Archaeological Test Pit Excavations in Archaeological Test Pit Excavations in Longstanton, Longstanton, CambridgeCambridgeshire,shire 2015 2015 and & 20172017 Catherine Collins 1 2 Archaeological Test Pit Excavations in Longstanton, Cambridgeshire, 2015 & 2017 Catherine Collins 2015 – ECB4663 2017 – ECB5247 2019 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: Team photos at left: LON/17/3 and right LON/17/6. Copyright ACA) 3 4 Contents 1 SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................... 9 2 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 11 2.1 ACCESS CAMBRIDGE ARCHAEOLOGY .................................................................................... 11 3 AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND DESIRED OUTCOMES ............................................................. 12 3.1 AIMS ...................................................................................................................................... 12 3.2 OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................................... 12 3.3 OUTCOMES ............................................................................................................................ 12 4 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................ 13 5 LONGSTANTON ........................................................................................................................ 14 5.1 THE SETTLEMENT TODAY ....................................................................................................... 14 5.2 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY ................................................................................................ 17 6 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ................................................ 18 6.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................................................... 18 6.2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ......................................................................................... 24 6.2.1 Prehistoric .......................................................................................... 24 6.2.2 Romano-British .................................................................................. 26 6.2.3 Anglo-Saxon ...................................................................................... 27 6.2.4 Medieval ............................................................................................ 28 6.2.5 Post medieval and later ...................................................................... 30 6.2.6 Undated ............................................................................................. 31 7 RESULTS OF THE TEST PIT EXCAVATIONS IN LONGSTANTON ................................ 33 7.1 THE 2015 EXCAVATIONS ........................................................................................................ 34 7.2 THE 2017 EXCAVATIONS ........................................................................................................ 41 8 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................................. 58 8.1 PREHISTORIC ......................................................................................................................... 59 8.2 ROMANO-BRITISH.................................................................................................................. 61 8.3 ANGLO-SAXON ...................................................................................................................... 62 8.4 MEDIEVAL ............................................................................................................................. 66 8.5 POST MEDIEVAL AND LATER ................................................................................................. 67 9 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................ 69 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... 70 11 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 71 12 APPENDICES ......................................................................................................................... 73 12.1 POTTERY REPORTS – PAUL BLINKHORN ................................................................................. 73 12.1.1 2015 Pottery Report ........................................................................... 75 12.1.2 2017 Pottery Report ........................................................................... 77 12.2 OTHER FINDS – CATHERINE COLLINS ...................................................................................... 80 12.2.1 2015 test pit finds ............................................................................... 80 12.2.2 2017 test pit finds ............................................................................... 83 12.3 MAPS ..................................................................................................................................... 89 5 List of Figures Figure 1: Map of England with close up insert of East Anglia and the approximate location of Longstanton highlighted in red ............................................................... 14 Figure 2: The extent of Longstanton parish © Crown Copyright/database right 2019. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service, 1: 40,000 ........................................ 15 Figure 3: Longstanton village with the two conservation areas shaded in blue © Crown Copyright/database right 2019. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service, 1: 20,000 ..................................................................................................................... 16 Figure 4: A close up of the south of Longstanton village the two separate conservation areas in blue © Crown Copyright/database right 2019. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service, 1: 10,000 ...................................................................................... 16 Figure 5: Late 19th century map of Longstanton © Crown Copyright and Database rights/Ordnance Survey 2019, 1: 10,000 ................................................................. 23 Figure 6: The locations of the two years of test pitting in Longstanton (NB test pits not to scale) © Crown Copyright/database right 2019. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service, 1: 10,000 ...................................................................................... 33 Figure 7: Longstanton 2015 test pit location map (NB test pits not to scale) © Crown Copyright/database right 2019. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service 1: 10,000 ..................................................................................................................... 34 Figure 8: Location map of LON/15/1 ........................................................................ 35 Figure 9: Roman coin and copper alloy fragment found from the spoil heap of LON/15/1 © ACA ..................................................................................................................... 36 Figure 10: Location map of LON/15/2 ...................................................................... 37 Figure 11: Location map of LON/15/3 ...................................................................... 38 Figure 12: Location map of LON/15/5 ...................................................................... 39 Figure 13: Location map of LON/15/6 ...................................................................... 40 Figure 14: 2017 Longstanton 2017 test pit location map (NB test pits not to scale) © Crown Copyright/database right 2019. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service, 1: 10,000 ................................................................................................................. 41 Figure 15: Location map of LON/17/1 ...................................................................... 42 Figure 16: Possible slate object with scratches visible along one side (from LON/17/1, context 2) © ACA .................................................................................................... 43 Figure 17: Location map of LON/17/2 ...................................................................... 44 Figure 18: Location map of LON/17/3 ...................................................................... 45 Figure 19: Location map of LON/17/4 ...................................................................... 46 Figure 20: Location map of LON/17/5 ...................................................................... 47 Figure 21: The EPNS spoon excavated from LON/17/5, context four. © ACA ......... 48 Figure 22: Location map of LON/17/6 ...................................................................... 49 Figure 23: The house of LON/17/7 – no TP location recorded ................................. 50 Figure 24: Location map of LON/17/8 ...................................................................... 51 Figure 25: The linear just becoming visible