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Suffolk HER Number (Pref. Ref.):SUY 058
Unique number (MonUID):MSF20567
Type of Record:Monument
Parish:SUDBURY, BABERGH, SUFFOLK
NGR:TL 5873 2413

Summary

Medieval defensive town ditch and post medieval pit on land between Weavers Lane and Burkitts Lane.

Monument Types

  • WELL (Unknown date)
  • DITCH (IPS: Early Late Saxon to Medieval - 850 AD to 1539 AD)
  • TOWN DEFENCES (IPS: Early Late Saxon to Medieval - 850 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POST HOLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PIT (19th century to 20th century - 1801 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

  • POTTERY (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • POTTERY (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 649 AD)
  • ANIMAL REMAINS (IPS: Early Late Saxon to IPS: Post Medieval - 850 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POTTERY ST NEOTS (IPS: Early Late Saxon to 14th century - 850 AD to 1300 AD)
  • POTTERY THETFORD (IPS: Early Late Saxon to 12th century - 850 AD to 1100 AD)
  • POTTERY (Medieval to 18th century - 1066 AD to 1700 AD)
  • SLAG (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status: None recorded

Description

2002: Two evaluation trenches across defensive town ditch, c.13m wide & 3.4m deep. Possible EMed pottery from upper layers (S1)(R1).
2003: Monitoring following evaluation revealed and plotted part of the Saxon town defences of Sudbury, which appears to have been finally backfilled in the C12/C13. Small amount of residual(?) IA (probably) or ESax pottery in primary ditch fill (S2).
A documentary survey was also undertaken by A M Breen (S2).

2004: Monitoring of the same site during excavation of foundations for terraced houses revealed no significant archaeological deposits although a brick lined well, c.8.2m deep was identified (S3).

2002: Documentary research identified that all the buildings in Burkitt's Lane were all built in the nineteenth century with the area free of any substantial buildings as shown in the map of 1714. The record for weaver's lane were not as detailed, with it possible the houses visible along the 1714 map were cottages of individual weavers employed by the cloth trade. These cottages were cleared by the nineteenth century to accommodate a mixture of domestic and commercial buildings, none of which were very substantial. By the early 1960's the site had been cleared under instructions from the health inspector of the borough. The street patten in this area may represent the Anglo-Saxon and Medieval ditched of the town, with the suggestion that Burkitt's Lane is a later expansion dating from he twelfth century. Further expansion beyond the east gate and along Market Hill did not occur until the Fourteenth century, The parish boundary is also south of the development area (S4).

2003:Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2003 (S5).

Sources

[R1]Verbal communication: Personal communication. SCCAS, Sommers M, email message to Pendleton C, May 2002. (SSF50082)
[S1]Unpublished document: Sommers, M. 2002. Eval/Mon report. Land between Weavers Lan & Burkitts Lane., Sudbury. (SSF51128)
[S2]Unpublished document: Sommers, M. 2003. Evaluation and Monitoring Report -Land between Burkitt's Lane and Weaver's Lane., Sudbury. (SSF51284)
[S3]Unpublished document: Sommers, M. 2004. Archaeological Monitoring Report -Land between Burkitts Lane and Weaver's Lane, Sudbury. (SSF51924)
[S4]Unpublished document: 2002. Documentary Report - Weaver's Lane/Burkitt's Lane, Sudbury. (SSF61813)
[S5]Article in serial: Martin, E.A., Pendleton, C. & Plouviez, J.. 2004. Archaeology in Suffolk 2003. XXXX (4). (SSF55366)

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