Monument record IPS 2077 - Late Prehistoric to Iron Age activity, Iron Age to Roman Cremation, Land off Westerfield Road

2020: An archaeological trial trench evaluation revealed 355 features thinly spread out across the site with scattered concentrations. The investigation identified four main phases of activity on the site of Later Prehistoric, Roman, 11th to 14th Centuries and Post Medieval. The earliest form of activity represented dated to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, consisting of two pits. One of these pits contained a large assemblage of 1000 flints indicating evidence of flint tool manufacture, and Late Neolithic to Bronze Age Pottery. Two Late Bronze Age ditches were also identified. One of these ditches contained a stone lining constructed from large sub-angular stones and flints, possibly indicated the ditch as a possible elongated pit. The main period of activity across the sites is dated to the Iron Age, represented by ditches and pits, with pit clusters indicated intensive prehistoric activity. Evidence for a possible posted structure was also recovered trough a line of postholes and an adjacent stokehole, with a concentration of linear features forming a small field system 90m to the north of the structure. There was a scarcity of artefactual evidence across the site, however a number of Iron Age dated features produced significant artefactual evidence in the form of Early to Middle Iron Age Pottery, loom weight fragments and wheel made pottery sherds. The final feature dated to be Late Iron Age or Early Roman was a cremation burial with the pit showing no evidence for burning indicating the cremated bone was place within the pit. A form of possible ritual deposition was also present within the feature through a small iron object and a fragment of a bronze pin.

The Roman period was represented by ditches from which Roman Imbrex and brick and tile was recovered. Further evidence for the Roman occupation of the area was residually represented in a number of later features (S1).

Evaluation (190 trenches) was conducted prior to development connected with the Ipswich Northern Fringe (Garden suburb) development. 355 features were identified. While datable artefacts were sparse, four main phases were identified: prehistoric (particularly Iron Age), Roman, medieval (notably 11th to 13th centuries), and post-medieval and modern (S2).