Monument record STU 094 - A Late Bronze Age Settlement at Land at Church Rd/Land west of 35-40 Stutton Close (MAGNITUDE) GEO (OAE) EVL EXC

2020: An excavation was udertaken following the results of geophysical survey and subsequent evaluation.
The presence of Neolithic flintwork attests to a background earlier prehistoric presence in the area, with several residual retouched flakes and a scraper recovered.
Exposed within the excavation areas was a single Middle Bronze Age pit (Area B) and a discrete area of Late Bronze Age settlement (Area A), including at least one post-built structure consisting of six postholes and a cluster of 20 pits. The pits produced a varied assemblage of occupation debris, including a large quantity of Late Bronze Age pottery, five fragmentary fired clay loom weights, two spindle whorls, a rare fragment of flint quern and a fragment of sandstone saddlequern, with the majority deriving from four pits close to the structure. One of the pits close to the structure was radiocarbon dated to 917-814 cal. BC. A regionally significant assemblage of Late Bronze Age briquetage relating to salt-working (115 fragments, 1791g) was recovered from six pits, with diagnostic pieces including bar fragments, pedestal fragments and pedestal terminals. The vast majority of the briquetage came from a single pit in the centre of Area A, which was radiocarbon dated to 983-830 cal. BC. The same pit contained the largest assemblage of Late Bronze Age pottery from a single feature. Despite there being briquetage finds, there are no features from the site directly connected to the salt production process, nor any obvious waste deposits.
A post-medieval boundary ditch was also revealed along the western and southern edges of the investigation area. (S1)