Record Details
| NHER Number: | 13163 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Possible prehistoric settlement, plateau of Ringland Hills |
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Summary
The bottom of a gravel pit located here showed a prehistoric floor surface. On top of this surface was a scatter of flint tools including flakes, scrapers, cones and planes as well as a Neolithic axe made from Lincolnshire flint and a sherd of pottery of a similar date. Southwest of the pit a collection of circular hollows were identified and although they showed no clear occupation evidence they did contain more flint pieces as well as charcoal. It certainly seems like some sort of prehistoric activity was centred here, perhaps occupation or lithic production.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TG 137 124 |
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| Map Sheet: | TG11SW |
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| Parish: | RINGLAND, BROADLAND, NORFOLK |
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Full description
In gravel pit on plateau of Ringland Hills quarter mile from site NHER 7798.
Pit 32 x 30.5m (105 x 100ft) exposed over whole length a prehistoric floor. Pockets of sandy loam, and of charcoal identified as sallow by Reid. Flint tools - flakes, scrapers, cones, planes.
One Neolithic sherd, pot boilers.
See (S1).
1919.
Half a polished axe of Lincolnshire flint found in situ on this floor. See (S2).
Large amount of Neolithic flint tools in NCM from various collections, from this site, all unregistered - information from F. Healy (NAU).
36.5m (40yds) southwest of pit (S1) records three circular hollows like 'hut-circles'; 2.7m (9ft) wide, 25.4cm (10in) deep; 5.3m (17.5ft) wide, 86.4cm (34in) deep, and 5.5m (18ft) wide, 71.1cm (28in) deep. Latter trenched 10 April 1915.
No occupation levels but flint flake and charcoal at 1.93m (6ft 4in). At depth of 30cm (1ft) 'very fine flint core' from which flakes had been removed. Also fragment of wheelmade pottery identified by 'Mr A. G. Wright of Colchester as probably Late Celtic, but may belong to the Roman period'. Also sherd called Neolithic, eighteen flint flakes of which two burnt and two rechipped. Charcoal identified as oak.
(S1)'s measurements are very hard to follow as he mixes depths with distance from edge of pit.
See (S1).
April 2008. Field visit.
At least 10 circular or oval hollows survive as earthworks on the side of the slope north/northeast of the plateau. The visible northern extent of the area containing hollows was recorded using GPS and the mapped area of the site has been extended accordingly.
D. Robertson (NLA), 12 May 2008.
June 2010. Norfolk NMP.
It is possible that the circular and oval hollows recorded above are likely to relate to the remains of shell craters associated with a World War Two tank training area (NHER 53659) located on Ringland Hills. A concentration of circular and oval craters is visible on the aerial photographs and their location is consistent with the location of this site. See NHER 53659 for details.
S. Horlock (NMP), 16 June 2010.
Monument Types
- SETTLEMENT (Undated)
- FLOOR (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
- SETTLEMENT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
Associated Finds
- PLANT REMAINS (Undated)
- POT BOILER (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
- LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
- POLISHED AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
- POT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
- POT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| --- | 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 - Neolithic. Ringland [2]. |
| <S1> | Article in Serial: 1916. Summary of Proceedings. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia. Vol II Pt II (for 1915-16) pp 320-325. pp 323-325. |
| <S2> | Article in Serial: 1920. Summary of Proceedings. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia. Vol III Pt II (for 1919-20) pp 315-322. p 315. |
Related records - none
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