Land South and West of 300 Eastrea Road, Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire. An Archaeological Interim Statement and Revised Research Objectives

Abstract

The Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) were commissioned by RPS on behalf of BDW Cambridgeshire to undertake an open area archaeological excavation of land South and West of 300 Eastrea Road, Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, ahead of a proposed development. Three areas were excavated. Area 1 focussed on an early bronze Age barrow, which contained a Collared urn and one burial. Beaker pits were located to the south of the barrow. There were also traces of a Bronze Age/Iron Age field system comprising shallow ditches. In the northeast of the area was a trackway marked by parallel ditches leading to a Roman settlement to the west at Burdett’s Nursery. Within the trackway was a multi-phase cemetery, containing 5 cremations and 23 inhumations. There were several different burial practices evident within the cemetery, with both adults and children represented, decapitations, ‘stacked’ burials, coffin burials and one individual that had a stone inserted into its mouth. These had varied orientations and positions, including prone, supine, extended and flexed burials. Area 2 lay on the fringe an Iron Age settlement in the field to the east. A trackway marked by parallel ditches, and an Iron Age ditch were uncovered.