Medieval Activity on Land to Rear of No. 31 High Street, Sutton, Cambridgeshire

In early November 2004, CAM ARC (formally the Archaeological Field Unit) of Cambridgeshire County Council conducted an archaeological excavation on land at Rear of No. 31 High Street, Sutton, Cambridgeshire (TL 4461 7881). The work was carried out on behalf of Richard Hough (Building Limited) in advance of the construction of three new residential dwellings and associated services.
Archaeological activity identified during the excavation mostly dated between 10th to 12 and 13th to 14th centuries. The excavation revealed two parallel ditches, a number of large quarry pits, inter-cutting rubbish pits and isolated post holes. A late medieval building was also identified through a series of large post holes and associated surfaces and demolition rubble. Pottery retrieved from one post hole from this building suggests it dates to between 14th and 16th century.
A recording brief was also carried out on a service trench less than 10m north of the excavation area in which two ditches were identified; one was dated to the 10th to 12th century.
This was the second phase of works following an evaluation of the site in September 2003 (Wills 2004) in which three trenches were investigated. Two of the trenches identified several features including inter-cutting rubbish pits, postholes and drainage ditches. The pottery found dated these features to 12th and 14th centuries.
The investigation area,50m by 20m, represented an area within which the proposed buildings are to be constructed and given the results of the previous investigation, it was considered to be of high archaeological potential.