Abstract

WITHIN THE FIELD of medieval rural settlement studies, especially those involving excavation,
currently occupied rural settlements (CORS) have to date been largely neglected in favour
of the minority of rural settlements which have become deserted or substantially shrunken. This
project aims to help redress that balance in favour of the still-inhabited majority. Small-scale
‘test pit’ excavations within thirteen CORS in eastern England were carried out in 2005
and 2006 as part of an ongoing widening participation and outreach scheme — the Higher
Education Field Academy — of the Department of Archaeology of the University of Cambridge.
The project combines existing methods with new approaches to reveal a considerable quantity
of new evidence for the development of medieval rural settlement. Presented results from three
of the most investigated settlements identify new foci of occupation, and new ideas about their
development are proposed. They also highlight the extent to which undisturbed medieval levels
can survive within CORS.