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Record Details

NHER Number:1016
Type of record:Monument
Name:Late Saxon building and medieval kiln site, Pott Row

Summary

A Late Saxon ditch and a post hole structure were excavated by the NAU in 1970 after the discovery of medieval pottery kilns on the site. A medieval well and the sites of two medieval buildings were also revealed during the excavation. Pottery production began on the site in about 1100 and ceased by about 1500. Medieval pottery and other medieval finds have been recovered from the site. Further excavation by Archaeological Solutions in 2012 confirmed the pottery date range.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TF 7054 2176
Map Sheet:TF72SW
Parish:GRIMSTON, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

1964.
Medieval/Post medieval pottery kiln found.

1968.
Medieval pot found.

Excavation. 1970.
Carried out by K. Wade for Norfolk Research Committee and D.o.E., revealed the floor of a pottery-kiln which had four flutes. A large quantity of organic material which includes leather, wood and cloth were recorded along with eighteen complete glazed jugs. Unstratified material from the top soil is able to inform about what types of vessels being produced. However, below the medieval and levels on the site there where a number of features which contained Thetford ware of the Grimstone type. It has been suggested from this evidence that Pott Row had been established as a pottery from at least as early as the 1100 and was still in use until 1500.
See (S4) for further information.
M. Langham-Lopez (HES), 23 May 2013.

Excavation. 1971.
Carried out by K. Wade for Norfolk Research Committee and D.o.E. on the remaining part of the site produced three phases of activity.
In the phase l of activity ranging from the12th to the mid-13th century, there were thirteen ditches which ran across in a north-south orientation; two semi-circular features were also recorded. Fifteen post-holes, where also recorded in this phase of which formed a structure 6 by more than 7 m. Pottery found in this phase included Thetford ware of Grimston type and early glazed wares confirm that pottery production was continuous from Saxon-Norman to medieval times.
In phase ll ranging from the 13th to the 14th century, a clunch-lined and flint well was built, there was also a timber building which consisted of six large post-holes, which formed a rectangle measuring 7 by 4 meters and was erected south of the well. In this phase the associated pottery include 'decorated' green-glazed ware, commonly associated with Grimston kilns.
In phase lll which ranges from the 15th to the 16th century, a large building measuring 20 by 5 meters was recorded, this building has a hard clay floor that had an average thickness of 30 cm and was resting on a hard core of broken pottery. At the end of the period and also of the pottery production the well silted up and a building was erected facing onto Ashwicken Road.
See (S2) for more details and information taken from (S5).
See drawing (S7).
S. Spooner (NLA) 17 January 2006 amended by M. Langham-Lopez (HES), 23 May 2013.

1973.
Medieval sherds found.

1974.
Survey produced kiln debris and Late Saxon ditch.

1996 or before.
Miniature medieval jar. See drawing (S6).
See full details, photographs and (S1) in file.
D. Gurney (NLA) 8 May 1996.

February 2012. Excavation.
Archaeological Solutions Ltd (AS) carried out an excavation on land south of 21 Ashwicken Road, Pott Row (TF 7055 2175; Context numbers 1000-1041).
The site incorporates areas C, G and H of the excavation of 1970 described above and in (S2). Eighteen features were excavated, principally ditches, the earliest of which was a pit feature containing Late Saxon-medieval pottery. No evidence of the post-built structures identified in the excavation of 1970 was encountered. Almost the entire pottery assemblage was identified as Grimston-Thetford or Grimston ware.
See report (S3) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S9).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2013.38).
E. Bales (HES) 28 May 2012. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 16 May 2019.

Monument Types

  • BUILDING (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • DITCH (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • POST HOLE (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • BUILDING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FLOOR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • GULLY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POND (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POTTERY KILN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • WELL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POTTERY KILN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • AWL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BOWL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BUCKET (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • KILN WASTE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • KNIFE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • MORTAR (VESSEL) (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • NAIL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PERSONAL ORNAMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • QUERN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • RING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • ROOF TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • SHOE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • TEXTILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • WHETSTONE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • WORKED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • KILN WASTE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Photograph: HF2-4.
---Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 72 SW 20 [2].
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Early Saxon. Grimston.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Medieval. Grimston [3].
---Article in Serial: Wade, K. R. 1972. Pott Row, Grimston. Norfolk Research Committee Newsletter and Bulletin. Series 2 No 7 pp 7-8.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
<S1>Newspaper Article: Lynn News and Advertiser. The obvious reason why Pott Row got its name.
<S2>Monograph: Leah, M. et al.. 1994. The Late Saxon and Medieval Pottery Industry of Grimston, Norfolk: Excavations 1962 to 92.. East Anglian Archaeology. Vol 64.
<S3>Unpublished Contractor Report: Leonard, C. 2012. Land South of 21 Ashwicken Road, Pott Row, Grimston, Norfolk. An Archaeological Excavation. Archaeological Solutions. 4033.
<S4>Article in Serial: Wilson, D. M. and Hurst, D. G. 1972. Medieval Britain in 1970. Medieval Archaeology. Vol XV (for 1971) pp 124-179. p 176.
<S5>Article in Serial: Webster, L. E. and Cherry, J. 1973. Medieval Britain in 1971. Medieval Archaeology. Vol XVI (for 1972) pp 147-212. p 206.
<S6>Illustration: Ashley, S. 1996. Drawing of a miniature medieval pottery jar. Film. 1:1.
<S7>Illustration: Edwards, D. 1972. Drawing of a medieval pottery vessel. Paper. 1:5.
<S8>Illustration: [Unknown]. [Unknown]. Drawing of a medieval pottery sherd. Paper. 1:1.
<S9>Article in Serial: Cattermole, A. 2013. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk in 2012. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLVI Pt IV pp 568-576. p 571.

Related records - none

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