Monument record BNT 089 - Multi-period features at Land South of Ipswich Road, Brantham

2020: A trial trench revealed medieval field boundary ditches and part of a rectangular ditched enclosure dating to the 12th/13th centuries and presumably associated with the nearby medieval settlement of Brantham. A large ceramic assemblage of cooking and serving wares is suggestive of domestic occupation nearby. Post-medieval field boundary ditches corresponding to those shown on historic mapping of the 19th and 20th centuries were also found. Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2020 (S1).

2020: An archaeological evaluation revealed evidence of multi-period activity following a geophysical survey in 2019 which identified a number of anomalies of uncertain and agricultural origins, some of which were confirmed to be archaeological during the evaluation.
No prehistoric features were recorded,however, piece of edge-damaged worked flint was recoevered as a residual find in a later ditch which could only be broadly dated as prehistoric.
Evidence of Saxon period land use was identified in the eastern area of the site. One ditch visible in trenches 37 and 21 produced two sherds of possible Saxon date. A ditch on a similar NNE-SSW alignment in trenches 28 and 33 could also be Saxon and together these ditches likely represent components of an agricultural field system possible yrelated to the Saxon settlement of Brantham.
The majority of dated remains were of Medieval date. Ditches constituting the remains of a field system and a rectangular enclosure mostly appear to demonstarte agricultural land use activity in the 12-13th century. Pottery recovered form some of these features, primarily from a ditch along the west edge of the site, is indicative of domestic occupation nearby, presumably associated with the medieval settlement of Brnatham which is thought to be centred upon the medieval church of St Michael and located to the south of the site.
A low incidence of late post medieval remains spanned the late 19th to 20th century and comprised ditches corresponding with field boundaries recorded on historic mapping, including the 1837 Hadleigh Tithe Map and the 1881-1902 OS map.
A number of undated ditches and pits were also identified across the site, of which the majority are likely contemporary with the medieval and post medieval field systems. (S2)