey and archaeological assessment report has been carried out by 2
qualified archaeologist to the satisfaction of the tLocal Planning
Authority' and that ‘the detail plans to be sumbitted shali pay full regare
to the results and findings of the archaeological investigations'. A three
month time-limit was set for the archaeological work, and on the
recommendation of Morgan Bruce, Solicitors for Debenham Tewson, it was
agreed that the report should be completed as soon as possible thereafter

B P Properties commissioned GGAT to undertake the fieldwork and the repert
of which this introduction forms a part. It will be evident therefore that
GGAT has throughout played a dual role; on the one hand it has advised the
Local Planning Authority, and on the other provided comparable advice to
the applicant. It should be stressed that GGAT made this clear to beth
parties at the outset, in order that either of them could seek alternative
qualified advice if it was felt a conflict of interest might arise

The assistance of a number of individuals in the above organisations is
gratefully acknowledged by GGAT. In particular Mr Joy of Debenham Tewson
Mesers Dylan and Maitland Evans of VGBC, Mr Cann of Morgan Bruce and Mr
Egan of Llandough Community Council have all afforded avery co-operation to
GGAT. :

2) THE REDEVELOPMENT SITE (Fig 1)

The redevelopment site occupies an irregularly shaped area to the north and
east of St Dochdwy's church and is centred at ST i681 7331. The boundaries
are demarcated by the break in slope above the former Brickworks to the
north, by adjacent housing to the north-west and to the east, and by
Llandough Hill, the churchyard and a smali pieca of common land ta the
south. The northern area of the site, including the location of the former
farmhouse is a relatively level plateau c 49 m above OD, wnile the south
east sector slopes steeply down from the former site of ‘The Gardens' to
the watercourse and valley of Liandough Hill. The underlying geclogical

[OCR correction: "1986" read as "1988" against the page image, 21 Oct 2026]

===== page 4 of 17 =====
N ae \
\ \
\ \
AY
. FORMER

BRICKWORKS \
\ 4

Wales & West _
Housing Association

Oa at 1 100m

)

Fig 1: Great House Farm, Llandough. Location of re-development site.

substrate is of lias limestone and liassic clays. the latter being
prominent near the upper part of the geological stratigraphy.

3) ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND AND POTENTIAL

The church of St Dochdwy and the surrounding area is of considerable
archaeological interest. The churchyard is likely to be on the site of an
earlier foundation, perhaps dating back to the seventh century AD (Davies
1978). The cross shaft to the south of the west end of the church dates to
the tenth or eleventh century and is of a scale and style which could mark
an important religious site (RCAHMW 1976, Inv No 828).

To the south of the church an Iron Age farmstead, Roman Villa, Dark Age
cemetery, medieval monastic grange, late medieval village and post medieval
mill and farm are known to have existed (Qwen-Tohn 1988), while the
presence of a Norman earthwork castle is presumed (Thomas 1988).

Prior to the assessment the principal recorded archaeoicgical interest o
the redevelopment site itself was Great House Farm (SMP 2034s). Owing t
an ownership dispute and the subsequent sudden des:ruction of the propert
in 1983 the building was incompietely understood. The ECAHMW nevertheles
hold a certain amount of information on the farmnouse and barn. In
summary, although both structures appeared outwardly to be of nineteentn
century date, the farmhouse may have incorporated medieval fabric within
parts of a seventeenth century house which had survived nineteenth century
reconstruction.

===== page 5 of 17 =====
Survey of the farm reproduced by kind

Great House Farm, Llandough.
permission of H J Thomas and RCAHM(W).

Fig 2

ZZ

GREAT HOUSE FARM,

XVLIL cent.

XIX cent.

LLAWDOUGH, CUR. PEM ARI). iP 16817331

N
Nes

N wEsslsecs

N we SSS SS SSS

A Beams narrow chamfered.
Ogee stops with torus.

B Ream medium chamfered with
rounded stop.

een ee C Beam narrow chamfered,

ogee stops.

HALL

|
1
|
|
!
Y

KITCHEN

eal

Scale: 1/100

H.J. Thomas
26 April 1974 & 12
December 1988.

===== page 6 of 17 =====
The seventeenth century phase is associated with the
Vaughan Family, the nineteenth century work with the Bute Estate. A number
of architectural features were recorded in situ in 1974, (Fig 2) and others
were observed in the rubble following demolition. Sherds of twelfth to
fourteenth century pottery were recovered by E J Beare in 1962-3 on the
slope immediately north-east of the Great House, while it is likely that
some medieval ironwork which is held by the National Museum of Wales was
discovered under the rear wing c 1880 (RCAHMW 1988).

In addition to the recorded evidence noted above there was potential for
further archaeological interest. The possibility that deposits relating to
the early monastic settlement might survive in this area could not be ruled
out, and it was possible that the churchyard may formerly have been more
extensive. Although the main focus of Iron Age and Roman activity appeared
to lie to the south it was possible that further evidence might have
survived in this area. A medieval well, Ffynnon y Drindod, was originally
located to the north of the church, and aithough its exact position is
unknown it may have been located within the development site (RCAHMW 1988).

4) ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELDWORK: OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY

The aim of the archaeological fieldwork was two-fold. In the first
instance the investigation was aimed at astablishing whether deposits
relating to any of the features described in 3 above (or indeed any other
type of archaeological activity) were present. The second aim was ‘o
assess the likely impact of redevelopment on the identified archaeological
interests and to recommend to B P Properties methods by which these
interests could best be protected. In addition to the fieldwork other
relevant sources (eg, cartographic) would be consuited as appropriate.

In view of the size and character of the development site it was decided
that the most appropriate way to test the archaeological potential cf the
site was by a series of machine cut trenches, the position of which was
determined either by the likelihood of archaeological deposits being
encountered (eg, near the churchyard wall), or at random. It was agreed
that the trenches should mostly be cut to the level of the substrate, but
in some areas this proved impractical. The machine trenches were closely
observed and subject to basic archaeological recording.

The system of machine trenching was in effect a compromise between a more
extensive assessment of the archaeological potential of the site, and the
pre-existing state of knowledge, which in this case was insufficient to
enable informed archaeological decisions to be taken. The results
therefore give a much more reliable indication of the likely archaeological
implications of redevelopment, yet by their nature cannot provide total
assurance on the presence and value of archaeological deposits across the
development site as a whole.

===== page 7 of 17 =====
5) ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELDWORK RESULTS

The approximate location of the machine cut trenches is shown on Figure 3,
and the trench numbers given below also correspond with Figure 3.

It was originally intended that a test pit should be dug manually in the
south east sector of the site where machine access was problematic, but it
was felt that the stability of the higher ground to the north, in the area
of 'The Gardens', was questionable and that such an excavation would be ill
advised.

The build up of demolition material in the vicinity of ‘The Gardens’ also
led to a modification of the original plan to cut a trench adjacent to the
north part of the east wall of the churchyard. In the event this cut (6)
was made nearby at the east end of the north wall of the churchyard, The
results from trenches 1 and 5 suggested that the other proposed excavations
in the vicinity of these trenches were unnecessary. With the above
exceptions the investigation was undertaken on the basis of the agreed
sketch plan which formed part of the contract between the Trust and B P
Properties Ltd.

Trench 1
Thie wae cut approximately north west - south east across the line of a
depression, shown on the OS map. The ground surface had clearly been

disturbed by the recent levelling operations.

For most of its length the trench cut through a layer of soil containing
considerable quantities of gravel, brick and stone, to an average depth of
im. This overlay the clay substrate.

Towards the south east end of the trench its character changed. The top c
0.2 m- c 0.3 m consisted of soil and stone and brick rubble, which overlay
c 1 m depth of grey/brown soil with brick-dust, bricks and stone rubble.
Below this the clay substrate was cut by a large feature aligned north east
- south west, in excess of 1 min depth. The north side was angled at about
452 while the southern edge of the feature sloped at a much shallower
angle. The feature was over 8 m wide and extended beyond the southern end
of the trench and below the depth to which the trench could be cut safely.
Its fill consisted of very dark grey clay and a considerable quantity of
steel wire.

In the southern part of this feature c 0.6 m below its top, there was a
lens, up to 0.15 m thick, of brown clay with charcoal flecks, brick
fragments and brick-dust. This layer extended beyond the south eastern end
of the excavated trench.

The principal feature was almost certainly the depression indicated on the
OS map, which was formerly a quarry road. The depth of the road confirmed
that it would have cut any earlier archaeological features which may have
existed. The absence of any archaeological deposits between the substrate
and the modern material in the north west part of the trench suggests that
this area is likely to be sterile. Although based on a small sample we
therefore beiieve that the area to the north west of and including the
quarry road is unlikeiy tc contain significant archaeological interest.

===== page 8 of 17 =====
Approximate position of trial

Llandough.

Great House Farm,
excavations and principal archaeological features.

Fig 3

© ced GOL LS

—— As “an r\

© cez 29 1S

WOO) a a a a

TIVM

L_ QUVAHOYNHD

v

-_
‘A ey Shvnau SLISOd30
=e sua Y3tTdV4 HO

© e&Z LOL LS

Aid AWYYNO
a3 TWNt é-
WuV4 3SNOH
Lv3u9 40
H3NYQO SN
tm

avou sHsyT0 Ne
L

===== page 9 of 17 =====
Trench 2

Trench 2 was cut on an approximate north - south alignment and excavated to
a depth of up to 2m The lowest 0.5 m of this depth was probably the clay
substrate within which what appeared to be a thin bank of lias bedrock was
observed. This deposit was overlain by c 0.5 m of a grey clayey soil
containing bricks and lumps of mortar. The top 1 m of material was formed
by a sequence of deposits containing modern debris including plastic, anda
thin skim of topsoil.

As in Trench 1 the absence of any archaeological layers between the
substrate and comparatively recent deposits indicates low archaeological
potential in the vicinity of Trench 2, thus extending the probable
archaeologically sterile zone to the south of the quarry road identified in
Trench 1.

Trench 3

Trench 3 took the form of a T with the long arm cut on a north-south
alignment, and the short arm extended to the west. These excavations were
located in the vicinity of the farm outbuildings shown on the OS map.

The north - south trench revealed a sequence of post medieval and modern
deposits of loose clayey soil with brick, stone, charcoal flecks and
mortar. At the north end of the trench these deposits covered the clay
substrate to a depth of up to 2 m, but towards the south end there was a
marked increase in the depth of overburden. Here the deposits became
significantly wetter, with a high proportion of redeposited clay and lias,
all of which appeared to be loose infill. The exact limits of this infill
were unclear nor could its depth be recorded as excavation was halted for
safety reasons at a depth of c 3.5 m below the ground surface.

In the western arm of the trench the deposits described above overlay the
clay substrate to a depth of c 1.5 m, but in certain areas intervening
deposits were recorded. On the south side of the cut c 2 m from its
junction with the north south trench a lens of brown soil overlying the
substrate was found to contain fragments of human skull and long bones. At
the west end of the trench a thicker deposit (c 0.2 m) of brown clayey soil
was recorded; this contained large quantities of charcoal and some animal
bone. On the north side of the cut c 4 m from the trench junction an ill
defined feature was sealed by the post medieval deposit, although it
appeared to be cut into identical material at a depth of c 1 m below the
present ground surface. The feature was c 0.2 m deep by c 04m- 0.5 m
wide and was filled with inter alia hard sandy mortar similar to that used
in the area during the medieval period.

The post medieval clay and rubble deposit was defined in the western arm by
the foundations of a north - south post medieval wall which abutted the
layer. This wall and a parallel example c 6.5 m to the west doubt less
represent the footings of the barn which stood on the site until 1988.
Some traces of the mortar floor of the structure survived. Between the two
wall footings the place of the clay and rubble depsoit was taken by a dark
grey brown rather clayey soil sealed beneath the barn floor. The barn
floor, walls, etc were overlain by c 0.2 m of disturbed topsoil etc
evidently redeposited during the demolition process.

===== page 10 of 17 =====
Within narrow machine cut trenches there must be some doubt over the exact
interpretation of the sequence and features described above. The two areas
where an archaeological deposit was noted between the substrate and the
more recent material clearly have an archaeological interest. The human
bone appeared to be disarticulated and part of the general deposit,
indicating that it may have been disturbed from its original context.
These layers are discussed in greater detail below together with the
associated evidence from Trench 4. The depth cf post medieval infill in
the southern part of the north - south trench is suggestive of quarry pit,
other examples of which are known in the area. It is likely that this was
deliberately infilled in preparation for the construction of the farm
outbuildings, with a general spread of rubble etc being spread across what
was to be the yard area, subsequently defined by structures such as the
barn the footings of which were identified in the western trench.

In summary the area which is presumed tc have been quarried has low
archaeological potential, but elsewhere it appears as if archaeclogical
deposits pre dating the construction of the farm buildings, presumably in
the 19th century at the behest of the Bute Estate, have survived.

Trench 4
This trench ran along the northern edge of the

the southern limit of the site paraliel to
churchyard.

ot ee
ou
5
8
a
is)
oO
5
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o
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wo
a
%
o
o
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x=
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at
ne wail of the adjacent

The clay substrate was encountered at a maximum depth of 1 m throughout
most of the trench the substrate was little more than 0.5 m below the
present ground surface.

Below the tarmac, which varied in thickness from c 0.1 m- c 0.2 m was a
varying depth of grey-brown soil mixed with stone, brick, rubble which
appeared to be levelling material for the roadway. Between this layer and
the clay substrate was a layer of grey-brown clayey soil up to c 0.2 om
thick. This contained numerous human bones. These were scattered aleng
most of the length of the trench. Most of the bones appeared to he
disarticulated and in places bones from several different parts of the
skeleton were found close together. For example the mandible and base of a
skull were close to a femur, humerus, carpels, and lumbar vetebrae with an
axial vertebrae in close proximity. It is likely therefore that the bones
had been disturbed from their original context. There appeared to be a
general tendancy for the bones to be aligned approximately north - south.
There was no evidence of associated graves.

As in the western exension of Trench 2 there is clear evidence for the
survival of archaeological depoits which predate the recent activity on the
site. The fact that the substrate rises towards the present ground surface
to the north further implies that it has been truncated by the construction
of Great House Farm itsel®. If the latter was itially of medieval date
it may be that the deposit containing human bons was derived from the
levelling of a former graveyard associateca with the church. Alternatively
it is possible that the human pone was disturbed in situ by other activity.
While these and other possibilities remain cult to datermine without a
direct stratigraphic link to Great House the likelihood must be that the
ossiferous layer and the early deposits overlying the substrate in Trench 3
are of medieval or earlier date.

===== page 11 of 17 =====
Trench 5

Trench 5 was a short approximately north - south aligned cut which was
originally intended to traverse the nineteenth century structure attached
to the Great House. In the event it proved more practicable to place the
cut across the front boundary wall of the Great House.

Approximately 0.5 m depth of predominantly nineteenth century rubble
directly overlay the clay substrate. If any deposits, such as those
recorded between the substrate and more recent layers in Trenches 3 and 4,
had existed in this area they had clearly been removed by nineteenth
century activity.

Trench 6

Trench 6 was located adjacent to the east end of the north section of the
churchyard wall and was aligned approximately east - west. The upper
deposits were similar to these described abeve under the Trench 4 heading,
and hed formed part of the drive in front of the farm. An underlying
deposit of clayey soil and rubble rested directly on the surface of the
substrate at a depth of c 1.1 m below the present ground ‘surface.

If any earlier archaeological deposits had existed here they had been
removed by mere recent activity.

Trench 7

It had been intended to locate this trench on an east - west alignment
immediately to the north of Great House but a mincr discrepancy resulted in
the trench clipping the north part of the former house. Ihe north east
corner of the house, probably the dairy, was cut into the clay and lias
limestone substrate with a stone floor, probably laid in the eighteenth
century, at a depth of c 1.0 m below the present ground surface. The north
- south partition wall of the dairy was mortared and 0.38 m wide, but the
width of the east wall could not be determined as the trench cut obliquely
along the line of part of the north wall of the house and neither the plan
view nor the section of the south side of the trench was entirely clear.
Pots of paint and a plastic pipe within this basement area were overlain by
mortared rubble demolition presumably dating to 1988. The entire structure
had evidently been built within a construction pit the top edges of which
were c 1.5 m from the east edge of the east wall and c 2.0 m from the west
edge of the west partition wall. The intervening areas were infilled clay,
rubble and some mortar; the pit had gently sloping sides in profile, but
was not excavated below the level of the stone flecr. Both the pit and
demolished structure were overlain by redeposited topsoil with mixed rubble
etc to a depth of cO.3m

To the west of the dairy no trace of the structure of the Great House was
identified, with c 0.3 m of topsoil as described adove directly overlying
the clay substrate. The trench did not extend sufficiently far to the west
to determine whether or not the foundations of the west wall of the
farmhouse survived. To the east of the dairy once again the mixed topsoil
directly overlay the substrate.

It was evident from this excavation that only features cut into the clay
and lias limestone substrate had survived. Any floor levels associated
with the north - west part of Great House Farm must have been removed
during demolition in 1988 or during the clearance of the demolition in

1989.
9

===== page 12 of 17 =====
Trench 8

Trench 8 was aligned approximately east ~ west near the crest of the scarp
above the former Brickworks, and to the north east of the site of Great
House Farn. Approximately 0.5 m of mixed topsoil, rubble etc directly
overlay the substrate, suggesting that little of archaeological
significance has survived in the immediate surrounding area.

6) INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS

The results of the trial excavations suggest that various parts of the
redevelopment site have differing archaeological notential. For the
purposes of this report the archaeological potential has been grouped under
four headings:

1) Non Existent - Low Archaeological Potential

2) Medium to High Archaeological Potential

3) Unknown Potential but estimated to be Non Existent to Low
4) Unknown Potential but estimated to be Medium to Hizh

The parts of the site which display these varzous characters stics are
outlined below and illustrated in figura 4. I: i i
site which forms the basis of the recommendations for further action given
below,

Non Existent to Low Archaeological Potential

Trenches 1, 2, 5, 6 and & did not display any avidence of archaeological
layers located between the substrate and deposits of racant date. The
north - south element of trench 3 and the eas and west ands of trench 7
were similarly sterile

The east - west arm of trench 3, all of trench + exceee
projection and the central part of trench 7 all ar

deposits of potential value. By taking account of the
positive and negative archaeological evidence it is possibi
zone of non existent to low archaeological potential, whict
most of the northern area of the site as shown on figure 4.

Medium to High Archaeological Potential

Trenches 3 and 4 both contained up to 0.2 m of archaeological deposits,
which inter alia contained human bone, charcoal, etc. These layers must be
regarded as of high archaeological potential on present avidence, although
it should be noted that further excavation could either enhance or Lower
this perceived potential. By combining both p ve and negative evidence
as outlined above it is therefore possible to identify a zone of medium to
high archaeological potential to the north of the churchyard as shown on
figure 4.

cal contained
ion of both
suggest 3
xtands across

fom
o @
croet
wm 9

The cutting of trench 7 identified part of the north - east corner of Great
House Farm, which had survived demolition as its substructure was recessed
below ground level at this point. Although of marginal interest there
remains a surviving archaeological potential in this area

10

===== page 13 of 17 =====
Unknown Potential but estimated to be Non Existant to Low Potential

For reasons described above much of the eastern area of the redevelopment
site could not be investigated. The combination of the data from the other
trenches, taken together with surface and cartographic indicators permits
an informed estimate of the likely archaeological potential to be made.

It is likely that the absence of archaeological deposits on the northern
part of the site, as demonstrated by trenches 7 and 8, is repeated further
to the east. It is also likely that in the area of ‘The Gardens', a
demolished nineteenth century property, earlier archaeological deposits
will have been disturbed or removed. To the south of 'The Gardens’ a steep
slope drops to the valley bottom. Although the latter cannot be dismissed
entirely, all this area is regarded as low in estimated archaeological
potential.

Unknown Potential but estimated to be Medium to High Potential

In view of the archaeological deposits in trench 4 it is possible that
other areas adjacent to the churchyard wall will have potential. The land
between the churchyard and the former site of ‘The Gardens’ is one such
area. There is also a possibility that the deposits recorded in the west
arm of trench 3 extended further to the north, scutn anda west.

These areas are therefore regarded as high in estimated archaeological
potential.

ARCHAEOLOGY AND REDEVELOPMENT: OPTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER
ACTION

The information obtained from archaeological fieidwork and other sources
suggeste that a large part of the redevelopment site will not be
constrained by factors of archaeological singificance. There are however
other parts of the site where suitable protective or recording measures
will be desirable.

4

It is recommended that those areas marked as of non existent to low
potential (both actual and estimated) should be the subject of a iow
intensity watching brief. This exercise would act as 2 failsafe to record
features cut into the substrate, eg, pits, the Frynnon y Drindon well, etc
which might have escaped detection during ‘ieldwork. It is also
recommended that the surviving parts of Great House Farm, eg, the north -
east corner are recorded by means of a watching brief during development.

Those areas, both actual and estimated, shown on figure 4 as of medium to
high potential present a different problem The presumptien in such cases

should always be to protect archaeological deposits as far as :s possible
within the scheme of development. The archaecicgicaiiy interesting layers
in the west arm of trench 3 were buried celow = 1.5 a2 of recent ceposit.
It may therefore be possible to ensure ‘nat nsitivea layers are
protected from damage by ensuring that ‘ouncations. rvice trencnes, etc

wiil be nossibie

are not cut to a greater depth than c 1.2 m whet n
. varourden which may le

will depend on the load bearing capacity of

insufficient to carry the type of houses planned for tne site, carvicularly
bearing in mind the proximity of the loose infill of the propabie quarry
pit in the north - south arm of trench 3. An alternative means 3f

protection would be if the layout of tne aevelopment zaula 2e sO sesigned
as to make this area over to garden space.

11

===== page 14 of 17 =====
Archaeological Potential Zone.

Great House Farm, Llandough.

Fig 4

MOT OL LN3LS1X3 NON HOIH OL WhIGAW
ing ‘NMONXNN 4a ‘NMONYNN

MO1OL LN3LSIX2 NON |" - ” - HOIH OL WNIGAW |

ll

TWILN3LOd TWOIDOTOSVHOYV

12

===== page 15 of 17 =====
In the part of the site surrounding the west arm of trench 3 we therefore
recommend two options for further action:

(14) the protection of the archaeological interest by the minimization of
ground disturbance,

(2) if (1) is not possible the archaeological layers should be excavated
and recorded prior to development.

Option (1) is to be preferred if at all possible.

The archaeological deposits identified in trench 4 were only shallowly
buried. Even if the area were set aside as garden space within the
development design there would be a risk of deposits, including human
skeletal remains being disturbed by routine gardening activities. The only

effective way of protecting the archaeological interest in this area would
_be to prevent any further ground disturbance and raise the ground level by
c 0.5 m, an operation which might present problems for the churchyard wall.
If this raising of ground level is impractical there will be little
alternative to the excavation of the archaeological deposits in advance of
development. We therefore recommend two options for further action in the
area of and surrounding trench 4:

(1) the protection of the archaeological interest by the prevention of any
further ground disturbance and the raising of the ground level by at least

0.5 m,

(2) if (1) is not possible the archaeological layers should be excavated

and recorded prior to development.

Option (1) is to be preferred if at all possible.

In both the areas referred to above (ie, in and around trenches 3 and 4)
there may be an additional legal complication. If the presence of human
bone is taken to denote the existence of a disused burial ground the
provisions of the Disused Burial Grounds (Amendment) Act 1981 may apply.
Section 2 (1) (a) of this Act requires the removal and re-internment of
human remains prior to the erection of buildings, although section 2 (2)
does make provision for the Secretary of State to over-rule this
requirement if he is satisfied that the remains will not be disturbed. We
therefore recommend that before any decision on the options given above is
taken, advice should be sought by BP Properties Ltd om any legal
requirements which may pertain to the human skeletal remains.

Finally there is the potentially sensitive area to the east of the
churchyard, Although the archaeological interest is not proven in this
area it is possible that similar layers to those identified in trench 4 may
be present. As they would be off the line of the driveway of Great House
Farm it is likely that any such deposits will be protected by a greater
depth of overburden, but this likelihood cannot be guaranteed. The
protection of the possible archaeological interest could be achieved by the
spreading of the rubble from ‘The Gardens’ over the sensitive area
preparatory to the laying of garden topsoil. Such an operation might cause
problems for the churchyard wall. Two options for further action are
therefore presented:

1) the protection of the possible archaeological interest by the
prevention of ground disturbance and the raising of the ground level,

(2) if (1) is not possible any archaeological layers which may be present

should be excavated and recorded prior to development.

===== page 16 of 17 =====
BIBLIOGRAPHY/ ABBREVIATIONS

Davies, W 1978

Owen-John, H S

1988

RCAHMW, 1976
RCAHMW, 1988
SMR 2038s
Thomas, H J
1988

An Early Welsh Microcosm: Studies in the
Llandaff Charters

‘LLlandough: the Rescue Excavation of a Multi-
Period Site near Cardiff, South Glamorgan in
Robinson D M (ed) Biglis, Caldicot and
Liandough: Three Late Tron Age and Romano-
British Sites in South East Wales, Excavations

1977-79. Brit Archaeol Rep 188.

An_ Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in
Glamorgan, Volume i: _Pre-Norman, Part ITT: The

Early Christian Period. Royal Commission on

Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales.

Unpublished Records relating to Great House Farm
prepared by R F Suggett, December 1988.

Sites and Monuments Record No 2038, South
Glamorgan. (Record held by GGAT)

‘Historical Notas’ in Owen-Tohn 1988 (above).

14

===== page 17 of 17 =====
St Dochdwy's church
and the former Ty-Mawr
farm buildings

The Glamorgan-Gwent
Archaeological Trust Lid

FERRYSIDE WAREHOUSE
BATH LANE, SWANSEA
WEST GLAMORGAN, SA1 IRD
TELEPHONE: {0782) 655208