Series: Archaeoserv unpublished report series

EVALUATION BY ONE SINGLE 15M TRENCH

An archaeological evaluation was carried by trial trenching; the work was carried out in response to an archaeological brief written by Gemma Stewart of the Suffolk County Council Archaeological Services Conservation Team, dated 17th of January 2020. Ten trenches were excavated to cover the proposed development of housing; One trench, 25m long by 1.80m wide and nine trenches, 20m by 1.80m wide. Archaeology was found in trench 1, closest to the road and trench 10, the farthest from the road. In trench 1, medieval occupation was discovered from a spread or layer; pottery assemblage indicated a date from the 12th to 14th century. Also highly degraded fired clay indicating a structure; a post-medieval ditch containing pottery from the post-medieval period; environmental analysis showed a damp environment from mollusca species within the sample. One other possible post-medieval ditch, but with no finds. In trench 10, a series of intercutting pits were also possibly from the medieval period, dated from the 12th to the 14th century. Notable finds were blooms or slag from smithing, undated, and a small pottery assemblage from the medieval period. Truncation by a land drain which did not allow for soil sampling. No other archaeology was found in any of the other trenches.

A single evaluation trench 10m in length was excavated. evidence for a previous building was located in the form of a single course of bonded bricks form ing a foundation wall. the bricks were identified as dating from the 17th-18th centuries. no further evidence for occupation was located nor any finds.

Two trenches were opened up close to a potential prehistoric linear feature; no archaeology was found.

Evaluation via two trial trenches did not locate any archaeology. However, the position of Trench 1 near the bank of Maldon Road showed that the natural land surface was present at this location, answering Rodwell's (1993) question as to whether the bank was an earthwork or a natural feature with Maldon Road being a sunken road. as is the case.

SINGLE LINEAR TRENCH

A single evaluation trench did not locate any archaeology.

Four trenches were opened at Poplar farm, one trench contained a pit and a spread both of 12th-14th date. No pother archaeology was seen

An archaeological investigation by way of strip and map. All feature to be reotrded and submitted for curatorial startegy for excavation or preservation in situ. Results: no archaeology was encountered. Very thin top soil - eroded and any archaeological features that were present would have been ploughed out.