Medieval Features Outside the Town Defences at Swavensey: Archaeological Evaluation and Observation of Demolition at School Lane

In July and September 1995 the Archaeological Field Unit (AFU) of Cambridgeshire County Council undertook two phases of an archaeological evaluation in advance of housing development at School Lane, Swavensey, Cambridgeshire (NGR TL 359/685). The work was commissioned by Mclean Homes (East Anglia) Ltd and carried out in accordance with a brief designed by the County Archaeology Office.

The site lies just outside the defences of the medieval town of Swavensey, which developed during the thirteenth century AD. Evaluation trenches on the present site, however, found no traces of medieval settlement. This evidence and nearby remains of medieval cultivation (ridge and furrow) suggest that the site consisted of fields throughout this period. However, deposits containing medieval pottery were found in the south-west corner of the site adjacent to School Lane itself and may be indicative of occupation in the immediate vicinity.

Later features on the site include the filled in remains of a large L-shaped pond, known to exist in 1887, but the purpose of which is uncertain.