An Archaeological Evaluation at Lisle Lane, Ely

In August and September 1995 the Archaeological Field Unit of Cambridgeshire County Council carried out an evaluation of a site at the junction of Lisle Lane and Cresswells Lane, Ely (TL 5463/8025). This was commissioned by Royal Mail Property Holdings. Sample trenches revealed an intense concentration of intercutting pits at the Lisle Lane (north) end of the site. These had been backfilled with domestic refuse in the 12th-14th centuries, as had a large pond or marsh to the south-east of the pits. The quantity of artefacts (pottery, animal bone) recovered, coupled with their good, undamaged condition, suggest that settlement remains, such as buildings, existed in close proximity to the development site. This confirms documentary evidence for houses and tenements on Lisle Lane in the 13th and 15th centuries.