Archaeological Test Pit Excavations in Chediston, Suffolk 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011
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Archaeological Test Pit Excavations in Chediston, Suffolk 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011 Catherine Ranson and Clemency Cooper Carenza Lewis & Catherine Ranson ii Archaeological Test Pit Excavations in Chediston 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011 Catherine Ranson and Clemency Cooper Access Cambridge Archaeology Department of Archaeology and Anthropology University of Cambridge Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QG 01223 761518 [email protected] www.access.arch.cam.ac.uk (Front cover image: The team excavating CHE/10/5 – copyright ACA) iii iv Contents 1 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................ 1 2 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 ACCESS CAMBRIDGE ARCHAEOLOGY (ACA) ...................................................................................... 2 2.2 THE HIGHER EDUCATION FIELD ACADEMY (HEFA) ........................................................................... 2 2.3 TEST-PIT EXCAVATION AND RURAL SETTLEMENT STUDIES ................................................................ 3 3 AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND DESIRED OUTCOMES ........................................................................... 4 3.1 AIMS .................................................................................................................................................... 4 3.2 OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................................................................... 4 3.3 OUTCOMES .......................................................................................................................................... 4 4 METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................................................... 5 4.1 EXCAVATION STRATEGY ..................................................................................................................... 5 4.2 CRITERIA FOR SITE SELECTION............................................................................................................ 5 4.3 EXCAVATION METHODS ...................................................................................................................... 5 4.4 ON-SITE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SUPERVISION .......................................................................................... 6 4.5 ON-SITE FINDS IDENTIFICATION AND RETENTION ............................................................................... 6 4.6 TEST-PIT CLOSING AND BACK-FILLING ............................................................................................... 6 4.7 TEST-PIT RECORDING .......................................................................................................................... 7 4.8 FINDS PROCESSING AND RECORDING .................................................................................................. 7 5 LOCATION ................................................................................................................................................ 9 6 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................ 11 7 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ............................................................ 12 7.1 PREHISTORIC PERIOD ........................................................................................................................ 14 7.2 ROMAN PERIOD ................................................................................................................................. 16 7.3 ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD ..................................................................................................................... 17 7.4 HIGH AND LATER MEDIEVAL PERIOD ................................................................................................ 17 7.5 POST-MEDIEVAL PERIOD ................................................................................................................... 18 7.6 UNDATED .......................................................................................................................................... 19 8 RESULTS OF THE TEST PIT EXCAVATIONS IN CHEDISTON ................................................... 20 8.1 2006 EXCAVATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 21 8.2 2007 EXCAVATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 35 8.3 2008 EXCAVATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 45 8.4 2010 EXCAVATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 53 8.5 2011 EXCAVATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 63 9 DISCUSSION .......................................................................................................................................... 72 10 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................... 75 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................. 76 12 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 77 13 APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................................ I 13.1 POTTERY REPORTS – PAUL BLINKHORN ............................................................................................... I 13.1.1 Pottery Types ................................................................................................... i 13.1.2 2006 Results .................................................................................................. iv 13.1.3 2007 Results ................................................................................................ viii 13.1.4 2008 Results .................................................................................................. xi 13.1.5 2010 Results ................................................................................................ xiv 13.1.6 2011 Results ............................................................................................... xvii v 13.2 OTHER FINDS – CATHERINE RANSON ................................................................................................ XX 13.2.1 2006 Finds .................................................................................................... xx 13.2.2 2007 Finds ................................................................................................. xxvi 13.2.3 2008 Finds .................................................................................................. xxx 13.2.4 2010 Finds ................................................................................................ xxxiv 13.2.5 2011 Finds ..................................................................................................... xl 13.3 MAPS ............................................................................................................................................... XLV List of Figures Figure 1: Map of England with insert map of East Anglia and the location of Chediston highlighted in red. ................................................................................................................ 9 Figure 2: Extent of Chediston parish (highlighted in red) © Crown Copyright/database right 2014. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service. .........................................................10 Figure 3: 1880’s OS Map of Chediston © Crown Copyright/database right 2014. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service .........................................................................18 Figure 4: The approximate location of all the test pits excavated in Chediston by year (NB: Test pits not shown to scale) © Crown Copyright/database right 2014. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service ..........................................................................................20 Figure 5: Location map for test pits excavated in Chediston in 2006 (NB: Test pits not shown to scale) © Crown Copyright/database right 2014. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service. ................................................................................................................21 Figure 6: Location map of CHE/06/1 ..................................................................................22 Figure 7: Location map of CHE/06/2 ..................................................................................23 Figure 8: The cobble surface from CHE/06/2 .....................................................................24 Figure 9: The post hole from CHE/06/2 ..............................................................................24 Figure 10: Location map of CHE/06/3 ................................................................................25 Figure 11: Location map of CHE/06/4 ................................................................................26