Early medieval residual pottery, Dovercourt Motors site (west side), Spital Road (EHER 81862)

Trial trenching and archaeological excavation in 2022 recovered residual early medieval pottery.

March 2002. Trial trenching. A small pottery assemblage recovered from the evaluation dates from the Late Saxon to the high medieval period. The occurrence and combination of early medieval sandy wares and a small quantity of Thetford ware, St Neots-type ware and possible early medieval Shelly wares dates a number of groups from the mid to late 9th, or 11th to 12th centuries. It appears that the site was not part of the fortifications of the Anglo Saxon burh (EHER 7766), and was located on the edge of the medieval town. The large feature recorded in Trenches 2, 3 and 4 was unlikely to be the 'burh' ditch, given its irregular shape and the profile of the individual areas excavated, see EHER 47089. <1> October 2002. Archaeological excavation. The only detectable presence of Saxon occupation was residual pottery dated to the 6th to 10th centuries in the fill of a later medieval quarry pit F2021. There was no evidence for the Saxon burh fortifications, previously thought to run through the western part of the site, or indeed any earlier Anglo-Saxon activity. <2> <3>