fcambridgeshirearchaeology Late Saxon to Post-medieval Manorial ...

Summary
Between the 3rd and 14th July 2006 the Cambridgeshire County Council
Archaeological Field Unit (CCC AFU) conducted an archaeological evaluation
on land to the south of Wash Road, Boston (TF 3090 3780) in advance of
proposed construction of a storage and distribution park. The work was
commissioned by Lincolnshire County Council.
Twenty-nine trenches (2% of the proposed development area) were
mechanically excavated. The evaluation uncovered archaeological remains in
the northern part of the site across an area measuring c.500m by c.80m. The
remains consisted of at least four phases of settlement and manorial remains
dating from the 10th century until around the 18th century.
The moat of Bozon Hall (dating from at least 1377), measuring 6m wide by
2.7m deep, runs into the north-western part of the site. The development
area, including the former moat, was evidently affected by the enclosure of the
parish in the 18th century when the site became fields.
Generally, the trenches near to the present Wash Road contained moderate
to very dense archaeological remains with the frequency of features gradually
diminishing towards the south. No pre-modern archaeological features were
found in the southern area of the evaluation. Houses/structures (postholes
and slots) were found in five trenches (Trenches 6, 13, 14, 19 and 30) with
parts of several structures in Trenches 6, 13 and 14, all in the extreme
northern part of the site. Pottery dating and stratigraphy imply that at least
two structures in Trench 13 were Late Saxon in date, while a medieval
structure was located in Trench 14 and a post-medieval (and possibly earlier)
structure(s) in Trench 6. The Trench 6 structures were within the moated
enclosure of Bozon Hall and presumably represent former manorial buildings.
Large quantities of iron working smithing slag, including hearth bottom and
lining, may indicate production during the post-medieval period, which
perhaps originated in the Late Saxon period.
Other ditches (including curvilinear examples representing enclosures and
boundaries) and pits were uncovered in many of the northern trenches. Their
presence may imply that agricultural/industrial as well as domestic features
survive across the whole area. Moderate to large assemblages of artefacts
and ecofacts were found, many deriving from backfills of domestic waste
backfill during different phases. Several such deposits were heavily burnt. In
all phases evidence for trade, social status and the environment is potentially
plentiful.