NHER 69488 (Monument record) - Early Neolithic and Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age pits

November-December 2024. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with restoration of fen habitat, including construction of sub-surface barriers to prevent groundwater movement and loss.
Across much of the area examined a dark peat-rich topsoil lay directly above the natural geological deposits, agricultural activity having incorporated all of the remaining peat into the topsoil. A layer of desiccated reddish-brown peat did however survive intermittently, which overlay a pale brown-grey layer interpretated as a buried prehistoric soil (although no finds were recovered from this deposit or the overlying peat).
Four pits of probable prehistoric date were recorded at this location, including three features in the vicinity of TL 70046 96927 that all produced small amounts of Early Neolithic pottery. A small assemblage of worked flints was also recovered from these pits, much of which was probably contemporary with the pottery. A small number of Mesolithic microliths and bladelets do though provide evidence for at least limited earlier activity at this location. The pits also contained burnt flints and a small amount of animal bone, while samples taken from two of their fills produced charcoal and small quantities of charred hazelnut shell.
The fourth pit was an isolated feature at TL 70069 97084 that contained a single sherd of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Beaker pottery and two undiagnostic flint flakes.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 3 October 2025.