Archaeological Evaluations at Cromwell Road, Wisbech

Archaeological field evaluations were undertaken at Cromwell Road, Wisbech (TF 450077), by the Archaeological Field Unit, Cambridgeshire County Council. Trenching exposed a series of drainage ditches or dykes over 2.20m in width which lay beneath very low west-north-west to east-south-east aligned ridges. These land divisions known as darlands are associated with medieval arable cultivation within the reclaimed silt fenlands. Periodic re-excavation of these ditches has limited the potential for the retention of deposits relating to initial ditch construction and infilling, however, sherds of sixteenth-nineteenth century pottery were retrieved from the upper fills. OS map evidence indicates that these features had disappeared by 1888. The abandonment of the system may correspond with a relatively recent episode of landscape alteration associated with enclosure and the development of a new drainage pattern which forms the present field boundaries. Sediments within these ditches indicate a gradual infilling with organic and non-organic sediments with intermittent flooding depositing fine grained alluvial sediments. Following episodes of flooding, ditches were recut, indicating maintenance of the drainage and agricultural system. Historical records for the town indicate a number of significant breaches of coastal defences and river banks during the medieval period, these may relate to flood deposits recognisable on-site. Pre-historic and Romano-British sites were not found within the development area. The roddon system recorded along the Wisbech southern bypass (A47T) close to the development area was also shown to be absent.