Land West of 35-40 Stutton Close, Stutton, Suffolk

Between the 18th and 21st of March 2019, OA East undertook an archaeological trial trench evaluation on land west of 35-40 Stutton Close, Stutton, Suffolk (TM 1519 3469). A total of sixteen trenches were excavated. The fieldwork identified archaeological remains in eleven of the trenches with features uncovered across the full extent of the site. The earliest phase of activity is represented by a single pit of possible Middle Bronze Age date, excavated in Trench 14, which yielded three pottery sherds from a single vessel of the period. Two intercutting pits of Late Bronze Age date were encountered in Trench 15. One of these pits contained large quantities of domestic pottery and fired clay salt-making briquetage along with loom weight fragments and a piece quern. These finds strongly suggest Late Bronze Age occupation in the immediate vicinity. Post-medieval and modern features were represented by field boundary ditches across the full extent of the site, which appeared to be either parallel with, or perpendicular to, extant boundaries in the surrounding area. A series of parallel gullies were also excavated in Trench 9 that were interpreted as possible planting beds of post-medieval date. Two pits of this date were also excavated in Trench 12 and interpreted as possible sand and gravel extraction pits. Overall, the trenching has confirmed the presence of archaeological remains across the site. These remains date from the Bronze Age and post-medieval periods, with the prehistoric activity focused on the sand and gravel geology in the eastern part of the site.