Monument record HEP 025 - Land adjacent to Rose Cottage, Church Lane, Hepworth

An archaeological excavation covering an area of c.222.00sqm at Church Lane, Hepworth discovered evidence of a Late Saxon building. The part-ground plan was made up of sixteen postholes laid out in two cells; the main building itself and a small lean-to type structure, attached to the west end. The building was 5.14 wide but its length was bisected by the modern plot boundary and only the gable end (c.1.5m of a probable 7-8m length) fell within the limits of the excavations. Theford and St Neots-ware pottery was collected from several of the postholes. The building had undergone repairs which involved several of the posts, including one whole wall, being replaced A sealed horizon of worked soil over the area of the building shows that it had gone out of existence as a 'house site' before the 13th century, but the presence of early medieval pottery within cut features indicate that the plot continued in domestic occupation and probably remained so until about the 15th century; after which date there is a complete absence of material until the construction of Walnut Tree Cottage in the mid 19th century. The plot's current west boundary has been in existence since at least the early medieval period when it was defined by a ditch but this followed a pre-existing post alignment of possible Saxon date suggesting that the line Church lane and some of the land boundaries may be relics of the settlements Saxon past (S1).

Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2011 (S3).