Site Record

The remains of submerged forest have been recorded at the base of the slope from Goldcliff island (exposure measures some 125m x 30m). It is delimited to the south and east by a low (25cm in height) eroding peat edge. It is bounded to the north by overlying estuarine sediment. The exposure is mainly reed peat with scattered wood fragments and roots. The western 35m contains trees - six oak trunks have been recorded (with 2 being some 10m in length) with growth charactersitics suggesting a high canopy closed wood. Radiocarbon dates suggest 6770+/-70BP (5740-5490 cal BC).

Sources include:
Bell, M, Caseldine, A E and Neumann, H (eds), 2000, Prehistoric Intertidal Archaeology in the Welsh Severn Estuary, CBA Research Report 120, York
Bell, M, 2007, Prehistoric Coastal Communities: The Mesolithic in Western Britain, CBA Research Report 149, pg2
Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust HER Ref: 08003g

Maritime Officer, RCAHMW, February 2013.