An Archaeological Evaluation at Westbury Farm, Great Offley, Hertfordshire

Abstract

Archaeological evaluation was undertaken between the 14t h and 24t h June 1999 on 1.134 hectares of land at Westbury Farm, Offley, Hertfordshire (TL 1415 2710). The work was carried out by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU), on behalf of Ashtenne Residential, in advance of a proposed housing development including the construction of three houses and the conversion of existing barns into a further six dwellings. The evaluation was conducted in accordance with a brief issued by North Hertfordshire District Council Museums Field Archaeology Section, and followed a desktop assessment and preliminary buildings survey The earliest phase of activity on the site is datable to the 12t h century with a possible ditched enclosure seen in Trenches 4 and 5. Features seen in Trench 11 provide evidence that there was settlement here by the 13t h century. Ditch(es) probably mark an earlier boundary to Westbury Farm along the School Lane frontage, with which they are aligned. The early features are confined to the outer parts of the site, the interior having been severely truncated by later phases of activity. The presence of Roman tile incorporated into the Medieval and Post Medieval features indicates there may well have been Roman activity in the vicinity of the site but no actual features of Roman date were found.