List of Figures . iv Acknowledgements . ix Summaries (English/French/German/Spanish) . x Abbreviations . xii 1 Introduction 1.1 Background to the project . 1 1.2 Geology, topography and landuse .

5 2 Documentary and Archaeological Background 2.1 Documentary, archaeological and landscape evidence (by Dr Nick Corcos, 2013) . 9 2.2 The placename Eckweek (by Dr Michael Costen) . 28 2.3 Eckweek in Domesday Book (by Dr Frank Thorn) . 29 3 Surveys 3.1 Preliminary surveys .

44 3.2 Geophysical survey (by Andrew Payne of Historic England, 1989 updated 2015). 45 4 Excavations 4.1 Excavation areas and methodologies . 51 4.2 Summary of structural phasing . 52 4.3 The excavated evidence .

53 4.4 Watching brief . 109 5 Artefacts and Environmental Evidence 5.1 Prehistoric ceramics - pottery, briquetage and a bronze-working crucible (by Dr Elaine Morris, 1992 updated 2015) . 113 5.2 Romano-British pottery (by Dr Jane Timby, 2015) . 118 5.3 The late Saxon, Saxo-Norman, medieval and post-medieval pottery (by Andrew Young and Alexander Kidd, 1990-1991, updated 2015) .

119 5.3.4 The petrology of medieval pottery (by D F Williams PhD FSA Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton, 1991) . 155 5.4 Coins (by Sarah Newns, 2015) . 165 5.5 Iron and lead objects (by Ann Thompson, 1991) . 167 5.

6 Copper alloy objects (by Sarah Newns, 2015) . 182 5.7 Flint (by Vince Russett, 1991) . 190 5.8 Worked stone objects (by Alexander Kidd and Andrew Young 1991) . 196 5.8.1 The petrology of medieval whetstones of sandstone from Eckweek (by Professor Gilbert Kelling Department of Geology, University of Keele, 1991) .

208 5.9 Clay tobacco pipe (by Sarah Newns, 2014) . 208 5.10 The composition of a group of later medieval copper alloy ''ingots'' and other objects (by Nigel Blades, 1991) . 210 5.11 Worked bone objects (by Sarah Newns, 2015) . 212 5.12 The jet bead SF627 (by Sarah Newns, 2015) .

214 5.13 Faunal remains (by Dr Simon Davis, 1992 updated 2015) . 214 5.14 Charred plant remains (by Wendy Carruthers, 1995 updated 2015) . 222 5.15 Molluscs (by Dr Matt Law, 2014) . 233 6 Independent Dating 6.1 Radiocarbon dating (Queens University Belfast, 1991 - reviewed and updated by Dr Peter Marshall, 2015) .

237 6.2 Comment on the 1991 radiocarbon dates (by Andrew Young, 1991, revised 2015) . 238 7 Reconstructing Late Saxon and Medieval Eckweek 7.1 The medieval buildings and structures . 239 7.2 Artefacts: the character and distribution of Late Saxon and medieval finds . 255 7.3 Artefactual evidence for settlement development - continuity and change .

278 7.4 Artefacts and ecofacts - general conclusions . 284 7.5 The agricultural and domestic economy . 285 8 Synthesis 8.1 Prehistoric activity . 289 8.2 Late Saxon and medieval settlement .

290 Bibliography. 300 Index . 309.