Day 13 - Saturday 14th August 2010

Work has resumed excavating the gravel in the south end of trench B after a two week break. Although there was some variation the deposits were essentially the same – sandy gravel with a few finds consistent with deposition in the 17^th century. All the gravel contained large flints which would need a much higher water speed than is likely on the site in the last few thousand years so I still think it must have been quarried somewhere locally and dumped at Honeywood as fill.

Excavation of the gravel stopped when the trench bottom filled with ground water. By this point we were below the bottom of the chalk floor in the pond. The floor of the feature the gravel was dumped into must be somewhere below but it is not reachable which is frustrating. It is deeper that I expected which raises a number of issues about past water levels which I have not yet thought through.

We then resumed work in the north end of the trench in the hope of finding the side of the fill.

Work will continue tomorrow.

John Phillips