Monument record 0771300000 - N of Slough Cemetery, Stoke Road, Stoke Poges

Evaluation trial trenching carried out by Thames Valley Archaeological Services in May 2014 in advance of a proposed cemetery extension found the remains of a Medieval settlement or farmstead with ditches, pits and postholes backfilled in the late 13th century with domestic midden rubbish in the easternmost part of the evaluation site (Trenches 27-30 and Trench 32). In Trench 27, 3 large steep-sided oval pits, 1 posthole and 1 or 2 unexcavated possible pits, all intercutting, were found with large quantities of pottery and small quantities of roof tile, animal bone, daub, burnt flint and iron objects in the pit fills. In Trench 28, 3 narrow and shallow ditches or gullies (1 undated) and 1 posthole were found. In Trench 29, 1 undated shallow pit or ditch terminal and 1 undated shallow ditch, possibly a continuation of a ditch in Trench 28, were found. In Trench 30, 1 narrow shallow ditch and two undated shallow pits were found, all intercutting and undated. In Trench 32 a single ditch was found which possibly continued into Trenches 31 and 33. See report for detail (B1).
The excavations identified elements of a medieval settlement. Evidence of late Saxon activity is limited to a single pottery sherd recovered from the subsoil. The main activity of the site is in the medieval period; indicated by pottery finds to 12th to 14th centuries. There is an absence of below ground features relating to habitational structures, despite some features being infilled with building material. The western limit of the settlement is likely to be just outside of the western limit of the excavation. No features were recorded in the evaluation in the western part of the field. Chared plant remains indicate cultivation of wheat, barley, and peas. The presence of slag also indicates small scale iron smithing. It is probable that the site represents a farmstead rather than a medieval village. It is not clear if this is a roadside settlement with Stoke Poges Lane already in existence. Pottery finds suggest that the settlement appeared to thrive for 2-300 years, with activity on the site ending sometime in the 14th century (B2,B4).
Summary of cemetery extension (B3).