Site Event/Activity record ESF21185 - Evaluation, Land East of Days Road, Capel St Mary, 2009

In December 2008 and January 2009 Archaeological Solutions Ltd carried out an archaeological evaluation in advance of the proposed residential redevelopment of land east of Days Road, Capel St Mary, Suffolk [TM 0875 3855]. The development site lies in an area of potential archaeological importance owing to its known proximity to both a Roman villa and cemetery. The desk-based assessment found scant evidence for prehistoric activity in the vicinity. Settlement at Capel St Mary appears to have occurred sometime in the immediate pre-Conquest period. By the High Medieval period the village had become a thriving, if relatively small community, remaining so into the twentieth century. The evaluation revealed evidence of two main periods of occupation at the site. Activity associated with the Iron age was concentrated in Trench 4 where a cremation (F1031), two pits (F1012 and F1014) and two small ditches/gullies (F1010 and F1020). An Iron Age pit was also located in Trench 2 and a large Iron Age Ditch (F1137) was located in Trenches 5 and 7. The majority of archaeological remains dated to the medieval period, between the 12th to the late 14th centuries. Settlement evidence, such as pits, postholes, gullies and ditches were located in Trenches 1 to 4, in the northern half of the site. In addition, possible building foundations were located in Trench 1. Two industrial features (F1036 and F1047) were cut into filled medieval ditches within Trench 3 and these may represent later medieval or post-medieval activity away from the core of the village. A post-medieval ditch (F1028) was located in the southern end of Trench 4. Project status: Complete Yes, Validated Yes Previous/Future Work: Previous No, Future Yes Associated Identifiers: Contracting Unit No. P3342 Sitecode CSM 030 NMR No. 1566418 Project Type: Field evaluation Development Type: Rural residential Methods and Techniques: ''Metal Detectors'', ''Fieldwalking'', ''Sample Trenches'' Position in the Planning Process: Not known / Not recorded Reason for Investigation: Planning condition Site status: None Current Land use: Cultivated Land 2 - Operations to a depth less than 0.25m Monument Type(s)/Period(s): 3X PITS Iron Age , 3X DITCHES Iron Age , CREMATION Iron Age , PITS Medieval , POSTHOLES Medieval , GULLIES Medieval , INDUSTRIAL FEATURES Medieval , POSSIBLE BUILDING FOUNDATIONS Medieval , DITCHES Medieval Artefact Type(s)/Period(s): POTTERY Iron Age , POTTERY Roman, POTTERY Medieval PROJECT LOCATION Area 1.00 Hectares Grid Reference: TM08753855 Point Height 45.00 - 45.50 metres PROJECT CREATOR(S) Organisation: Archaeological Solutions Ltd Brief originator: Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service Conservation Team Design originator: Jon Murray Director/Manager: Jon Murray Supervisor: Lisa Smith PAPER ARCHIVE Recipient: Suffolk County Archaeological Store Contents: 'Stratigraphic' Media: 'Context sheet', 'Photograph', 'Plan', 'Report', 'Section', 'Unpublished Text' BIBLIOGRAPHY Publication Type: Grey literature (unpublished document/manuscript) Title: Land east of Days Road, Capel St Mary, Suffolk. An archaeological evaluation Author(s)/Editor(s): Smith, L., Sutcliffe, T. Other Bibliographic Details: AS Report No: 3240 Date: 2009 Issuer/Publisher: Archaeological Solutions Ltd Place of Issue or Publication: Hertford Description: A4 ringbound document