Monument record ERL 023 - Roman Burials and saxon ditch at Caudle Head, Sewage Works, Lakenheath Airfield

1948: Burials: skeletons in wooden coffins. Pottery. Found in sewage works for USAF airfield. (S1, S9).

August 1988: Westernmost set of settling tanks demolished & bulldozed by USAF. Scatter of greyware, colour coat and bones (not known whether animal or human) seen in spread soil. Also pottery seen on rest of sewage works site in mole hills etc (S2). See also ERL 024. (? Related settlement ERL 009 - LKH 030-032.)

March 1991: Roman grey ware sherds, circa 17 and 2 C4 coins nearby, found on sandy surface on sewage works site (S3).

1992: Excavation of small area identified three phases of occupation. The first phase was Roman and comprised ditches and post holes containing Iron Age and Roman pottery. The second phase was Late Roman and comprised ditches with recuts with pottery of third to fourth century date. A burial within a grave was also dated to this phase. This was of an adult male supine with head to the south and the hands folded across the pelvis. Iron Hobnails and hooked tags were identified as the remains of shoes. Staining to the west, east and beneath indicated a possible coffin, nut no coffins nails were recovered. The final phase was dated to the Saxon periods and consisted of two parallel ditches from the fills pottery of Late third and fourth century, Early Saxon and a single sherd of Ipswich ware of ninth century was recovered. A small lithic assemblage was also recovered (S4,S5).

Human humerus Radiocarbon dated to 240-400AD (95.4% probability)(S6).

2001:Monitoring identified layers of dark grey, peaty soil, sealed by redeposited sand layer. The soils contained animal bones and Late 3rd to 4th century pottery (S10).