The owner of Tortington Priory Barn (Scheduled Monument No: SM28897) obtained Scheduled Monument Consent (Ref:45562) from English Heritage and planning permission (AB/122/12) from Arun District Council for the erection of a single storey outbuilding on land adjacent to Priory Lane. Conditions on both the consent and the permission required an archaeological intervention. West Sussex Archaeology Ltd. was appointed by the owner to carry out an archaeological watching brief on the associated groundworks in order to comply with these conditions. The watching brief took place on the 20th February 2013.Extending for the length of the southern arm of the footing trench and c.0.15m up the western arm was what would appear to be the upper part of the fill of a ditch or depression. No artefacts were noted in its upper surface. It was not possible in this limited trench to determine the nature or date of this feature.