Monument record MNL 628 - Undated peat layer identified during monitoring at Aspal Lane

A thick peat deposit was identified beneath a layer of natural sand during archaeological monitoring on the site. It is possible that the deposit may represent the fill of an old pond. However, it is more likely that the deposit reflects the local landscape and formed under waterlogged conditions in a natural dip at the fen edge. A low lying patch of ground on the edge of the fen would have been prone to periodic inundation at times of rising water levels. The date of this fen encroachment cannot be ascertained, but the build-up of a considerable layer of overlying sand indicates that it occurred some centuries ago. Further support for the idea that the area was too marginal and prone to flooding was evident from the north of the site where a darker layer contained organic debris interrupted the sequence of natural sand deposits (S1).