This publication describes a relatively small excavation (by CAM ARC,
now Oxford Archaeology East), whose size belies its significance.
Incredibly, this is the first properly documented archaeological
excavation in the core of Wisbech - an historic town long suspected to
have preserved interesting medieval deposits. It fills a gaping void in
previous knowledge of the character and quality of the archaeological
remains in the town and represents an important first step in redressing
the regional imbalance in published medieval port sequences, such as
those of King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth. The site lies within the
confines of the New Market, to the north of the Norman castle. An
impressive sequence of deeply stratified medieval to early post-medieval
deposits was revealed, demonstrating at least thirteen building phases,
the earliest of which dates to the 13th century. One structure contained
evidence for in-situ metalworking during the mid 14th to mid 15th
century. The buildings were each sealed by fine silts deposited during
episodic flooding which can be broadly linked to documented climatic
conditions of the period. Detailed recording was achieved through
micromorphological analysis and the use of high resolution thin
sections. While the alternate sequence of occupation and flooding found
at Wisbech is broadly comparable to deposits in other regional port
towns, it is almost without parallel in terms of its completeness, depth
and state of preservation. A wealth of organic remains and subtle
features are present, which rarely survive elsewhere in East Anglia. The
discovery of this important archaeological resource highlights the
requirement for consideration of its future management.
