NHER 64672 (Monument record) - Post-medieval and undated features

April 1995. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of proposed aggregate extraction site.
The area has been subjected to systematic archaeological fieldwalking which identified three concentrations of burnt stones, reasonably assumed to be of prehistoric age (recorded as NHER 23238). One of these concentrations is located within a circular cropmark of unknown date. A further possible cropmark is located close to the easternmost corner of the field. A general background scatter of medieval pot and flint was also observed by the Fenland fieldwalking survey.
The majority of known evidence is concentrated towards the north of the field, which is close to the settlement of Tottenhill Row. There are springs in the area and the Fenland survey recorded the presence of peaty soil. The potential for survival of soft organic remains within this area are as yet unclear, but there is some potential for waterlogged preservation of archaeological deposits around the springs.
See report (S1) for further details.
Previously recorded under NHER 23238.
M. Dennis (NLA), 19 September 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 14 March 2021.

March 2012. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed quarry conveyor route (Trench 1-3).
A single undated north-east to south-west aligned ditch was the only feature exposed by the three trenches excavated at this location.
No subsoil was present beneath the topsoil, which lay directly on natural sand and gravel deposits.
No finds were recovered.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 March 2021.

October 2017. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of site of proposed quarry extension.
The 33 trenches excavated revealed a number of ditches and several discrete features, none of which were of any great interest.
Two west-north-west to east-south-east aligned ditches and a third perpendicular ditch produced late post-medieval pottery and brick fragments and therefore probably represented a contemporary group of field boundaries of relatively recent date. The date of the pottery coupled with the fact none appear on the available 19th-century maps suggests these boundaries were probably of 18th-century date. Post-medieval finds including a clay tobacco pipe bowl were also recovered from an east-to-west aligned ditch at the northern end of the site. A single, undated north-west to south-east aligned ditch is the one linear feature that could potentially have been associated with an earlier phase of activity. It should be noted that a number of the brick fragments recovered were potentially medieval in date, although these possible 'early bricks' were all recovered from deposits that also produced late post-medieval material.
The discrete features included a sub-square pit, a possible pit or ditch terminus and several natural features. None produced any finds.
As during the earlier work no subsoil deposit was identified, with topsoil lying directly above natural geological deposits. It is noted that the topsoil contained moderate levels of post-medieval and modern debris.
No unstratified finds were recovered.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 March 2021.