Archaeological Investigations at Land off Manor Road, Witchford, Cambridgeshire: Post Excavation Assessment

Abstract

From the 5th February to the 8th June 2020 the Cambridge Archaeological Unit undertook an archaeological excavation at Land off Manor Road, Witchford, Cambridgeshire (TL 5038 7927), this included a break in the program due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. In total 65 archaeological features were recorded from the excavations: 33 ditches, ten medieval furrows, 16 pits including a Late Saxon watering hollow, a Late Iron Age metalled trackway, a posthole and two post-medieval ditches. Additionally, two natural features and land drains were assigned feature numbers. The site was dug across four main areas within two fields, with activity concentrated on the areas of higher ground, in particular towards the southeast. The archaeology represented five main phases of activity dating from the Later Iron Age to the post-medieval period. The results contribute to the ongoing work within the landscape and have potential to shed light on evidence of rural settlement during the Late Iron Age and what happened to it during the Early Roman transitional period on the fringes of the Ely/ Coveney landscape. The results also provide fresh evidence of Late Saxon activity in the area.