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Permission to carry out this archaeological investigation was granted to Dr. Philip L. Armitage and Brixham Heritage Museum's Field Research Team by DCMS in March 2001 (ref. Scheduled Monument Consent HSD9/2/4468 pt3 dated 28th March, 2001). The consent was issued in response to an application submitted earlier to English Heritage by Dr. Armitage acting on behalf of Brixham Heritage Museum and in collaboration with Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust.
Fieldwork in the two designated areas (see Fig. 1) was carried out between Wednesday July 18th and Friday 27th July,2001. The assistance of Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust and their ranger Steve Ayres and his staff at Berry Head is acknowledged with much gratitude.
It is important to view this report as an interim contribution towards a long-term research programme into the Berry Head forts that was initiated by Brixham Heritage Museum in 1961. Further specialist research of the finds recovered from all the excavations carried out to date (1961-2001) will be required before a detailed synthesis (Final Report) can be produced and made available.
A plan (Figure 1) prepared for Brixham Heritage Museum by technical consultant Robert Rouse, shows the locations of the two excavated areas. For the purposes of the project, these areas were designated as BH01/1 and BH01/2 and on the plan are shown in relation to the excavation trenches (Nos. 1 to 11A) investigated earlier, in 1998-99 - which carried on the stone ruin in the vicinity.
A second plan (Figure 2),also prepared by Rouse, shows the spatial distribution of the more significant small finds in each of the excavated areas.
All excavated artefacts and faunal remains (animal bones and shellfish) were removed to Brixham Heritage Museum's archaeological collections. Apart from the ceramics, all finds were preliminary identified by Dr. P. L. Armitage.
An assessment of the ceramics was carried out by Kate Armitage, which was based on the methodology and classification system developed by Museum of London Archaeological Specialist Services. Analysis of the ceramics continues and the recording sheets for the complete assemblage will form part of Brixham Heritage Museum's Archival Records. (Charts 1 and Chart 2 were prepared with Microsoft Excel.)
For the purposes of this interim report, a table (Table 1) summarising the frequencies of the various finds categories represented, using the classification system of Clouse (1996)* developed for military sites in North America (there appears to be no British equivalent to this system!)
Among the most noteworthy finds are the following: a uniform button of the Birmingham Militia (see Figure 3)(from BH01/2) and a sherd of a plate from the officer's mess of the BUFFS or 3rd (East Kent) Regiment of Foot (from BH01/1).
*Clouse(1996) - as referenced in R A Clouse 1999 Interpreting archaeological data through correspondence analysis. Historical Archaeology vol.33 (No.2): 90-107.
During this year's CBA National Archaeology Days 21st-22nd July, the site was "opened" to the public and over 71 children and 22 adults joined Brixham Heritage Museum's Field Team in excavating the two areas. Among those participating were members of the Devon Young Archaeologists Group (from Devon Archaeological Society). The success of this event held at Berry Head has prompted CBA to consider using photographs (taken by the Museum) for promotion of NAD2002.
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