Post-Medieval Activity at Land off Elwyn Road, March, Cambridgeshire: An Archaeological Evaluation

During the 27th and 28th of June 2001, an archaeological evaluation was undertaken on 0.75 hectares of land to the north of Elwyn Road, March (TL/4190/9666) by staff of the Archaeological Field Unit of Cambridgeshire County Council. The work was carried out in advance of a proposed residential development.
Three trenches were excavated across the site to ascertain the presence or absence of archaeological remains. Archaeological remains were uncovered in two of the trenches. These consisted of two late medieval/post-medieval ditches located in the south-eastern portion of the site, and an isolated pit of uncertain chronology, possibly Iron Age, further west. The ditches may have represented drains/boundaries defining the eastern limit of the post-medieval built-up area to the south of the bank of the Old Nene. In the northern portion of the development site evidence emerged for landscaping during the nineteenth century, with deposition of soil to contain flooding and make the area suitable for cultivation. The site was used for orchards during the nineteenth-early part of the twentieth centuries.