Introduction
We were invited to look at a site at King Alfreds School, Burnham on Sea, to investigate features above a buried Roman soil, that may have been caused by animal hooves.
Background
The bedrock of the area was known to be the Lower Lias of the Lower Jurassic, and we found the soils to be alluvial gley soils, which were deep, stoneless and formed on estuarine alluvium. The site lay in an area of flat land within the town of Burnham on Sea, and the permanently high water table is controlled by pumped drainage through ditches and sea defences. At the time of our visit the site was a part of the school playing fields.
A single trench was dug in an area in which we were able to examine the deposits and take samples for later analysis.
Findings
The samples we examined were a sequence of deposits that began with a Roman soil that was buried by natural estuarine deposits laid down during the late or post-Roman period. Regular sharp edged compression features could be seen just above the darker Roman soil, which from the size and shape could have been the result of animal trample.
Conclusions
From our investigations, we were able to tell the client that the surface of the buried Roman soil and the estuarine sediments just above it had been mechanically disturbed, and the features were of a shape and size that meant they could have caused by the trampling of animals. The reason we could not see clearer evidence, was probably due to rooting and worming disrupting the features.