8 Windmill Lane, Llanblethian,

Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan

Archaeological watching brief
July 2009
GGAT report no. 2009/053
Project no.P1356
A report for Meadbro Investments National Grid Reference:
by Steve Sell BA SS 9943 7406

TE
GI S R
RE

ED

I A
N
OR

IO

A N I SAT
G

The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Ltd

Heathfield House Heathfield Swansea SA1 6EL
 8 Windmill Lane, Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological watching brief

Contents Page
Summary........................................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................. 2
Copyright notice............................................................................................................... 2

1. Introduction
1.1 Development proposal and commission ..................................................... 3
1.2 Location....................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Historical background ................................................................................. 3

2. Methodology ....................................................................................................... 6

3. Results ................................................................................................................. 7

4. Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 8

Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 9

Appendix 1: Context Index ......................................................................................... 10

Figures

Figure 1: Location plan ................................................................................................... 5

Plates
Plate 1: Typical stratigraphy within foundations for House B........................................ 7
Plate 2: Excavations of footings for House A in progress .............................................. 8

1
 8 Windmill Lane, Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological watching brief

Summary
An archaeological watching brief was carried out during the groundwork for the construction
of two new houses at 8 Windmill Lane, Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan. The
watching brief established that the work had no adverse effect upon the archaeological
resource. No features of archaeological significance were noted and no artefacts recovered
during monitoring of the work.

Acknowledgments
The project was managed by Richard Lewis, BA MIfA, Head of Projects, and the fieldwork
was undertaken by Steve Sell BA of the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Ltd, Projects
Division. The report was prepared by Steve Sell and the artwork was undertaken by Paul Jones
of the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Ltd Illustration Department. Thanks are due to
Brian and Ian Mead for their assistance during the project.

Copyright notice
The copyright of this report is held by the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Ltd, which
has granted an exclusive licence to Meadbro Investmentsand their agents to use and reproduce
material it contains. Ordnance Survey data is reproduced under licence (AL 10005976),
annotations are GGAT copyright.

2
 8 Windmill Lane, Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological watching brief

1 Introduction
1.1 Development proposal and commission
Meadbro Investments have received permission to construct two new houses at ‘Trem-y-Glyn’,
8 Windmill Lane, Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan. A condition attached to the
planning consent (Pl App No 2009/00183/FUL) states that an archaeological watching brief
should be undertaken during the groundwork phase of the construction programme. The
Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Ltd, Projects Division (GGAT Projects) was
commissioned to undertake the work, which took place on 27th July 2009.
1.2 Location
Cowbridge is a small market town lying in the central part of the Vale of Glamorgan. The
town lies in the valley of the River Thaw and is almost completely encircled by gently rising
hills, although to the north the ground is marshy and susceptible to flooding (Robinson 1980).
The development area is situated 0.6km to the south of the town centre, on the outskirts of the
village of Llanblethian, at NGR SS 9943 7406. The site lies on the edge of farmland falling
away to the south and southwest towards the river valley, at c48m OD, and consists of the
remains of a garden terraced into the slope, including a former tennis court, and on the
uppermost level close to Windmill Lane, the site of the former house ‘Trem-y-Glyn’, which
had just been demolished.

The surface geology of Cowbridge is a mixture of riverine sands and gravels in the lower-lying
areas, with clays and limestones of the lower Lias on the higher ground, including the present
development.

1.3 Historical background

The area of Cowbridge was first occupied during the Roman period, and is likely the site of
Bomium of the Antonine itinerary lying on the coastal road from Caerleon to Carmarthen, this
stretch linking Cardiff and Neath (Margary 1957, 58). The evidence suggests that the site has
been occupied from the 1st century through to the 4th century, and whilst such an early
settlement is likely to be military in nature, little evidence for such structures have been
discovered. However, finds from a bath house at Arthur John car park included tiles bearing
the stamp LEG II AUG, which suggests a link with the legionary fortress at Caerleon even if it
was no more than the use of soldiers to construct an official building (Evans 2000, 491). The
settlement took the form of a ribbon development along the main Cardiff-Neath road, with a
likely cemetery at the western end, as indicated by the discovery of a stone lion, an item of
funerary sculpture, at Hopyard Meadow.

Cowbridge itself was founded as a planned town in the middle of the 13th century by Richard
de Clare, although it has been suggested that an established settlement may have already been
in place prior to the granting of the charter in 1254. The medieval town can be divided into
three separate areas of burgage plots; the walled town centre and the two undefended ‘suburbs’
of Eastgate and Westgate (Robinson 1980). No castle was constructed at Cowbridge as it was
defended by the castle at Llanblethian nearby, but the town serviced de Clare’s manor at
Boverton and his demesne lordships of Llanblethian and Talyfan.

The town began to prosper, being ideally situated in fertile farmland and along the still
important transportation line of the Roman road. Such prosperity is reflected in the increase in
number of burgages from 59 in 1262, to 233 in 1295 and 276 in 1306, making it the fifth
largest town in south Wales. With the aid of numerous charters that exempted Cowbridge from

3
 8 Windmill Lane, Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological watching brief

many of the Crown taxes, the number of burgages had risen to 320 in 1425. However, a slow
decline began at this period and this can be seen in the decrease in revenue for the town from
£17 15s. 11d. in 1427 to £5 18s. 6d. in 1457. By 1514 it had plummeted to £2 3s. 2d. The
decline in the fortunes of the town seems to have been halted and indeed reversed after the
Acts of Union (1536-43). Cowbridge was recognised as a borough and enjoyed its own
Member of Parliament, and by 1543 the revenue had recovered to £9 10s (Appleton-Fox 1999).
The town seems to have been remarkably static during the late post-medieval period, indeed
both the Cowbridge Tithe map of 1841 and the 1st edition OS map of 1878 reveal that
Cowbridge had an almost identical settlement pattern to that of the medieval period (Robinson
1980). The greater part of habitation was still concentrated in the town centre and Eastgate
(now known as East Village). The tithe maps for Penlline and Llanbethian parish show that the
surrounding landscape was almost entirely agricultural in nature. Land ownership was divided
between small farmers and large estates, with land usages being dominated by pasture and
meadow, but with some arable fields. Indeed, it is not until the 20th century that the burgages
become fully urbanised.

The present development lies on the outskirts of the village of Llanblethian, just off Broadway,
the road by which the village is now effectively linked to the town. The southern side of
Windmill Lane, and the two properties at the eastern end of the northern side of the lane, lie
within the boundaries of two former fields whose division is thought to mark the western end
of a bivallate enclosure of Iron Age date; this boundary runs north-south through the eastern
part of the present development site.

4
 8, Windmill Lane, Llanblethian, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological watching brief

Location of site

Based on the 2005 Ordnance Survey 1:25000

Explorer 151 map with the permission of The
Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, ©
Crown Copyright, Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological
Trust Ltd, Licence number Al10005976 GRID

0 1.00 2.00 3.00km N

Figure 1. Location plan

 8 Windmill Lane, Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological watching brief

2 Methodology
The watching brief was undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Institute for
Archaeologists’ Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Watching Briefs (1994, revised
1998, 2002 and 2008).

A full written, drawn and photographic record was made of all archaeological deposits, in
accordance with the GGAT Manual of Excavation Recording Techniques. Contexts were
recorded using a single continuous numbering system, and are summarised in Appendix I. All
significant contexts were photographed using a Pentax Optio E40 8.1 megapixel digital
camera.

All classes of finds were retained, cleaned and catalogued, in line with the requirements of the
Institute for Archaeologists’ Standard and guidance for the collection, documentation,
conservation and research of archaeological materials (2001) and in accordance with the
GGAT Manual of Excavation Recording Techniques. No material from this project has been
retained within the site archive.

The project archive will be deposited with an appropriate receiving organisation, in accordance
with the UKIC and IfA Guidelines (Archaeological Archives: a guide to best practice in
creation, compilation, transfer and curation (2007)). A copy of the report and archive index
will be deposited with the regional Historic Environment Record, curated by the Glamorgan-
Gwent Archaeological Trust, Swansea, and a further copy of the report and archive index will
be deposited with the National Monuments Record, Royal Commission on the Archaeological
and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW), Aberystwyth.

The groundwork was undertaken using a fourteen tonne 360° excavator with toothed bucket.
The trenches averaged 0.90m in width, and between 0.45m and 1.20m in depth, depending on
their position in the footprint.

The excavated trenches were carefully inspected for evidence of archaeological features, and
the excavated spoil was checked for the presence of artefacts. Any artificial material was
recovered for examination, and the presence of any features of archaeological significance was
noted, photographed and recorded as appropriate.

6
 8 Windmill Lane, Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological watching brief

3 Results
The property that had formerly stood on the development site had recently been demolished
and crushed for reuse in site. It had stood on the uppermost of four terraced levels that now
exist on the property, closest to Windmill Lane to the north. The footprints of both houses in
the new development lie on the second level from the lane, above a former tennis court which
occupies the third level down. The lowest level, below a revetment wall on the southern side
of the tennis court, runs along the southern boundary of the property.

The foundations for House B were excavated first, followed by those for House A, so the
description of results from the two properties will be dealt with in that order.

House B
The creation of the terrace upon which the footprint of this property and House A was laid out
appeared to have employed a mixture of broken lias limestone, clay and a certain amount of
crushed demolition debris, more conspicuously towards the south and southwest of the
footprint. The depth of limestone bedrock below the present surface level varied from 0.40m
to 1.20m in the southwestern corner of the footprint, and the trenches were stepped to
accommodate this variation resulting from the original lie of the land.

Demolition material from the previous house, crushed and recycled for use in the present
development (001), principally occupied the uppermost level of the terraced site, but also
occurred locally within the footprint of House B. Elsewhere this level consisted either of
broken lias limestone in a clayey loam matrix (004) or in a clayey matrix (005). Both deposit
types appeared contiguously, but elsewhere formed part of the stratigraphic sequence beneath a
mixture of redeposited stone, clay and loam (007), with occasional buried turf and topsoil
(002). At or close to the limit of excavation was flat-bedded lias limestone (006).

Plate 1: Typical stratigraphy within foundations for House B, showing mixed deposits 007 above natural
cover 005 over bedrock 006, at base of ranging rod (1m scale in 0.20m graduations) ©GGAT.

7
 8 Windmill Lane, Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological watching brief

House A
Results from the inspection of the foundations for this property were broadly similar to those
from House B. The trenches varied from 0.60m to 0.90m in depth, with flat-bedded lias
limestone generally at or close to the limit of excavation, between 0.45m and 0.90m. The
upper level consisted in the main of either recycled demolition debris 001 or redeposited mixed
clay, stone and loam 007, with mostly 005 below. One anomaly, close to the northwestern
corner of the footprint and thus closest to the position of the former property, was part of a slab
(008), covered by c0.40m of demolition debris. This feature is likely to relate to the earlier
house.

On the level beneath the footprint a tennis court formerly existed. This area was now occupied
by spoil from site clearance, principally a mixture of loam, clay, and broken stone, also turf and
topsoil from clearance of the garden (002) mixed with ashy material used on the former court
(003), which appeared to have reverted to nature.

Plate 2: Excavation of footings for House A in progress ©GGAT.

8
 8 Windmill Lane, Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological watching brief

4 Conclusions
No evidence was found for any occupation on the development site prior to its development in
the 1920s. Landscaping at this time and also as part of the present programme of work created
ground conditions that would be extremely unlikely to provide conditions compatible with the
survival of archaeological remains.

9
 8 Windmill Lane, Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological watching brief

Bibliography

Appleton-Fox, N, 1999, The Town Walls, Cowbridge: a report on a desk-based assessment,

Marches Archaeology Report no 057

Evans, EM, 2000, The Caerleon canabae: excavations in the civil settlement 1984-90,
Britannia Monograph 16

Margary, ID, 1957, Roman Roads in Britain, vol 2, London

Parkhouse, J and Evans, EM (eds.), 1996, Excavations in Cowbridge, South Glamorgan 1977-
88, BAR British Series 245

Robinson, DM, 1980, Cowbridge: the archaeology and topography of a small market town in
the Vale of Glamorgan, GGAT Town Survey No. 1

10
 8 Windmill Lane, Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan: archaeological watching brief

Appendix 1: Context Index

Context Type Description Period
001 Deposit Recycled demolition material, derived from former property Modern
002 Deposit Coarse grass and clay-loam topsoil Modern
003 Deposit Ash, base for former tennis court Modern
004 Deposit Broken bedrock in loamy matrix Unknown
005 Deposit Broken bedrock in clayey matrix, prob upper natural level
006 Deposit Lias limestone bedrock
007 Deposit Mixture of 004/005, redeposited Modern
008 Deposit Concrete slab, d 0.40m Modern

11