Medieval and Post-Medieval Activity at No. 7, March Road, Coates, Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire: An Archaeological Evaluation

Between the 9th and 18th of November 2005 the staff of the Cambridgeshire County Council Archaeological Field Unit (CCC AFU) conducted an archaeological evaluation at land off No. 7 March Road, Coates, Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire (NGR TL 3073/9782) (Fig. 1). The work was carried out in advance of residential development proposed by TM King Builders Limited.
The hamlet of Coates – with Eastrea to the west and Eldernell to the east – sits in the middle of an island which lies to the east of the main Whittlesey island.
The site had been used as gardens, at least from the 19th century, with negligible modern disturbance affecting its original condition. Archaeological features were preserved in all the excavated trenches, their distribution providing a good indication of the extent and intensity of activity throughout the site.
This evaluation identified two main phases of activity. The earlier phase dated to the late medieval period and was characterised by evidence for light industrial activity (gravel quarrying), water access features and field/plot boundaries. The later phase dated to the post-medieval period and represented an intensification of the earlier, medieval activities, with the progressive redefinition of boundaries. In addition, the ecofactual and artefactual remains from the evaluation would indicate domestic occupation in close proximity to the development site during both the late medieval and post-medieval periods. Occupation appears to have intensified during the post-medieval period, as suggested by the increased quantity of pottery discarded across the site and, in particular, near the frontage of March Road where a small concentration of fragments of post-medieval building material would point to the existence of a ‘singular house’ at this location, with the development site representing a zone of associated ‘backyard’ activities.