Monument record IPS 756 - Ravenswood "Area T", Ipswich.

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Summary

The evaluation found a series of ditches, located mainly in the north and west of the site

Location

Grid reference Centred TM 1899 4130 (136m by 233m)
Map sheet TM14SE
Civil Parish IPSWICH, IPSWICH, SUFFOLK

Map

Type and Period (3)

Full Description

2015: The evaluation found a series of ditches, located mainly in the north and west of the site. Apart from a single residual struck flint, these contained no finds. However, based on the results of other excavations in Ravenswood, some of them may be later prehistoric (Middle Bronze Age onwards), Iron Age, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, medieval or post-medieval in date. The possibility of a later prehistoric date for at least some of the ditches is supported by the recovery of a sherd of prehistoric pottery from a ditch identified during a previous phase of trial trenching on the site. Another of the ditches matches the position and alignment of a field boundary shown on late-19th- and early-20th-century Ordnance Survey maps, so is of relatively recent origin. As the ditches are all likely to be outfield field boundaries, located away from contemporary settlement areas, the absence of associated cultural material is unsurprising. A charcoal-filled pit was present in Trench 7, towards the south-east of the site. This contained no finds, but identical pits have been identified at numerous excavated sites across the Suffolk coast and heaths and frequently return Early to Middle Saxon radiocarbon dates (c. 5th-9th century AD). Many of the ditches were visible at a high stratigraphic level, immediately below the modern topsoil. This probably reflects the heathland character of the local landscape, the non-intensive nature of historic land-use and the consequent absence of significant disturbance to
archaeological levels from agricultural processes such as ploughing, (S1).

Excavation report waiting

Sources/Archives (1)

  • <S1> Unpublished document: Woolhouse, T.. 2015. Area T, Ravenswood, Nacton Road, Ipswich, Suffolk: Archaeological Trial Trench Evaluation.

Finds (2)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Events/Activities (3)

Record last edited

Mar 21 2023 1:55PM

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