Monument record CRP 029 - Later prehistoric, Roman, and Medieval activity at Gateway 14 (Evaluation N. of Mill Lane)

2020: An archaeological evaluation comprising 82 trenches revealed multi-period evidence. Archaeological remains were uncovered in 38 of these trenches, the earliest which consisted of a widely scattered series of pits, dated to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, with a concentration of undated, but likely prehistoric, pits in the north-west part of the site, which contained fire-cracked flints. An undated, possibly prehistoric, ditch was encountered in a trench in the northern part of the site, which cropmark evidence suggests is part of a large enclosure. Roman finds were scarce, although a possible cultivation soil and associated ditch boundary in the bottom of a valley in the south-east corner of the site, sealed beneath a layer of colluvium, could be Roman or possibly later. The bulk of the remains were medieval, all falling within a 12th – 14th century date range, which were concentrated in three areas. In the north-west corner of the site, a large medieval clay extraction quarry pit was uncovered, close to a contemporary boundary ditch. In the north-east corner of the site, at the base of a valley, a series of medieval ditches were found, with an associated cobble trackway, with circumstantial evidence for nearby occupation. A third concentration of medieval features in the southern part of the site consisted of scattered ditches and possible pits, with a concentration of ditches in the south-west corner of the site, apparently forming enclosures. Post-medieval remains consisted of backfilled boundary ditches, all of which are attested at least as far back as an 1838 tithe map, none of which contained evidence for earlier origins. (S1)