Monument record BRF 158 - Bronze Age cremations and later prehistoric and Saxon-Medieval activity at Fitzgerald Rd, Bramford

2018: Magnitude Surveys undertook a fluxgate magnetometer survey of a c.9ha area of land off Fitzgerald Road in Bramford, Suffolk. The survey successgully identified three groups of anomalies classified as of archaeological origin across the northern, north-eastern and eastern ends of site. The archaeological responses were mainly indicative of ditches, enclosures and possible debris. The different groups might also reflect different phases of activity, potentially late prehistoric to Medieval/Post-Medieval. In addition to the archaeological responses, natural variations and agricultural activity were also been identified. A buried service ran through the western end of site, but overall the impact of modern interference on the results was minimal. (S1)

2018: Archaeological evaluation ahead of residential development identified three distinct 'foci' of activity: the south, the north-eastern corner, and the east.

The southern foci consisted of two Middle Bronze Age cremations; one urned within a Deverel-Rimbury Urn (1,700-1,200BC) the second unurned. These cremations were cut into colluvium, making identification of grave cuts difficult, but it is likely that they were deposited into pits specifically dug for the deposition of the cremation, a common rite of the period. These cremations were, potentially, focused around a watercourse or hollow present in Trenches 27, 29 and 37. Proximity of watercourses to burial evidence is commonplace in the prehistoric period. Part of an enclosure/ boundary system, pertaining to later agricultural activities, was also identified in this area.
The north-eastern foci related to ditched boundaries and enclosures dating to the later Saxon- early medieval period. Anomalies identified in the geophysical survey which appeared to be large boundary ditches in fact related to multiple re-cuts of the same ditch. This demonstrates that the settlement was extant for a sustained period with continuous development and adjustment.
The eastern foci appeared to relate to later Saxon- early medieval settlement 'edge' activity with further ditched enclosures identified. The limited finds assemblages suggest that the settlement core lay beyond the limits of the excavation to the east. However, the site still provides a valuable insight into activities undertaken on the rural settlement edge, and how it interacts with its associated agricultural landscape. (S2)

Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2018. (S3)