Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society 103

A series of archaeological excavations were conducted at Bendyshe Farm, Bottisham by Northamptonshire Archaeology, in advance of development. Bendyshe Farm was the post-medieval successor to a medieval moated manor that lies on its southern side. The moat lies along the course of a natural tributary, canalised in recent years. Evidence of scattered pits over the lower-lying ground indicated periodic exploitation of springs from the late Neolithic onwards. However, agricultural activity did not occur until the middle to late Saxon period. Following the Norman Conquest, the earlier enclosure pattern was reorganised into rectangular plots. Grain was processed and stored nearby until the 12th century when the ditches were filled. The land was acquired in 1329 by Thomas Bendish who built the moated site, but beyond the moat it was unenclosed. A farmyard was created in the 16th century to the north-west where a number of latrines were found, and deposits of soil indicate that other waste material was brought here and levelled out. The land continued to be used in this way until the beginning of the 19th century.

Fieldwork conducted by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit at Neath Farm Business Park, Cherry Hinton, is discussed in the wider context of findings from a number of developer-funded projects undertaken in the vicinity by a range of organisations for a number of clients. The excavations have considerably advanced understanding of the occupational sequence at Church End. Whilst previous investigations had demonstrated the existence of a significant late 9th/mid-10th to late 11th/early 12th century settlement, the Neath Farm excavations indicated the existence of a previously unrecognised Romano-British agricultural landscape of droveways and paddocks; a single human burial within one of the excavated ditches allowed radiocarbon dates to be obtained. Significant settlement continued until the early 15th century and this late medieval activity '“ in conjunction with evidence from earlier investigations '“ points to a long-lived settlement, the focus of which shifted over time, and demonstrates the important potential of cumulatively investigating such sites over substantial areas.

In the 19th century an elaborately decorated Roman cavalry helmet was discovered during turf digging in the parish of Witcham Gravel, Cambridgeshire. The helmet was constructed of an iron bowl onto which a decorated copper alloy casing was attached. This article describes the helmet, its construction and the environment in which it was found in detail. It then discusses other Roman helmet finds from watery contexts in the East Anglian region and considers the possibility that the helmet was deposited as a votive offering. Au/LD

Investigations in 2006'”07 at Home Farm, Fen Ditton, discovered a concentration of medieval features but concluded that there was no evidence to support the conjectured existence of Fleam Dyke. The published synthesis did not contain the evidence on which this interpretation was based, but the author of the present article has reassessed the original grey literature reports. This exercise has suggested that the recorded trench sections could be reinterpreted as including a bank and ditch feature that closely resembles the scale and flat-based form typical of the Cambridgeshire Dykes. The author presents an argument which introduces ambiguity into the original stratigraphic analysis, based on discrepancies within the recorded plans and sections. Historic mapping and previous commentaries are also used to provide contextual evidence for the existence of a continuous dyke through Fen Ditton. It is concluded that the current trend for minimising archaeological publication had limited the evidence that could be presented, to the detriment of wider study and academic debate.

In 2010, while the ground floor of the tower of St Peter's church, Easton, was being excavated for a new floor, evidence for a temporary bell foundry was discovered. Excavation below an exposed circular scorch mark revealed a shallow pit edged with tiles. Near the pit the remains of a small furnace or oven, also scorched from intense heat, were uncovered, and close by those was a quantity of refined clay on a slate, apparently ready for use. The use of a shallow, heated pit for drying out bell moulds is supported by descriptions of bell founding from the 12th century onwards. The scorch mark and pit in the tower had a diameter sufficient to accommodate one of the two surviving 16th century bells, one of which is thought to predate the Reformation. The two bells have been attributed to the Newcombe family from Leicestershire. The late 14th century tower and early 15th century rood screen suggest a period of wealth affording the alteration and changes to the building that included the recasting and re-hanging of the bells in a 'new' 16th century bell frame.