TEST PITS

ARCHAEOLOGICAL TEST PITS IN BINGHAM

The pit site was on agricultural land until the Church Farm estate was built in the 1960s. In 1586 it was part of what became the Chesterfield Estate and was rented by Thomas Spybie, who farmed it on behalf of the lord of the manor.
In 1776 the land was now freehold, but we have no details of who owned it. However, it is possible that it belonged to the Porter family who occupied a large area immediately to the south. They are likely to have acquired it as a result of a deal with the Chesterfield estate during general enclosure in 1680-90.
The soil profile consists of 20 cm of topsoil probably re-deposited during landscaping after the houses were built. This overlies a complex layering of builder’s sand and other materials, which itself overlies a thin layer of subsoil. The subsoil passes down into clay with interbedded sand that is thought to be the marginal deposits to the lake that existed here in prehistoric times.
It seems likely that the topsoil on this site was stripped down to the subsoil before building. Few finds were recovered from the pit, but the pottery and clay pipe stems found immediately below the builder’s rubble and in the thin layer of subsoil are 19th C.
The underlying clay, thought to be the original lake deposit, is barren of all finds.

Click here for a detailed account of the pit.