Land West of Heath Road, Swaffham Bulbeck, Cambridgeshire: An Archaeological Evaluation

The evaluation, which consisted of the excavation of nine 50m trial trenches, identified archaeological features or deposits dating from the Neolithic to the modern period. The remains included seven small pits, clustered in the northwestern corner of the site. Four of these pits contained small pottery and worked flint assemblages, including sherds that may have derived from Beakers, indicating they dated to the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age period. These pits were located to the north of a large circular cropmark, previously identified on aerial photos. Upon excavation this was revealed to be a large ring-ditch with a diameter of approximately 25m, which based on the limited finds assemblages recovered is of a Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age monument, most plausibly a mortuary barrow. Aside from the prehistoric remains, the site also contained Mid-to Late Roman features, mainly comprising ditches and a posthole alignment. These were concentrated in the far northeastern corner of the site, and may, based on the density and large size of some of the features relate to direct settlement nearby. Post-medieval to modern activity was limited to small field boundary and drainage ditches, as well as features relating to the extensive quarrying of chalk in the eastern portion of the field in which the site is located. In March 2020, Pre-Construct Archaeology carried out a trial trench evaluation of land to the west of Heath Road, Swaffham Bulbeck, Cambridgeshire. The evaluation, which consisted of the excavation of nine 50m trial trenches, identified archaeological features or deposits dating from the Neolithic to the modern period. The remains included seven small pits, clustered in the northwestern corner of the site. Four of these pits contained small pottery and worked flint assemblages, including sherds that may have derived from Beakers, indicating they dated to the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age period. These pits were located to the north of a large circular cropmark, previously identified on aerial photos. Upon excavation this was revealed to be a large ring-ditch with a diameter of approximately 25m, which based on the limited finds assemblages recovered is of a Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age monument, most plausibly a mortuary barrow. Aside from the prehistoric remains, the site also contained Mid-to Late Roman features, mainly comprising ditches and a posthole alignment. These were concentrated in the far northeastern corner of the site, and may, based on the density and large size of some of the features relate to direct settlement nearby. Post-medieval to modern activity was limited to small field boundary and drainage ditches, as well as features relating to the extensive quarrying of chalk in the eastern portion of the field in which the site is located.