Land Off Church Road, Stowupland, Suffolk

In June 2017, Oxford Archaeology East undertook an evaluation at land off Church Road, Stowupland, Suffolk (centred on TM 0712 6031). Eighty trenches were opened across two arable fields, in part targeted on features identified by a geophysical survey.
Three principal areas of archaeological remains were identified, all of 12-13th century date.
Close to Gipping Road, in the north-west of the site was a group of possible settlement related features comprising a flint cobbled surface, pits and ditches. These all sat within a square ditched enclosure shown on 20th century maps – a possible relict medieval field. Parts of the area were truncated by large post-medieval pits, although an extant pond to the north is thought to represent one corner of a moated enclosure.
Against the north-eastern boundary of the site was a concentration of ditches and pits with a large quantity of finds, suggestive of the edge of a settlement, possibly a small farmstead beyond the site boundary.
In the north of the site a 12th-13th century ditch system was excavated. These were probably subdivisions of a wider medieval enclosure system that divided the north of the site into 3 major parts until the 20th century. The modern site boundaries are also probably reflective of the medieval layout.
Despite nearby buildings of 16th century origin, Field 2 produced no evidence of settlement along Church Road.
The two fields were consolidated by the in-filling of major boundaries in the 20th century.