Monument record SXM 085 - Anomalies of Iron/Romano-British through to the early medieval at Saxmundham (WA) GEO

2024 - The site is characterised by the presence of an agricultural landscape, with two clear settlements: one in the northern portion and one in the southern portion of the site. The northern settlement comprises a series enclosures, trackways, and pits. The southern settlement is presented as a series of rectilinear ditches, with associated pits and a ring feature. These have been interpreted as Iron Age/Romano-British through to the early medieval period given their morphology.

Evidence for the segregation of the wider landscape, pre-dating the post-medieval field systems, is clear across the site in the form of linear and rectilinear ditch features. Many of these form perpendicular arrangements to one another, and closely follow the same, or similar, orientation to the settlement activity in the north and south. These are likely field boundaries pre-dating available maps; however, some could be associated with more modern agricultural activity such as drainage or ploughing.
Within the landscape are three clear ring features, likely pertaining to funerary activity in the form of burial mounds. There is evidence of Saxon funerary activity in the surrounding landscape, with the Snape boat burials lying 3.5 km to the south. It is equally possible that the anomalies date to the Bronze Age, and the differing morphologies of the anomalies may be evidence of various phases of activity.

Numerous anomalies across the site indicate the agricultural use of the land through the post- medieval and modern periods. Former field boundaries noted on late 19th – early 20th century OS mapping have been identified along with ploughing and spreads of green waste. There is further evidence of post-medieval and modern activity in the form of a pylon base and demolition material of former buildings or spreads from new builds.

The remainder of the anomalies pertain to modern services, geology, and weak magnetic trends (S1).

2024 - Geophysical survey identified multiple square and/or rectilinear enclosures joined by curvilinear ditch anomalies intepreted as trackways between the enclosures. These features alongside neighbouring discrete pit-like and enhanced anomalies indicative of burning and quarrying likely identify and extended area of settlement activity (S2).