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Archaeological Survey
Project Update - 14th September 2005
Clay Bat Making Demonstration
The Buildings Take Shape
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Archaeological Survey
Location: Cambridgeshire
Background:
The Wellhouse Meadow on which we are re-assembling the two buildings is within about 100 metres of the 16th century moated manor house, which is a scheduled monument. The Meadow itself was part of the manor parkland from that date onwards. Earlier still, it was part of the Great Green which dates back to Saxon times.
A condition of our planning permission was that a watching brief should be kept by archaeologists when we dug the footings for the re-positioned buildings. This was carried out by the Cambridgeshire County Council Archaeological Field Unit.
Results:
The findings were far more positive and interesting than we had expected from such a small area. Six Saxo-Norman features were identified - one boundary ditch and five refuse pits - and 67 pottery sherds found, along with a variety of animal bones.
The boundary ditch appears to have been dug in the 11th century and filled in during the 12th century. The rubbish pits appear to be somewhat later, containing pottery from around 1000 to the middle of the 14th century. Together they provide clear evidence of a fairly extensive settlement in this part of the village which ceased to be occupied around 1350 - a period when the population was declining sharply due to plague and famine.
The findings provide an interesting comparison with earlier excavations carried out on the nearby manor site. This too shows occupation dating back to Saxo-Norman times. The pottery evidence from the manor site is of a much higher quality and from further afield, indicating that the Tudor manor was built on an earlier high status site.
This latest evidence is the first showing a settlement on this site. Continuity of its use as pasture from Saxon green to Tudor parkland had previously been assumed. The new evidence suggests that it was used as arable land for at least part of the period between the abandonment of the settlement and its incorporation in parkland.
Footnote:
Subsequently, the Cambridge Archaeological Field Group kindly carried out a geophysics survey free of charge on an area 60 m. x 20 m. north of the excavated site. No further evidence could be determined from the exercise, primarily because the former plough soil layer was over 0.55 m. deep, placing any older material outside the effective range of the equipment.
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