NHER 65565 (Monument record) - Late Saxon to medieval remains

July 2019. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The three trenches excavated at this location revealed several ditches and a number of discrete features.
The ditches and a single pit produced pottery of exclusively Late Saxon to early medieval date, suggesting they were probably associated with an 11th- to 12th-century phase of activity. Medieval pottery of a later date was recovered from a large, sub-rectangular, flat-based pit and a nearby linear arrangement of three post-holes.
These features contained a range of other finds, including animal bones, oyster and mussel shells, iron slag, a lead weight of probable medieval date and a fragment of worked, probably architectural stone. Samples taken from the fills of these features were found to contain a range of other debris likely to represent domestic waste, including charcoal, charred grains and fish bones.
Various objects were also recovered from the overlying soil deposits, including Late Saxon to medieval and late post-medieval/modern pottery sherds, metal working debris, a medieval silver coin and a small assemblage of other metal objects, comprising an iron horseshoe of possible medieval date, iron nails and various other undatable items. Notably, the metal working debris includes material associated with silver refining and it is possible that fragments of lead slag and various pieces of lead waste had also been associated with this process.
Although a trench excavated to the east as part of this evaluation (Trench 1) revealed a number of burials, none were encountered at this location and human bone was entirely absent. It is therefore likely that this site lies beyond the limits of this cemetery, which was associated with the lost church of St Etheldreda (see NHER 1022 for further details).
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 12 May 2022.