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Record Details

NHER Number:12548
Type of record:Monument
Name:Three late Neolithic pits or huts

Summary

Large numbers of prehistoric flints have been recovered from the surface of this area, along with prehistoric pottery sherds. An excavation was untaken here in the late 1970s, after at least one patch of dark earth, pot boilers and flints had been recorded. This work uncovered three Late Neolithic pits or huts, visible as round and oval depressions filled with Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age pottery sherds, pot boilers and worked flints. Surface collection nearby confirmed that the flint industry on this site dated to the Late Neolithic, and the diagnostic pottery sherds from the excavated depressions appeared to have been of a similar date. Other finds recovered at this site inlcuded a small number of Mesolithic worked flint and Roman to post medieval pottery sherds.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 325 316
Map Sheet:TG33SW
Parish:WITTON, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

OS field 28.

1960. Roman sherds and Beaker arrowhead.
1963. Flints found.
1971. Excavation of two Neolithic hut sites.
1972. Flint found.
1973. Bronze Age sherds found.
1960s-1970s. Mesolithic-Neolithic flint, Roman, Middle Saxon, Late Saxon, medieval sherds and artefacts.
1982-1983. Excavation of Neolithic pot boiler site.
1983. Flints found.
1992. Mesolithic axe found.
1994. Leaf arrowhead found.
See full details, lists, drawings and copy of (S1) in file.
E. Rose (NLA), 2 November 1994.

Context 1: general scatter. Prehistoric flints, Mesolithic blade. Middle Saxon Ipswich ware.
Context 2: 1972. Flint chopper from Bunkers Hill plus scrapers.
Context 3: Barbed and tanged arrowhead fround in 1960.
Context 4: Potboiler area.
Context 5: Early medieval pottery sherds.
Context 6: Late Bronze Age sherds. Flint scrapers and flakes. Roman, Late Saxon, medieval, transitional and post meideval pottery sherds. One brass bell. Many flints.
Context 7: Medieval, transitional and post medieval pottery sherds, brick and pipe stem fragments. Many flints.
Context 8: Five flint scrapers.
Context 9: Two Late Saxon, prehistoric, Early Saxon and medieval pottery sherds. Flints.
Context 10: Flints. One possible Early Bronze Age knife with bifacial flaking.
Context 11: 1960. Scatter of Roman pottery sherds. More in 1974. Possible Middle Saxon wares, medieval and transitional pottery sherds.
Context 12: Flints, patches of Bronze Age sherds.
Context 13: Early bronze Age? Hut Site 1. Excavated in 1971 and identified two Neolithic huts. Hut 1 roughly circular depression, saucer-shaped, 8 x 7 ft (2.4m x 2.1m) maximum depth of around 38 inches (97cm) below surface. Infill contained potboilers, flint flakes, Neolithic sherds. Largely undiagnostic by a few sherds appear to be Late Neolithic.
Context 14: Hut 2, 60 yards (54m) from Hut 1. Similar but more oval depression. Flint flakes and scrapers, potboilers, fired clay lump, sherds, some possibly Early Bronze Age. 1m deep. No evidence of fire or hearth. Two vertical 'disturbances' around 20cm diameter were found, one at each end of the pit. Excavators did not consider these to be post holes but animal burrows.
Context 15: 1982 to 1983. Bunkers Hill. Dark patch and potboilers observed in 1982 during ploughing. Excavated in summer 1983. Visited by F. Healey 7 September 1983. Excavation revealed subrectangular hollow, very approximately 2m x 2m, not all of which may have been excavated. Edge and fill confused by animal activity. Fnids throughout; pot boilers, struck flint, primarily Neolithic Bowl pottery with some later material. Many flints from surface of site. Aproximately 50 sherds of plain Neolithic bowl from surface and excavation.
Context 16: the fill of the pit context 15.

The finds recovered during the excavations on this site include a Mesolithic flint microlith. This find is noted in (S2) and described in (S3) as a Class 3d microlith made on a narrow blade.

January 1992. Fieldwalking.
Found at Context 17 (TG 3255 3150):
1 Mesolithic adze/gouge. See drawing (S4). Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (accession number unknown - possibly NWHCM : 1986.74).
Identified by P. Robins (NCM). Compiled by W. Milligan (NCM) 12 November 1992.
Information from file notes.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 11 June 2014.

Context 18: Bent leaf arrowhead.
Context 19: large broken flint arrowhead.

Before 14 June 2009. Surface collection.
Roman, medieval, medieval/post-medieval & post-medieval sherds and a post medieval crotal bell.
see list in file.
A. Rogerson, (NLA), 4 September 2009.

Monument Types

  • BURNT MOUND (Prehistoric - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • BURNT MOUND (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • HUT (Late Neolithic - 3000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • PIT (Late Neolithic - 3000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • ROUND HOUSE (DOMESTIC) (Late Neolithic - 3000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

  • BELL (Undated)
  • THIMBLE (Undated)
  • WHETSTONE (Undated)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Prehistoric - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT BOILER (Prehistoric - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • BLADE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • GOUGE? (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • MICROLITH (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • ARROWHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • ARROWHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • BLADE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • BRIQUETAGE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • FABRICATOR (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • FLAKE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • HAMMERSTONE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • HAMMERSTONE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • KNIFE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • LEAF ARROWHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • POT BOILER (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • RETOUCHED FLAKE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • SAW (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • SCRAPER (TOOL) (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • TRANSVERSE ARROWHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • POT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • BARBED AND TANGED ARROWHEAD (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)
  • POT (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)
  • POT (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • QUERN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
  • CROTAL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status

  • SHINE
  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Aerial Photograph: TG 3231M-Q.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Article in Serial: Healy, F. 1984. Recent Finds of Neolithic Bowl Pottery in Norfolk. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXXIX Pt I pp 65-82.
---Thesis: Garrow, D.. 2006. Pits, Settlement and Deposition during the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age in East Anglia. during the Neolithic and Early Pits, Settlement and Deposition during the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age in East Anglia.
---Correspondence: Robins, P.. 1989. J.E Owles flint collection brought in to Castle Museum for identification.. 5 April.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Neolithic. Witton [4]; Witton - NHER 7066.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Bronze Age. Witton [3].
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Roman. Witton [2]; Witton - NHER 6927.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Medieval. Witton.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Miscellaneous. Witton - NHER 7054; Witton - NHER 6958.
<S1>Article in Serial: Wymer, J. J. 1986. Further Neolithic Pits on Bunker's Hill, Witton. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXXIX Pt III pp 315-318.
<S2>Article in Serial: Lawson, A. J. 1983. The Archaeology of Witton, near North Walsham. East Anglian Archaeology. No 18. p 315.
<S3>Archive: R. Jacobi. -. Jacobi Archive. 10173.
<S4>Illustration: Robins, P. 1992. Drawing of a Mesolithic flint adze/gouge from Witton. Paper. 1:1.

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