Monument record DBN 238 - Two distinct phases of medieval activity, Land East of Aspall Road

Excavations on the northern edge of the village has revealed two areas of Medieval activity dated to two distinct phases. An area of post-holes, pits and watering holes to the east of the site that was in use from the 11th to 12th centuries, and a large rectilinear enclosure to the west in use during succeeding 13th to 14th centuries. The large enclosure contained several internal dividing ditches, middening and hearths, with the pottery assemblage suggesting the site flourished during this period and fell into decline and abandonment from the 15th century onwards. The site represents the furthest spread of the settlement of Debenham north along the Aspall Road during the medieval period as well as its subsequent abandonment and retreat southwards.
Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2022 (S1)

The initial phase of machining removed the top and subsoils leaving a colluvial layer that was then test-pitted. The test-pitting of the colluvial layer revealed both prehistoric and medieval finds suggesting a possible wide-ranging date for its formation. However, no features dating earlier than the medieval period cut this colluvial layer, and all those sealed underneath were also medieval. This suggests the colluvium was formed from a plough soil during or after the medieval period, and as a result this soil contained both prehistoric and medieval artefacts.
Area 1 was characterised by a large medieval rectilinear enclosure that ran northeast to southwest, parallel to Aspall Road, that turned at 90 degrees to, presumably, meet the edge of the road. This created an enclosure that ran alongside Aspall road in the medieval period and, with no additional features found immediately to its north, was also likely the limit of the spread of the settlement of Debenham at this time.The main enclosure was also potentially subdivided into plots with various smaller ditches running either northeast to southwest or southeast to northwest; these ditches respected the layout of F.3 and F.4. Other medieval activity within the enclosure points to potential quarrying possibly for the large flint nodules found within the natural clay, and some small pits with in-situ burning that may indicate some sort of cooking or craft activities taking place. The only other features in Area 1 were all post-medieval, with a rectilinear enclosure , a field boundary, and the demolition layer of a building being present at its southern-most end.
Area 2 contained features that were either medieval or post-medieval. The medieval features include a large watering hole and a group of postholes and small pits in the south-eastern corner of the area. These postholes are perhaps part of a small structure or a fence line. The remaining features were a series of shallow parallel furrows that all ran northwest to southeast (S2).

A single potential Bronze Age ditch suggests limited activity on the site during this period. On the high point of the site focussed on Trenches 5, 6 and 8 small scale peripheral activity dating between the 11th-13th century was identified, in the form of a ditch, three postholes and two large quarry pits. A colluvial deposit was identified in the southwest corner of the site on the road frontage where it was cut by medieval features. This activity represents direct settlement and is located in an area that had been terraced and enclosed by a ditch. The finds and features were focussed on Trench 10 and 11, close to Aspall Road and suggest that roadside settlement activity extended further north than the current village limit between the 12th and14th centuries. A dense area of intercutting features of later medieval to post-medieval date were identified in Trench 14 that relate to “backyard” activity belonging to the extant, roadside plot directly to the south of the site. A post medieval field boundary was identified across two trenches (Trenches 14 and 15) and formed the northern boundary of the feature group seen in Trench 14. A post-medieval dump of brick rubble mixed within the plough soil was identified within Trench 14. A made ground deposit that contained medieval and post-medieval finds was identified in Trench 10 and 11 and was likely lain down to level the medieval terraced area when the field had returned to agricultural use. Thirty-six WNW-ESE orientated undated ditches, typically equally spaced apart and displaying similar profiles and fill types were identified in ten trenches at the centre and east of the site and most likely relate to land drainage in the early medieval period (S3).

Several discrete anomalies and two trends have been recorded in the dataset and have been classified as being of uncertain origin. The magnetic signature of two of the discrete responses in the north of the dataset is potentially indicative of fired remains but the lack of other associated features and/or 'noise' suggests they could be due to ferrous objects. It is probable the trends are a result of modern agricultural or natural processes. Four broad linear anomalies have been detected and have interpreted as former field boundaries (S4).