The X marks where Cherry Hinton’s medieval windmills were found

The remains of five medieval windmills and an Anglo-Saxon cemetery were unearthed during an excavation.

The discoveries were made at a site between Cherry Hinton and Teversham, Cambridgeshire, ahead of a development of 1,200 homes.

People had been using the site since Neolithic times, but the discovery of so many windmills in one place was highly unusual, according to archaeologist Christopher Wakefield.

“These are very interesting finds because the X really marks the spot – the main foundation is a cross to support the windmill pole,” he said.

“It’s a great project that has everything from prehistory to really interesting mills,” said Dr Wakefield, from the University of Cambridge’s archeology unit.

The Anglo-Saxon cemetery dates between 580 AD. and 700 AD and had the remains of about 60 people, one with a cowrie shell from the Red Sea, between Arabia and North Africa.

Other finds ranged from the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age (2100 to 2150 BC), through the Bronze Age to the Iron Age, revealing 3,000 years worth of human activity.

Dr Wakefield said: “It’s the first time we’ve ever excavated a medieval mill and you can see where two large pieces of timber called cross shafts were put into the ground.”

The main post of the windmills, which date from 1300 to 1500, was used to grind grain that would have been attached to the foundation and the cloth attached to it, he explained.

Dr Wakefield said: “The ridge (on which they were situated) was one of the highest points in the area and the perfect location for a windmill as they had the maximum amount of wind.”

As the excavation progressed, it became apparent that four of the structures were from different time periods, two built on top of each other.

“We think that because they were made of wood, they would deteriorate over time, so a new one would be built nearby, saving as much wood as possible from the old one,” Dr Wakefield said.

The Cambridge Archaeological Unit excavated the site ahead of the Springstead Village development in Bellway Latimer, and its students were allowed to help excavate the mills – found just last month.

Dr Wakefield said: “The department has had difficulty finding places for students to dig and the developer has gone above and beyond to bring them to the site and have this opportunity.”