Monument record PFM 008 - Brihtoluestuna; off Murrills Road

Please read our .

Summary

Probable site of churchyard of (formerly) lost medieval (with Late Saxon origins?) vill of Brihtolvestuna, which had a church at Domesday, also late Saxon buildings, road, ditches and pits.

Location

Grid reference Centred TM 6207e 2424e (378m by 300m)
Map sheet TM62SW
Civil Parish PURDIS FARM, SUFFOLK COASTAL, SUFFOLK

Map

Type and Period (10)

Full Description

May - Aug 2002: Evaluation trenches found cemetery, limited to some 2,500 sq m around TM 2070 4235. No structural evidence for church, which was probably timber. Also various field boundary or enclosure ditches beyond cemetery, mainly to S and SE. Limited finds in ditches of IA, Rom & MSax (& Med) pottery suggesting longstanding arable exploitation. Also some concentrations of (mainly Med?) finds (S1)(R1).
Finds of Late Saxon occupation to W of cemetery at TM 20604236 (centre). Finds of Roman and Middle Saxon date to E of cemetery at TM 20804230 (centre). Details in (S3). HBSMR map expanded to include the two areas to E & W of cemetery (Oct 2009).
Also summarised (mainly documentary evidence) in Ipswich Archaeological Trust News number 57 for August 2002.
2004: further work by County Archaeological service mainly on area of related settlement (see summary in S2).
The excavation revealed further evidence of at least two major phases of road surface to the south of the site, with structural and artefactual evidence to support contemporaneous activity adjacent to the roadway. Three pits, containing an abundance of iron slag, and evidence of burning were also found, as well as a saddle quern, the former strongly suggesting the existence of a smithy adjacent to the road. To the north of the road, another two buildings of Late Saxon date were found, located within an enclosure, and another, possibly contemporary, trackway. A very concentrated series of pits and a possible latrine, related to one of the buildings, were revealed, as well as a complex of probable enclosure ditches. These all appeared to be Late Saxon in date as again Thetford-type Ware was present throughout most features. The earliest activity within the excavation area seems to predate the cemetery lying further to the east, but was almost certainly contemporary with it in the later phases (S4).
Area of cemetery left as open space, other areas built on with no further archaeological work!

Sources/Archives (4)

  • <M1> Unpublished document: Suffolk Archaeological Service. Parish Files. (S1)(S3).
  • <S1> Unpublished document: Loader T. 2009. Archaeological Excavation Report, Lark's Meadow, Purdis Farm, PFM 008.
  • <S2> Bibliographic reference: Suffolk Institute of Archaeology. Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology. 'Archaeol in Suffolk 2004', PSIA 41, 126-7, fig 35.
  • <S3> Unpublished document: Suffolk County Council Archaeologcial Service. Various. SCCAS, Meredith J, No 2002/77.

Finds (8)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Events/Activities (1)

Record last edited

Jan 18 2024 10:13AM

Comments and Feedback

Do you have any more information about this record? Please feel free to comment with information and photographs, or ask any questions, using the "Disqus" tool below. Comments are moderated, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible.