Land off Leaden Hill, Orwell, Cambridgeshire: Archaeological Earthwork Survey and Archaeological Evaluation

ECB7609 Earthwork survey: three key complementary methodologies to ensure comprehensive documentation and analysis of the preserved terrain features: " UAV-based photogrammetric survey " GNSS-surveyed control transects " An interpretive section transects ECB7610 Trial Trenching: 220m of linear trenching comprising 1x40m and 6x30m long and 2m wide trenches scattered evenly across the site. This comprised a 4% sample of the area. The results of the evaluation indicate that the site itself appears to have been consistently used for agriculture and horticulture. No archaeological features and finds were found within the trenches and the subsoil and topsoil. This shows that, despite known Iron Age and Roman features in the vicinity of the Roman road c. 600m to the north, and a known Roman pottery scatter c. 25m north of the site, no archaeological features are present on the site itself. The absence of archaeological features further suggests that prior to its agricultural use, the area may have remained undeveloped - possibly preserved as woodland or wild landscape - until it was brought into cultivation. The site was in agricultural use from at least the medieval period onwards, as evidenced by the surviving ridge and furrow earthworks. The site lies c. 950m south from St Andrews Church and the historic core of Orwell and was therefore most likely always part of its surrounding agricultural land. Remnants of both small and extensive areas of former ridge and furrow cultivation are dispersed across the study area, although not all survive as visible earthworks (HER references 03300, 09519, and CB15690). Ordnance Survey maps further corroborate that at least since 1886 no other uses were given to the land. The absence of finds in the overburden could indicate that the site was put over to pasture a long time ago, as no finds introduced through manuring were present. The surviving medieval ridge and furrow earthworks are much degraded and of low quality. The earthwork survey provides an adequate record of their survival and significance.