Archaeological Test Pit Excavations in Potton, Bedfordshire, 2012 Catherine Ranson Carenza Lewis and Catherine Ranson 2 Archaeological test pit excavations in Potton, Bedfordshire, in 2012 Catherine Ranson Access Cambridge Archaeology McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research University of Cambridge Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3ER 01223 761518 [email protected] http://www.access.arch.cam.ac.uk/ (Front cover image: back at base at the end of a days digging – copyright ACA) 3 4 Contents 1 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................... 9 2 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 10 2.1 ON LANDGUARD POINT ........................................................................................................ 10 2.2 ACCESS CAMBRIDGE ARCHAEOLOGY .................................................................................... 10 2.3 TEST PIT EXCAVATION AND RURAL SETTLEMENT STUDIES ....................................................... 11 3 AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND DESIRED OUTCOMES .................................................................. 12 3.1 AIMS ................................................................................................................................... 12 3.2 OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................................ 12 3.3 OUTCOMES .......................................................................................................................... 12 4 METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 13 ON-SITE FINDS IDENTIFICATION AND RETENTION .................................................................................. 13 ON-SITE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SUPERVISION ........................................................................................... 13 TEST PIT CLOSING AND BACKFILLING .................................................................................................. 14 RECORDING ...................................................................................................................................... 14 FINDS PROCESSING AND RECORDING ................................................................................................. 14 Finds appropriate for recording, analysis, reporting, retention and curation.............................. 14 Finds appropriate for disposal after recording and reporting ..................................................... 14 Legal ownership of finds ............................................................................................................ 15 Curation of Archaeological Finds ............................................................................................... 15 5 LOCATION ................................................................................................................................. 16 6 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY .............................................................................................. 18 7 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ..................................................... 19 8 RESULTS OF THE TEST PIT EXCAVATIONS IN POTTON.................................................... 22 9 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................. 50 9.1 PREHISTORIC PERIOD ........................................................................................................... 50 9.2 ROMAN PERIOD .................................................................................................................... 50 9.3 ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD ........................................................................................................ 50 9.4 HIGH MEDIEVAL .................................................................................................................... 50 9.5 LATE MEDIEVAL .................................................................................................................... 51 9.6 POST-MEDIEVAL AND LATER .................................................................................................. 51 10 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 52 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... 52 12 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 53 13 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................ 55 13.1 POTTERY REPORT – PAUL BLINKHORN ................................................................................. 55 13.2 FAUNAL REMAINS – VIDA RAJKOVACA ................................................................................... 64 13.3 LITHICS – LAWRENCE BILLINGTON ........................................................................................ 70 13.4 OTHER FINDS – CATHERINE RANSON .................................................................................... 71 13.5 LISTED BUILDINGS FROM POTTON ......................................................................................... 86 13.6 MAPS ................................................................................................................................ 103 5 List of Tables Table 1: The pottery excavated from POT/12/1 ..................................................................23 Table 2: The pottery excavated from POT/12/2 ..................................................................24 Table 3: The pottery excavated from POT/12/3 ..................................................................25 Table 4: The pottery excavated from POT/12/4 ..................................................................26 Table 5: The pottery excavated from POT/12/5 ..................................................................27 Table 6: The pottery excavated from POT/12/6 ..................................................................28 Table 7: The pottery excavated from POT/12/7 ..................................................................29 Table 8: The pottery excavated from POT/12/8 ..................................................................30 Table 9: The pottery excavated from POT/12/9 ..................................................................31 Table 10: The pottery excavated from POT/12/10 ..............................................................32 Table 11: The pottery excavated from POT/12/11 ..............................................................33 Table 12: The pottery excavated from POT/12/12 ..............................................................34 Table 13: The pottery excavated from POT/12/13 ..............................................................35 Table 14: The pottery excavated from POT/12/14 ..............................................................36 Table 15: The pottery excavated from POT/12/15 ..............................................................37 Table 16: The pottery excavated from POT/12/16 ..............................................................38 Table 17: The pottery excavated from POT/12/17 ..............................................................39 Table 18: The pottery excavated from POT/12/18 ..............................................................40 Table 19: The pottery excavated from POT/12/19 ..............................................................41 Table 20: The pottery excavated from POT/12/20 ..............................................................42 Table 21: The pottery excavated from POT/12/21 ..............................................................43 Table 22: The pottery excavated from POT/12/22 ..............................................................44 Table 23: The pottery excavated from POT/12/23 ..............................................................45 Table 24: The pottery excavated from POT/12/4 ................................................................46 Table 25: The pottery excavated from POT/12/25 ..............................................................47 Table 26: The pottery excavated from POT/12/26 ..............................................................48 Table 27: The pottery excavated from POT/12/27 ..............................................................49 Table 28: Number of identified specimens for all species from test pit 2; the abbreviation n.f.i denotes that the specimen could not be further identified ............................................64 Table 29: Number of identified specimens for all species from test pit 8; the abbreviation n.f.i denotes that the specimen could not be further identified ............................................65 Table 30: Number of identified specimens for all species from test pits 13, 14 & 21; the abbreviation n.f.i denotes that the specimen could not be further identified ........................65 Table 31: Number of identified specimens for all species from test pits 11 & 12; the abbreviation n.f.i denotes that the specimen could not be further identified ........................66 Table 32: Number of identified