ABSTRACT
Over the last twenty years or so there has been a growing recognition within field archaeology that post-medieval sites deserve as careful excavation and recording as those of more ancient date. Even so, the patience of many archaeologists seems to run out some time between 1750 and 1850. Too many are still prepared to shave off the Victorian and twentieth-century deposits from urban sites on the grounds that they are ‘overburden’ or, worse, ‘modern disturbance’. Rural sites fare no better, with interest confined largely to standing farm buildings (e.g. Brunskill 1987) and other industrial remains, including transport systems. The commonest excuse given is that this period is so fully documented and understood that we do not need to ‘supplement’ the historical record with archaeology.
