Series: Dennis Payne Archaeological Services unpublished report series

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONITORING TOOK PLACE at St Lucy, Church Road, Elmswell. During the monitoring, a cremation pit containing human charred bone was discovered. The cremation pit was located within a larger feature; possibly a pit or a ditch terminus as the larger feature did not extend beyond the cremation pit at ite northerly extent. Associated finds with the human remains were fragments of loom weights; pottery; worked flint and burnt flint. A C14 date gave the pit a close dating to around 900 BC; the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age.

An archaeological evaluation was carried by trial trenching; the work was carried out in response to an archaeological brief written by Matthew Baker of the Suffolk County Council Archaeological Services Conservation Team, dated 25th of September 2020. Five trenches were excavated to cover the proposed development of housing, each measuring by 20m long by 1.80m wide. Archaeology was found in trench 5, in the form of two small pits, one of which contained pre-historic pottery (21 sherds from a single vessel) and interpreted as a domestic waste pit, dated to the Late Bronze age to Early Iron Age ( 800-600 BC). Trench 1, contained two small linear, parallel ditches, dated to the 19th century; a small fragment of daub, undated was found with 19th century pottery No archaeology was found in any of the other trenches.

A linear trenched evaluation is required of the development area to enable the archaeological resource, both in quality and extent, to be accurately quantified; 300 m of trenching, The majority of the trenched were negative having been placed over back-filled deposits. Only one trench revealed archaeology: a prehistoric gulley with a larger than average flint quantity; a spread considered to be a palaeochannel was of Iron Age to Roman date and may have existed in the early iron Age, a post hole revealed LIA pottery. The site was used during the late BA to EIA and then abandoned due to flooding until the late IA and Roman periods

Eight trial trenches were opened across the site, which had been an orchard, to sample the potential for archaeology. No archaeology or finds were made.

Monitoring of the groundworks for the footings trench to the extension at Fordwater Cottage completed with no finds or archaeology. The reason was apparent that the location of the footings trench was within made-up and disturnbed ground down to the natural geology.

A Level 2 Historic Building analysis of the barn found that it dated to at least the 18th century, although no special features were observed. The monitoring of associated groundworks revealed no archaeology.

MONITORING OF THE GROUNDWORKS FOR A NEW EXTENSION AT THE LACY SCOTT AND KNIGHT AUCTION ROOMS REVEALED 19TH CENTURY FOOTINGS AND A PIT POSSIBLY FOR QUARRYING, ALSO 19TH CENTURY, NO EARLIER ARCHAEOLOGY WAS NOTED

MONITORING OF A CONSERVATORY AND GARAGE RECORDED NO ARCHAEOLOGY

THIRTEEN SAMPLE TRENCHES WERE OPENED ACROSS THE SITE, WHICH REVEALED ONLY ONE FEATURE THAT WAS CONCLUSIVELY ARCHAEOLOGICAL. THE SINGLE FEATURE WAS A PIT CONTAINING MEDIEVAL POTTERY AND ANIMAL BONE. THE POTTERY WAS DATED TO THE 11TH-12TH CENTURIES AD

A SINGLE TRENCHED EVALUATION REVEALED A LARGE DITCH. THE DITCH WAS CONSIDERED TO BE PART OF THE RAYLEIGH CASTLE DEFENCE EARTHWORKS. ONLY FURTHER TESTING OF THIS THEORY CAN PROVE THE FACT. MONITORING SUBSEQUENT TO THE EVALUATION REVEALED THAT THE DITCH DID NOT CONTINUE AND IN FACT THE DITCH DISCOVERED ENDED JUST BEYOND THE EVALUATION TRENCH, WHICH COULD SUGGEST AN OPENING OR THOROUGHFARE AT THIS POINT WHICH WAS IN THE AREA OF A PROBABLE CAUSEWAY OR THRU-WAY FROM THE CASTLE TO THE TOWN.