Archaeological Excavations at Little Paxton Quarry Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire

Archaeological excavations at Little Paxton Quarry, Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire were undertaken by MOLA 2017-2021 reveal evidence of Neolithic pits, a middle Bronze Age cremation cemetery, and more. Permanent occupation took place from the middle Iron Age period, with one settlement continuing into the middle Roman period.

Archaeological excavations at Little Paxton Quarry, Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire were undertaken by MOLA between 2017 to 2021 and these were located near to both the River Great Ouse and the A1 (Great North Road). Small quantities of pitting occurred in both the early and late Neolithic periods, followed by a single cremation deposit that dated to the early Bronze Age and a moderate sized middle Bronze Age cremation cemetery with 12 cremations deposits, one of which was urned. Two parallel late Bronze Age to early Iron Age pit alignments were recorded. Permanent occupation took place from the middle Iron Age period, with two settlements located 0.5km apart. One of these settlements continued into the middle Roman period. Post-Roman evidence included two graves that formed part of a Saxon early medieval cemetery excavated in 2016 by Phoenix Consulting. In the medieval period the southern extent of the DMV Boughton settlement was found and these previously unknown remains were directly beyond the southern extent of the core of the hamlet, which is a Scheduled Monument. In the excavation this part of the hamlet dated from the 11th to at least the 14th century and comprised fields, paddocks and connecting routeways as well as a small area of possible domestic occupation.

Chapter 1: Introduction Project background Location, topography and geology Historical and archaeological background Site phasing Results Chapter 2: The archaeological evidence - James Fairclough and Rob Atkins Period 1: Neolithic to early Iron Age (c4000 - 400BC)

Period 2: Middle Iron Age to Roman (c3rd or 2nd century BC - late 4th century AD) Period 3: Saxon to modern Chapter 3: Finds Worked flint - Yvonne Wolframm-Murray Prehistoric pottery - Lyn Blackmore Iron Age and Roman pottery from Area B - Anna Rebisz-Niziolek and Adam Sutton Iron Age and Roman from Areas C, D and L - Anna Rebisz-Niziolek Medieval and post-medieval pottery - Paul Blinkhorn Post-Roman pottery from Area B - Paul Blinkhorn Registered finds of Area B - Tora Hylton Small finds in Areas C, D and L - Chris Faine Metalworking debris from Areas D, C and L - David Dungworth Worked and unworked stone from Areas C and D - Kevin Hayward Ceramic building material from Areas C, D and L - Rob Atkins Fired clay from Area C - Mary Ellen Crothers Radiocarbon dating - Chris Chinnock Chapter 4: Human, faunal and environmental evidence Human bone from Area B - Chris Chinnock Cremated human bone from Area C - Chris Chinnock Animal bone from Area B - Sander Aerts Animal bone from Areas C, D and L - Chris Faine Plant macrofossils and other remains from Area B - Val Fryer Environmental remains from Areas C, D and L - Dominika Kofel-Lubczynska Shell from Area C - Matt Law Pollen from Area C - Suzi Richer Chapter 5: Discussion - Rob Atkins with James Fairclough Period 1: Neolithic to early Iron Age (c4000BC to 400BC) Period 2: middle Iron Age to Roman (c3rd or 2nd century BC- late 4th century AD) Period 3: Saxon to modern Bibliography,

Chapter 1: Introduction

Project background

Location, topography and geology

Historical and archaeological background

Site phasing

Results

Chapter 2: The archaeological evidence – James Fairclough and Rob Atkins

Period 1: Neolithic to early Iron Age (c4000 – 400BC)

Period 2: Middle Iron Age to Roman (c3rd or 2nd century BC – late 4th century AD)

Period 3: Saxon to modern

Chapter 3: Finds

Worked flint – Yvonne Wolframm-Murray

Prehistoric pottery – Lyn Blackmore

Iron Age and Roman pottery from Area B – Anna Rebisz-Niziolek and Adam Sutton

Iron Age and Roman from Areas C, D and L – Anna Rebisz-Niziolek

Medieval and post-medieval pottery – Paul Blinkhorn

Post-Roman pottery from Area B – Paul Blinkhorn

Registered finds of Area B – Tora Hylton

Small finds in Areas C, D and L – Chris Faine

Metalworking debris from Areas D, C and L – David Dungworth

Worked and unworked stone from Areas C and D – Kevin Hayward

Ceramic building material from Areas C, D and L – Rob Atkins

Fired clay from Area C – Mary Ellen Crothers

Radiocarbon dating – Chris Chinnock

Chapter 4: Human, faunal and environmental evidence

Human bone from Area B – Chris Chinnock

Cremated human bone from Area C – Chris Chinnock

Animal bone from Area B – Sander Aerts

Animal bone from Areas C, D and L – Chris Faine

Plant macrofossils and other remains from Area B – Val Fryer

Environmental remains from Areas C, D and L – Dominika Kofel-Lubczynska

Shell from Area C – Matt Law

Pollen from Area C – Suzi Richer

Chapter 5: Discussion – Rob Atkins with James Fairclough

Period 1: Neolithic to early Iron Age (c4000BC to 400BC)

Period 2: middle Iron Age to Roman (c3rd or 2nd century BC– late 4th century AD)

Period 3: Saxon to modern

Bibliography

• By (author) James Fairclough
• By (author) Rob Atkins