Trumpington Meadows, Cambridge. An Archaeological Excavation.

The Cambridge Archaeological Unit undertook an archaeological investigation at Trumpington Meadows, Cambridge in advance of a housing project. An excavation was undertaken on three predetermined areas between June 2010 and May 2011 (Areas A, B and C), which was followed by the archaeological monitoring of the construction of a 'swale' and balancing ponds, and a playing field. These investigations identified three main periods of activity, the Neolithic, Iron Age, and Anglo-Saxon. Two Neolithic burial monuments, along with pits and a possible spring were excavated. Early Bronze Age cremations were found in association with the monuments and a double Beaker burial was excavated set apart from any earlier activity. The main component of the excavation was a large Iron Age settlement, a continuation of that identified at the Trumpington Park and Ride in 2000. This was a large open settlement that comprised hundreds of pits of Early to Middle Iron Age date that initially focused upon grain and grain storage, and developed into a more intensive and diverse settlement with crafting activities such as metalworking. By the Middle Iron Age proper the nature of the settlement changed and the large open settlement was replaced by a one that comprised smaller enclosed parcels of land. There were two phases of Anglo- Saxon activity. The first was dated to the Middle Saxon period and centred on a group of four burials and six structures. The structures comprised five Sunken Feature Buildings (SFBs) and a post built structure. Of particular note was the burial of a young female upon a bed with a gold and garnet pectoral cross. The second phase of activity was dated to the Late Saxon period with a series of enclosures replacing the earlier buildings