Monument record MRM 170 - Saxon and Early Medieval rural settlement or farmstead, and post Medieval activity at Land South of Top Street, Martlesham - East Anglia One Area 25a

2017: Post-excavation Assessment - An archaeological excavation was undertaken at East Anglia ONE Site 25b following the results of a previous evaluation. The excavation encountered a very small assemblage of residual early Neolithic struck flint contained in the fills of later features. A small assemblage of late Bronze
Age/early Iron Age pottery was contained in four dispersed pits. One isolated pit also contained a very small (22g) quantity of cremated human bone, and may represent a LBA/EIA un-urned cremation or token burial. Two loose clusters of medium and large ‘burnt pits’, total 17, with charcoal-rich basal fills are interpreted as charcoal production pits; in several cases the pits contained top-soil like upper fills representing a back fill deposit following the retrieval of most of the charcoal after firing. One ‘burnt pit’ contain sherds of LBA/EIA pottery, but this is considered most likely residual. In form and character the burnt pits resemble other charcoal-filled pits on numerous sites in the vicinity of late Saxon to medieval growing (urban) settlements (Ipswich and Norwich), and where radiocarbon dated have consistently returned dates from the mid/late Saxon to early medieval periods. The burnt pits at Site 25b most likely date to the same broad period, and if this is the case represent
peripheral activity associated with the dense area of mid/late Anglo-Saxon settlement on adjacent Site 25a located c.50-100m to the west on the crest of the same hill. The final phase of activity encountered at Site 25b was a series of north - south field boundary and enclosure ditches dating to the post-medieval and modern periods. (S1).

2019:The earliest archaeological remains discovered during the excavation consisted of a dispersed scatter of shallow earlier prehistoric pits, without any discernible focus. By the Late Neolithic period, some of the pits were more substantial and contained small assemblages of Grooved Ware pottery. These features may represent short-duration visits to the site, possibly associated with specific tasks or resource gathering. This low-level activity continued through the later prehistoric period. The principal result of the excavation was the investigation of a middle Anglo-Saxon to early medieval (c. AD 700–1100/1200) rural settlement or farmstead, comprising ditched enclosures, substantial fencelines, and the foundations of ten or more post-built structures. The abundance of archaeological features, which implies intensive and sustained activity, contrasts with the relatively small and utilitarian artefact assemblages. When viewed alongside the morphology of the evolving enclosure system, this might suggest that the site was primarily a farmstead, possibly with a specialized agricultural economy focused on livestock management. The northern-eastern third of the site had suffered significant modern disturbance associated with use as an RAF signal station (S2).