Sarratt Lynchets - Community Excavations

Sarratt Lynchets – Community Excavations

Location: Sarratt Lynchets

The terraces you can see on the hillside in Sarratt(2) are called lynchets – the result of people shaping the land to create flatter surfaces to plough and plant crops. Without archaeological evidence, it is hard for us to know the date of the Lynchets. This is the question that the Chilterns Heritage and Archaeology Partnership (CHAP)aimed to answer in a recent project there.

Phase 1 - Geophysical Surveys

  • Previous surveys called LiDAR (3) have been completed in 2018/19
  • New geophysical surveys equipment, called a gradiometer, purchased in 2024 has enabled a more detailed understanding of the landscape and what lies beneath.
  • In July 2024, 17 volunteers helps to survey an area of 6400m2
  • This work highlighted a potentially interesting area for further investigation.
Chilterns ANOB

Phase 2 - Community Excavation

  • In August 2024, a 2 week excavation opened up 3 trenches in the area
  • An incredible 102 volunteers hand dug the trenches, contributing 870 volunteer hours, shifting 12 tonnes of soil by hand – an Herculean effort!
  • The excavation explored the profile of the lynchets, with soil samples taken that may shed some light on the dates of the construction and use.
  • In the course of exploring some results from the geophysical survey, a road surface, potentially Roman was revealed, as well as a lot of both 18th century and Roman material.
  • Other finds included a Roman lead scale weight, oyster shells, and worked flints.
  • Daily tours welcomed 247 members of the public to see a glimpse of the past and observe our volunteers carrying out ‘hands-on heritage’ in the Chess Valley
Chilterns ANOB

Phase 3 - What's Next?

  • CHAP hopes to explore the lynchets in further detail, and if fortunate, discover the origin and use of this routeway, in a second season of excavation in August 2025.

 

Many thanks to the landowner and all the volunteers who have helped to date.