A Medieval Croft at the Former Allotments, Fordham Road, Isleham: An Archaeological Evaluation

The Archaeological Field Unit of Cambridgeshire County Council has conducted an archaeological evaluation on 0.43ha of land at the former allotments, Fordham Road, Isleham, Cambridgeshire (TL 6439/7391). This was in advance of a proposed housing development.
The evaluation revealed medieval features including a quarry pit in Trench 1 that appears to predate the known extraction of clunch in this area. Undated post holes in Trench 1 may be of a similar date to the quarry and other features uncovered nearby. A single pit was uncovered in Trench 2, the only datable find from which was Roman tile, although this may be residual. One of the four test pits that were also dug revealed that post-medieval levelling had taken place in the area on the western edge of the site. Taken together, the quarry pit and post holes probably indicate that this plot of land was in use as a croft in the early medieval period, very similar in its layout to later examples seen further north in the village.