Archaeological Test Pit Excavations in Willingham, Cambridgeshire 2009 and 2013 Catherine Collins 2 Archaeological Test Pit Excavations in Willingham, Cambridgeshire, in 2009 and 2013 Catherine Collins 2009: ECB 3302 2013: ECB 4059 2018 Access Cambridge Archaeology Department of Archaeology University of Cambridge Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QG 01223 761519 [email protected] http://www.access.arch.cam.ac.uk/ (Front cover image: Excavation ongoing at WIL/09/14 (left) and team shot at WIL/13/8 © ACA) 3 4 Contents 1 SUMMARY............................................................................................................................... 9 2 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 11 2.1 ACCESS CAMBRIDGE ARCHAEOLOGY .............................................................................................. 11 2.2 THE HIGHER EDUCATION FIELD ACADEMY (HEFA) ........................................................................... 11 2.3 TEST PIT EXCAVATION AND RURAL SETTLEMENT STUDIES..................................................................... 12 3 AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND DESIRED OUTCOMES .......................................................... 13 3.1 AIMS ....................................................................................................................................... 13 3.2 OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................................... 13 3.3 OUTCOMES ............................................................................................................................... 13 4 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 14 5 WILLINGHAM ....................................................................................................................... 15 5.1 THE SETTLEMENT TODAY .............................................................................................................. 15 5.2 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................... 18 6 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND .............................................. 19 6.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................... 19 6.2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND .................................................................................................. 25 6.2.1 Prehistoric ......................................................................................................................... 25 6.2.2 Romano-British ................................................................................................................. 27 6.2.3 Anglo-Saxon ...................................................................................................................... 30 6.2.4 Medieval ........................................................................................................................... 31 6.2.5 Post medieval and later .................................................................................................... 32 6.2.6 Undated ............................................................................................................................ 34 7 RESULTS OF THE TEST PIT EXCAVATIONS IN WILLINGHAM ................................... 36 7.1 THE 2009 EXCAVATIONS ............................................................................................................. 37 7.2 THE 2013 EXCAVATIONS ............................................................................................................. 64 8 DISCUSSION......................................................................................................................... 73 8.1 PREHISTORIC ............................................................................................................................. 73 8.2 ROMANO-BRITISH ...................................................................................................................... 75 8.3 ANGLO SAXON .......................................................................................................................... 75 8.4 MEDIEVAL ................................................................................................................................ 76 8.5 POST MEDIEVAL AND LATER ......................................................................................................... 77 9 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 79 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ 80 11 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 81 12 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................... 85 12.1 POTTERY REPORTS – PAUL BLINKHORN .......................................................................................... 85 12.1.1 2009 Pottery Results ..................................................................................................... 88 12.1.2 2013 Pottery Report ..................................................................................................... 96 12.2 OTHER FINDS – CATHERINE COLLINS .............................................................................................. 99 12.2.1 2009 test pit finds ......................................................................................................... 99 12.2.2 2013 test pit finds ....................................................................................................... 114 12.3 MAPS .................................................................................................................................... 117 5 List of Figures FIGURE 1: MAP OF ENGLAND WITH CLOSE UP INSERT OF EAST ANGLIA AND THE APPROXIMATE LOCATION OF WILLINGHAM HIGHLIGHTED IN RED .................................................................. 15 FIGURE 2: THE EXTENT OF THE PARISH OF WILLINGHAM © CROWN COPYRIGHT/DATABASE RIGHT 2018. AN ORDNANCE SURVEY/EDINA SUPPLIED SERVICE, 1: 40,000 .................................. 16 FIGURE 3: THE VILLAGE OF WILLINGHAM AND THE EXTENT OF THE CONSERVATION AREA IN BLUE © CROWN COPYRIGHT/DATABASE RIGHT 2018. AN ORDNANCE SURVEY/EDINA SUPPLIED SERVICE, 1: 10,000............................................................................................................ 17 FIGURE 4: CLOSE UP ON THE NORTH OF THE VILLAGE OF WILLINGHAM AND THE EXTENT OF THE CONSERVATION AREA IN BLUE © CROWN COPYRIGHT/DATABASE RIGHT 2018. AN ORDNANCE SURVEY/EDINA SUPPLIED SERVICE, 1: 5,000 ..................................................................... 17 FIGURE 5: 1842 MAP OF WILLINGHAM © WRIGHT AND LEWIS (1989A) HTTPS://WWW.BRITISH- HISTORY.AC.UK/VCH/CAMBS/VOL9/PP398-402 ..................................................................... 22 FIGURE 6: 1890’S FIRST OS MAP OF WILLINGHAM © CROWN COPYRIGHT AND DATABASE RIGHTS/ORDNANCE SURVEY 2018, 1: 7,500 ....................................................................... 22 FIGURE 7: THE LOCATIONS OF THE TWO YEARS OF TEST PITTING IN WILLINGHAM (NB TEST PITS NOT TO SCALE) © CROWN COPYRIGHT/DATABASE RIGHT 2018. AN ORDNANCE SURVEY/EDINA SUPPLIED SERVICE, 1: 10,000 ............................................................................................ 36 FIGURE 8: LOCATION MAP OF THE WILLINGHAM TEST PITS FROM 2009 (NB TEST PITS NOT TO SCALE) © CROWN COPYRIGHT/DATABASE RIGHT 2018. AN ORDNANCE SURVEY/EDINA SUPPLIED SERVICE, 1: 10,000............................................................................................................ 37 FIGURE 9: LOCATION MAP OF WIL/09/1 ...................................................................................... 38 FIGURE 10: LOCATION MAP OF WIL/09/2 .................................................................................... 39 FIGURE 11: LOCATION MAP OF WIL/09/3 .................................................................................... 40 FIGURE 12: LOCATION MAP OF WIL/09/4 .................................................................................... 41 FIGURE 13: LOCATION MAP OF WIL/09/5 .................................................................................... 42 FIGURE 14: LOCATION MAP OF WIL/09/6 .................................................................................... 43 FIGURE 15: LOCATION MAP OF WIL/09/7 .................................................................................... 44 FIGURE 16: LOCATION MAP OF WIL/09/9 .................................................................................... 45 FIGURE 17: LOCATION MAP OF WIL/09/10 .................................................................................. 46 FIGURE 18: LOCATION MAP OF WIL/09/11 .................................................................................. 47 FIGURE 19: LOCATION MAP OF WIL/09/13 .................................................................................. 48 FIGURE 20: LOCATION MAP OF WIL/09/14 .................................................................................. 49 FIGURE 21: LOCATION MAP OF WIL/09/16 .................................................................................