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Summary - not yet available

Monument Type(s):

• HOUSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• GARDEN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Events:

• Surveys at Sawtry SAM 172
• Geophysical survey at Sawtry, 1997

Protected Status:

• Scheduled Monument 1006817: Sawtry moat and shrunken medieval village

Full description

1. To the north of All Saint's church is a large rectilinear platform defined by regular scarps c.0.8m in height. The platform, which sits on a north west-south east alignment, measures 110m in length and survives to a width of 50m but has evidently been encroached upon by the extending cemetery to the south. The platform is divided into two halves by a scarp 0.4m in height. Immediately to the west of the platform is a level, terraced area 75m by 60m and set c.0.8m lower than the platform. Although it has also been truncated by recent housing development to the south, the terrace and platform are clearly associated and together they form a regular, tripartite feature that may tentatively be interpreted as a residence with possible terraced garden. A resistivity survey carried out in 1997 (source 2) produced startlingly clear results, showing the remains of rectangular outer walls with internal subdivisions along the lines of the earthwork scarps as well as an L-shaped possible wall within the flat terraced area which was not visible at the time of survey as an earthwork feature.

This entire complex cuts into and post-dates earthworks to the south-east that are associated with a medieval moated enclosure [see TL 18 SE 11]. Although both groups of earthworks are oriented roughly north west-south east they sit on a clearly differing alignment, a shift in which also suggests non-contemporaniety. The platform also truncates the southern edge of a medieval windmill mound to the north. The western portion of the divided house site contains the earthwork remains of at least three further discreet building platforms. These appear to post-date the main platform, and may represent a later encroachment of post-medieval village dwellings which have since been abandoned as a result of village shrinkage.

<1> Shiel, D., 1997, Report on Geophysical Survey: Sawtry Cambridgeshire (Unpublished report). SCB19749.

<2> David McOmish, Cathy Tuck/13-JAN-1999/English Heritage: SAMs Pilot Project (Verbal communication). SCB63221.

Sources and further reading

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