The site is located to the west of the Marlow to Maidenhead single line railway, alongside the Maidenhead Road, at a position about halfway between Furze Platt and Cookham stations. It is south-east of Lower Mount farm, north of Halfway Houses and centred at NGR SU 8835:8395. The level is c.40 AOD over Taplow Gravel laid down during the Pleistocene and Holocene periods, with Lower Chalk geology of the Cretaceous. The gross site area is; 4447 sqm, 0.44 hectares, 1.10 acres, with a perimeter of 306m (measured from the site survey.

The site lies at the edge of the gravel and chalk on the Boyn Hill Terrace of the Thames Valley. The ground slopes down gently to a stream 650m to the east. To the west the ground rises sharply to 100m AOD. To the south a dry valley defines the plateau.

The entrance to the cemetery is off Long Lane and the site off the Maidenhead Road. Location plan on Google [Fig. 1, Drg. No. 905/1], site survey [Fig. 2, Drg. No. 905/2]

The Berkshire Archaeology brief of 19/10/06 draws attention to the following archaeology in the vicinity:

Therefore this is a site of high archaeological potential. Furthermore as the site lies with such close proximity of so many archaeological sites, it is possible that stratified sequences of those outlying activities from those archaeological sites will occur".

[Details of the above are awaited]

Local verbal information not recorded, mentions an excavation in the 1960’s, just the other side of the railway to the east of the site. What information is available indicates that Roman material was revealed, including a well and building material.

To determine the existence or absence of archaeological remains and should archaeological remains be present, to assess the general nature and significance.

To determine the extent, condition, state of preservation, nature, character, quality and date of any archaeological remains present.

To determine or confirm the approximate extent of any remains.

To determine the degree of complexity of the horizontal and or vertical stratigraphy present.

To assess the associations and implications of any remains encountered with reference to the historic landscape.

To determine the historic implication of the remains with reference to economy, status, utility and social activity.

To determine or confirm the likely range, quality and quantity of the artefact evidence present.

To determine the potential of the site to provide palaeo-environmental, geo-archaeological and or economic evidence and the forms in which such evidence may be present.

To make available the results of the investigation.

To help define any relevant research priorities if additional archaeological investigation proves necessary.

It is proposed that the evaluation will be carried out in stages:

Any mechanical excavation will be carried out to a safe depth determined so as to avoid or minimise damage to any archaeological remains. Machinery used will be of an appropriate type fitted with a toothless bucked of 1.8<2m width.

All excavation will be closely supervised by the appointed MIFA

Machining will stop at the first archaeological deposit or natural, whichever is encountered first. Archaeological deposits will not be machined.

Spoil will be scanned for artefacts, which will be record as "bulk" and retained.

All features will be excavated by hand. All features irrespective of age will be recorded in detail.

Environment, soil and where appropriate chemical samples will be taken for future analysis.

A site survey as EH guidelines having an accuracy of +-10mm [Fig. 2. Drg. No. 905/2]. If appropriate a close contour survey [not yet considered beneficial]

Geophysics of the site to determine any features and to assist in positioning trenches to produce the most beneficial result. The positions to be agreed with BA.

The method statement for the geophysics is at "Appendix A". Plotting and analysis by MT,ArcServ will use CAD, Surfer8 and if warranted ArcheoSurveyor.

The BA brief and Parish Council, indicate that the site is undisturbed apart from ploughing. It is however known that gravel extraction took place adjacent but it is not known exactly where the edge was or the extent of associated works, relative to this site. Some 10<15m from the east boundary there is a marked change to the slope which may indicate a change to the underlying ground. Inspection of an open grave in the existing cemetery shows a shallow layer of topsoil, over a mix of soil and gravel and at about 1.5m a change to apparently clean yellow/red sand and gravel, it is not however clear if this stratigraphy extends to the site in question. It seems likely that the boundaries between layers may be unclear and therefore it is desirable to check the likely stratigraphy if only to ascertain a safe working depth for machine excavation. To this end it is proposed to, excavate by hand an east west trial trench starting near the east boundary of a length determined on site by the objective but likely to be some 20m in and up to 1.5m wide at 90d from the survey base line as shown on. [Fig. 4, Drg. No. 905/4]. A decision will be taken on site whether to extend part of the trial trench in a south north direction.

After the results of the geophysics and trial trench are available, an interim report will be produced followed by liaison with BA to agree main trench positions at which time a trench setting out and recording drawing will be produced.

The exposed deposits will be hand cleaned. Any archaeological features/deposits will be sufficiently sampled in order to date, characterise and assess them only. No further excavation will take place without prior agreement by the County Archaeological Officer.

All features and deposits will be issued with unique context numbers, and context recording will be in accordance with the established practice. Colour transparency and black-and-white negative photographs will be taken of all archaeological features.

If deposits of environmental significance/potential are uncovered they will be sampled in accordance with the project aims and English Heritage Guidelines Environmental Archaeology (2002). In particular, deposits of clearly waterlogged, organic or charcoal rich nature will be targeted, as well as a representative samples of fills of cut features and other deposits.

The stratigraphy of the trenches will be recorded even where no archaeological deposits are identified.

Spoil heaps will be monitored to allow analysis of the spatial distribution of artefacts.

Supervision of the opening of trenches and general direction of excavation will be by Colin Berks MIFA. With general management, logistics and volunteer workers supplied by MAS.

Monitoring of the evaluation will be undertaken by Berkshire Archaeological Services.

A visual inspection of the entire site will be undertaken. This will include the examination of any available exposures (e.g. recently cut field ditches, graves and utilities).

The 1.8m * 20m trenches will be excavated to first significant archaeology or natural by JCB under the direction of the MIFA.

At the natural or archaeological level the trenches will be swept by metal detector and indications of ferrous material marked with plastic pegs so at to alert the excavators but not excavated separately.

Following machine clearance, all faces of the trench that require examination or recording will be cleaned using appropriate hand tools.

Spoil heaps will be monitored in order to recover artifacts to assist in the analysis of the spatial distribution of artifacts. Modern artifacts will be noted but not retained.

All investigation of archaeological levels and or features will be by hand, with cleaning, examination and recording both in plan and section.

Within significant archaeological levels a number of features required to meet the aims will be hand excavated. Pits and post holes will be subject to a 50% sample by volume. Linear features will be sectioned as appropriate. Features not suited to excavation within narrow trenches will not be sampled. No archaeological deposits will be entirely removed unless this is unavoidable. It is not necessarily the intention that all trial trenches will be fully excavated to natural stratigraphy, but the depth of archaeological deposits across the entire site will be assessed. The stratigraphy of all evaluation trenches will be recorded even where no archaeological deposits have been identified.

Any excavation, both by machine and by hand, will be undertaken with a view to avoiding damage to any archaeological features or deposits which appear to be worthy of preservation in situ.

Different environmental sampling strategies may be employed according to established research targets and the perceived importance of the strata under investigation. Bulk samples of a standard 40 liters will normally be taken. Bulk samples will be taken from any waterlogged deposits present for macroscopic plant remains. Columns for pollen analysis will be taken if appropriate. Mollusc samples will be collected if present. Other bulk samples for small animal bones and other small artifacts may be taken from appropriate contexts.

Any finds of human remains will be left insitu, covered and protected and the coroner informed. If removal is essential it will only take place under appropriate Home Office license, section 25 of the Burial Act 1857 and local environmental health regulations, and if appropriate in compliance with the Disused Burial Grounds (Amendment) Act 1981.

All finds of gold and silver will be removed to a safe place and reported to the local Coroner according to the procedures relating to Treasure Trove. Where removal can not be effected on the same working day as the discovery, suitable security measures will be taken to protect the finds from theft.

MAS welcomes monitoring visits by the local authorities' archaeological representatives. Timetables of the on-site work will be provided in order that visits can be made at appropriate times. It is generally intended that the non-intrusive geophysics will take place immediately, followed a few weeks later by the trial trench subject to approval by the PC. Details of dates will be provided at least a week in advance of work.

After recording, the trench bottom will be marked with colored tape, back filled with excavated material and the turf/surface reinstated.

A report of the findings will be produced as soon as practical after the completion of fieldwork. Copies will be sent to the County Archaeological Service and the Sites and Monuments Record Office.

The site archive will be created in accordance with the guidelines published in Guidelines for the preparation of Excavation Archives for long-term storage (UK Inst. for Conservation 1990) and standards in the Museum care of archaeological collections - see Appendix 8. The project archive will ultimately be deposited with the Berkshire County Museum Service, Reading.

It is noted that "Berkshire Archaeology supports the Online Access to Index of Archaeological Investigations project" with a requirement that "an online OASIS form is completed at http:ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/oasis/