Monument record BRD 227 - Medieval agricultural remains

2013: A geophysical survey revealed a headland enclosing or terminating an area of ridge and furrow. Additional weaker parallel linear markings to the eastern side of the site could indicate that additional less well-defined ridge and furrow is present also across the remainder of the survey area. Traces of a possible ditched enclosure are visible on the eastern side of the site (S1).

2013: An evaluation revealed ditches dating to the medieval period across the whole site. Occupation-type remains were concentrated in the south-western part with a smaller, possibly Late Saxon group of remains in the north-western part. The ditches have been grouped into four phases. The first phase dates to the 10th-11th centuries and comprises small curvilinear ditches constituting discrete enclosures scattered across the whole site. A small amount of Late Saxon pottery was recovered from one of the ditches. The next identified phase comprises a medieval rectilinear field system aligned NNW-SSE across the western half of the site. At some point the southern and western parts were subjected to a major land re-organisation in the form of laying out a dense system of large and small boundaries all commonly aligned. They appear to delimit and divide all subsequent occupation suggesting that individual domestic properties were laid out perpendicular to the forerunner of Manor Road to the south. Within the plots was a concentration of pits and post-holes assoicated with domestic activity. In the last phase the site is re-organised into N-S and E-W aligned ditches that appear to represent a rectilinear field system. The only datable finds were medieval probably relating to disturbance of previous activity. These ditches may be representative of later medieval activity in the form of the laying out of fields following settlement shrinkage after the 14th century population decline (S2).

Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2013 (S3)