Find Spot record DBN 167 - 12th-14th century pottery

12-14th century pottery was recorded as stray finds from the subsoil of an evaluation trench. A substantial layer of subsoil was revealed confirming that the River Deben at this point close to its origin at one time ran through a valley that must have been of some depth with relatively steep sides. The pottery indicates that the accumulation of this colluvial material took place largely through the high medieval period when there was high pressure on the land to produce food to support the increasing population before it dropped sharply during the Black Death. This need to produce more food put more areas of land into arable use thereby creating the situation where excess rainfall erodes the fields and deposits hill wash in lower areas as it drains away (S1).