Monument record STU 067 - A wooden fish trap of Anglo-Saxon date, located to the west of Holbrook Creek in Holbrook Bay, Stutton

A wooden fish trap of Saxon date is visible as a structure on aerial photographs, centred on TM 17153364, on the low tide line at least 500m from the shore to the west of Holbrook Creek in Holbrook Bay, Stutton. The fish trap consists of two arms forming a v-shaped structure which points eastwards down the Stour estuary. The southern arm of the fish trap is at least 308m in length and is constructed from numerous rows of wooden posts which presumably are the remains of wattle fences or barriers. The northern arm is visible for at least 177m and appears to be a very low earthwork, possibly where silt is covering the remains of a wooden structure. At low tide the fish would have been trapped and collected at the 'eye', where the two arms converge at TM 1721 3365. The possible remains of a wattle basket are visible at the eye. (S1-S6) Fish traps of very similar scale and construction located in Essex have been shown to be 7th to 10th century by radiocarbon dating (S7) and it is possible that the fish trap in Holbrook Bay is of a similar date. See STU 033, STU 034 and STU 032 for other timber structures recorded in Holbrook Bay which may also be recording the fish trap. (S8)
Same as STU 054/055

2006/2007: Site was visited as part of a targeted inter-tidal survey. The long distance over which the surveying took place and the poor visibility on the day of the fieldwork was carried out resulted in inaccuracies. The feature consisted of two linear features that form a ‘V’ shape pointing eastwards to the main channel of the estuary and seems to have been constructed to collect fish on the ebb tide at the point where the two arms meet. The southern arm is almost 310m in length and defined by dense rows of parallel posts. Fragments of wattle panelling survive along the southern edge of the main body of the southern arm. The northern arm is around 180m long and survives as a low earthwork. This is probably due to the accumulation of silts and it may have been similar length to the southern arm. A roughly circular arrangement of smaller or more eroded posts can be seen at the point of the feature. Eight samples were taken from the various elements of the fish trap. Of the eight samples for radiocarbon dating, six returned a date of between AD 630 and AD690. These samples all came from the southern arm or wattle panels. The remaining two samples were taken from post line to the south. These returned a later date of between AD 880 and AD1025 (S9).

Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2007 (S10).