CBA SMA\SMA 1983.PDF - Council for British Archaeology

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human cranium in the top of a round barrow. The National Trust plan
to prevent further damage. In the same area, the Pitstone Local History
Society sectioned a second linear, cropmark, a previously unrecorded length
of Grim's Ditch.
The year has been a busy one for planning matters, and the sites
and monuments record has been extensively consulted. Several applications
for mineral extraction have been vetted and county and district councils
have consulted the record for road schemes, local plans, etc., and an
increasing number are now submitting all planning applications which may
affect archaeological sites. Integration between the County Record and
that held by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation is now well
advanced.
The principal concern of the year has been with post-excavation
work, particularly on George Street, Aylesbury, excavated in 1981 and
now confirmed by radiocarbon dating to be the site of a Middle-Late Saxon
cemetery. Reports on two short rescue excavations within Aylesbury have
been completed. This is an appropriate place to mention that Dave Allen,
the Museum's Assistant Field Archaeologist, who was responsible for the
excavation of the last three sites and several other sites in the County,
has moved on to Hampshire County Museum Service. His skill and patience
will be missed. Peter Yeoman takes up the post in 1983. During the
year the Museum has benefited from the services of Hal Dalwood, Melanie
Steiner, Howard Leach, Trevor Pearson, a number of Oxford In-service
trainees, and the County Museum Archaeological Group.
NORTHAMPTONSH I RE
THE ROYAL DEER 'PARKS OF.BRIGSTOCK, an Archaeological Landscape Survey
B. Bellamy, P. Fostéri G. Johnston, for Northamptonshire Field Group.
The two adjoining medieval Royal Deer Parks (the Great and Little
Parks) in the parish of Brigstock cover an area of 906 hectares. The
geology is mainly chalky boulder-clay, although faulting along the
eastern edge of the area produces a varied geology of Oxford Clay,
Northampton Sand and Ironstone, Great Oolitic Clay and Limestone,
and the Upper and Lower Esturine Series. In practice this means that
many materials are readily available for industrial and domestic use.
The topography of the area is that of a dissected plateau with rounded
spurs radiating in all directions. Its valleys are often steep sided
and the fields, although of heavy clay, drain excess water rapidly.
The streams that form the drainage system appear inconsequential and
have been supplemented by numerous ponds, at least one to each field.
The Great Park is the earlier of the two and is first mentioned
in 1228. The Little Park was created for Queen Philippa in 1348 and
is sometimes referred to as the Queen's Park. Disparking did not take
place until 1610, consequently the parks suffered only limited damage
from medieval agriculture. Some fields still have standing earthworks,
the most distinct of which is the Iron Age ringwork at SP 9255 8424,
which was excavated by Dennis Jackson (Northants Archaeological Unit)
in advance of plough damage. During the course of this excavation,
which was on a boulder clay subsoil, Neolithic and Bronze Age flint