Norfolk Heritage Explorer

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Full description

1953. Lewton-Braine's Site 32.
Two sherds of Roman pottery.
Information from (S1).
(S2) adds '2 feet 6 inches (72.5cm) below a hut floor'.

Also 7th to 8th century Middle Saxon wares, human bones on surface, Late Saxon and medieval wares, oyster shells, rubbish pits, sagging base pots, bronze pin.

April 1954.
Skeleton ?Late Saxon found.
?Churchyard of Gnattington?
See (S2).

1957. Trial excavations by [1].
Middle Saxon and Late Saxon pottery, clay structures, graveyard. Pottery includes Thetford and Badorf.
See (S3).
Reported in (S29).

August 1958. Excavation.
Excavation by Dr P.A. Jewell (Ministry of Works), revealed an extensive Middle Saxon burial ground the east end and part of a settlement site to the west end. Approximately thirty skeletons were recorded, which laid east-west and were without burial goods, Middle Saxon sherds were found beneath some of the burials. Two bronze pins were recovered from the cemetery, one fine example with a facetted head and ring and dot decoration, the other with slightly facetted biconical head. Other finds included a carved bone comb-handle and a bone knife-handle. The settlement site was indicated by midden refuse and by a number of structural features. A footing trench, forming two sides of a rectangle, was also uncovered (the long side running roughly east to west), this perhaps a long house.
From cards by R.R. Clarke (NCM) and (S4).
See (S28) for further information.
E. Rose (NLA) amended by M. Langham-Lopez (HES), 22 February 2013.

However documentary evidence seems to show Gnattington was at site NHER 1618 - see that record.
E. Rose (NAU), 25 July 1984.

1991. Field Observation.
Trenches dug by landowner with mechanical excavator.
Revealed two human skeletons; plotted by NAU staff.
Mentioned in (S5) for site NHER 1079.
E. Rose (NLA), 13 November 1991.

1996. Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project. Excavation. Boneyard trench.
20m by 15m trench opened.
Middle Saxon features.
At least three phases of Middle Saxon linear features the latest of which is a V-shaped ditch aligned northwest to southeast and over 1.4m deep. Three rubbish pits, the largest of which contained the upper half of a high quality Ipswich ware pitcher used as an ad-hoc container with a base and sides of raw clay added. Within it were two burnt deposits.
Late Saxon/Saxo-Norman features.
Part of a cemetery bounded by a shallow gully west to east. Nineteen skeletons were uncovered with fifteen being fully excavated. All lay east to west in a supine position. The density of inhumations was greater further down the slope (northwards) and in some cases coffin nails were present. Five small pits were also dated to this period.
Early medieval features.
The dominant feature of this period was a large north to south ditch possibly associated with the southern ditch of the Reeddam. The ditch clearly truncated the cemetery and its fill contained disturbed human remains. This fill was in turn cut by a stone packed gully (possibly a footing trench) which was in turn cut by a narrow east to west gully.
See (S6) and (S7).
M. Dennis (NLA), 7 August 2006.

1997. Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project. Excavation. Boneyard trench and slot trenches to east.
Slots opened in unexcavated area to east. These revealed the continuation of the Middle Saxon north to south ditches and gullies sampled in 1960. These represent more than one period of usage although their functions remain unclear. Seventeen skeletons were excavated and a further six revealed but not lifted. All skeletons were supine and orientated west to east indicating Christian rite. The majority appear to have been buried in shrouds. Pins suggest an 8th to 9th century date suggesting contemporaneity with some of the Middle Saxon settlement features. An unusual burial in the southwest of a female with a horse. The head of the female was resting on the pelvis of the horse, though both the skull and limbs of the horse were missing due to truncation by a later burial. Excavation to the east revealed a spread of possible occupation debris. Remnants of a chalk surface is likely to have been a floor surface. This might belong to a phase post dating the cemetery.
See (S8).
M. Dennis (NLA) 10 August 2006.

1998. Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project. Excavation. Boneyard trench.
Twenty seven skeletons orientated west to east were lifted. The north to south ditches identified to the east of the site all appear to post date the cemetery. The fact that the cemetery is Middle Saxon rather than Late Saxon as previously supposed is suggested by a group of skeletons which lie below Late Saxon rubbish deposits. Ephemeral structural evidence probably post dating the cemetery was encountered.
See (S10) and (S11).
M. Dennis (NLA), 10 August 2006.

1999. Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project. Excavation. Boneyard trench and northern baulk.
Remains of a small, probably square, posthole building and two associated gullies. The building underlies seven burials and therefore predates the cemetery.
An area between the Reeddam trench (NHER 1605) and the Boneyard trench was opened. The area was much disturbed by river erosion, soil creep, bioturbation and human intervention. Natural flood deposits are interspersed with evidence for human occupation including boundary ditches, pits, postholes, cobbling, midden debris and a hearth.
See (S12) and (S13).
M. Dennis (NLA), 10 August 2006.

2000. Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project. Excavation. Old trench, eastern slot trench and New trench.
Area close to Reeddam trench (NHER 1605) in north of Old Trench (main trench described above).
A large east to west ditch sequence was excavated and recorded. It truncated Middle Saxon burials. It is probable that the ditch was associated with the creation of the reeddam in the Norman period. Later the ditch was re-cut. Fifteen east to west orientated skeletons were lifted. Many of the burials in the northwestern area appear to be coffin burials. A series of north to south drainage ditches were recorded. One of these cut settlement features including a sunken featured building. This building contained a large dump of oven lining or hearth rake-out. The date of some of these settlement features are consistently being pushed back.
East of Old Trench. 30m by 1.5m trench.
No burials were encountered. A large north to south ditch initially cut in the Iron Age and re-cut several times in the Saxon period was recorded.
West of main trench. New Trench.
Excavated to locate the site of P. Jewell's excavations in the 1950s.
See (S14) and (S15).
M. Dennis (NLA), 11 August 2006.

2001. Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project. Excavation. Old Trench and New Trench.
Old Trench.
New features include a shallow pit and north to south drainage gullies corresponding with features excavated further south. Three more burials excavated. To the west of these there may be an area free of burials.
New Trench.
Heavily disturbed ploughsoil was removed before excavation. It is expected the area will provide further settlement and cemetery evidence and contain P. Jewell's trenches excavated in the 1950s.
See (S16) and (S17).
M. Dennis (NLA), 11 August 2006.

2002. Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project. Excavation. Old Trench and New Trench.
Old Trench.
Structural and boundary sequence at west of excavation area identified. Burial excavations and associated features to east of area. Deposits, burials and settlement features immediately south of Reeddam trench (NHER 1605). Further Iron Age features observed at base of archaeological sequence.
New Trench.
Four main phases. Phase 1 Jewell's excavations. Phase 2 agricultural use of the site. Phase 3 Saxon settlement and cemetery. Phase 4 postholes relating to a possibly earlier building.
See (S18) and (S19).
M. Dennis (NLA), 11 August 2006.

2003. Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project. Excavation. Old Trench and New Trench.
Old Trench.
Northern lower slopes mostly investigated. Plot boundary ditches to the west of a possible hall like structure were completed. More burials excavated - a mixture of shroud and coffin burials. The baulk between the Reeddam trench (NHER 1605) and Old trench was excavated. Abandonment phase levels below the Saxon phase were recorded. Iron Age features include a large east to west ditch sequence and a superbly preserved horse burial. The burial suggests ritualised activity.
Also recorded was a hoard of 32 Iron Age coins (all gold Gallo-Belgic staters), most of which remained hidden within a cow bone. The coin hoard was submitted as possible Treasure (Ref 2003 T181) and subsequently acquired by King's Lynn Museum (KILLM : 2005.51). It is probable that several coins of similar type previously found by members of SHARP in the same area were originally part of this hoard.
The PAS record for this hoard (attached to ENF115655) includes all of the coins recovered at the site in its total of 39.
New Trench.
Sequence of Saxon settlement related ditches, possible occupation surface and post hole structure recorded. One burial lifted.
See (S20), (S21) and (S22).
M. Dennis (NLA), 11 August 2006. Amended by E. McDonald (HES), 1 January 2018 and P. Watkins (HES), 7 May 2020.

2004. Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project. Excavation. Old Trench and New Trench.
Old Trench.
Large portion of south and north sides excavated to natural deposits. An area in the western side was respected by burials. Two ditches mark a boundary with this part of the site. A small Iron Age ditched enclosure around the site of the hoard found in 2003 and a pit containing Iron Age pot and charred grain were recorded. A substantial ditch running east to west contained an assemblage of 1st century AD finewares for drinking and dining, apparently deliberately deposited. A large quantity of Mesolithic microliths recovered over the last few years and part of a Mesolithic tranchet axehead found this year suggests the presence of a Mesolithic site probably to the south of the Boneyard.
New Trench.
Full re-excavation of Jewell trenches. Saxon structure 17m long. Burials in the southeast corner of trench represent the western extent of the cemetery. A charcoal rich context in a ditch including a piece of burnt bread probably represents the sweepings from a nearby oven.
See (S23) and (S24).
M. Dennis (NLA), 11 August 2006.

2005. Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project. Excavation. Old Trench, western baulk and New Trench
Old Trench.
Dense concentration of possible Upper Palaeolithic or Early Mesolithic worked flint recovered. An Iron Age gully containing Middle Iron Age pot possibly part of the enclosure containing the hoard was recorded. A later Iron Age gully seems to have sub-divided the enclosure. Late Iron Age or Roman postholes and pits also recorded. Saxon burials largely all excavated and recorded. Baulk between Old Trench and New Trench excavated.
New Trench.
Roman ditch (joins to that recorded in Old Trench) recorded. East to west aligned Saxon rectilinear enclosure. Complex arrangement of Middle to Late Saxon features.
See (S25).
M. Dennis (NLA), 21 August 2006.

2005. Excavation.
An oval shaped object, either stone or bone, was found between the femur and pelvis of a possible female and is believed to be a urinary calculus caused by a urinary tract infection.
See (S26) for further details.
K. Ward (NLA), 15 January 2010.

2006. Excavation.
Worked flint was found in the Old Trench, assumption is that it is residual, having been moved from higher up the slope. Dated to the late Mesolithic to early Neolithic period. Two sherds of Roman pottery were discovered, one during further excavation of an east-west ditch relocated in 2005, and a sherd of Samian Ware in the section of a slot through an Anglo-Saxon feature within New Trench revealing the truncated end of the east-west ditch previously excavated in Old Trench. Residual Roman artefacts, including a nummus of Constantine I, dated AD 335-337, were also recovered from New Trench.

Earliest phase of Anglo-Saxon burials in Old Trench were excavated, recorded and lifted and the final portion of the east-west early medieval ditch cutting through the cemetary was excavated. Final burial in New trench was lifted, but the skeleton was truncated at the mid-femur level by a 1958 excavation trench, which had excavated and lifted the other part of the burial. 3 lines of postholes were observed in the south-western corner of the footing-trench enclosure, and the only dating evidence for the post-holes was a single piece of Ipswich Ware. An oval area of burnt clay was partially excavated in New trench and was found to represent a shallow pit that had been partly filled by dumped hearth or oven waste. An Ipswich ware rim-sherd dated this to the Middle Saxon period. Similar pits containing dumped oven linings were excavated in Old Trench. The remaining fills of a late north-south ditch were excavated at the eastern extent of New Trench, and they contained mostly Thetford Ware, with some possible unglazed Grimston Ware in the upper fills. However, a possible Late Saxon copper-ally, faceted finger-ring was found in one of the fills.
See (S27) for further information.
D. Holburn (HES). 20 September 2011.

2007. Excavation.
The pit containing hearth or oven waste, partially excavated in 2006, two small portions of north-east to south-west ditch and a further possible pit were the final Anglo-Saxon features to be investigated in New Trench. The pit produced large quantities of Ipswich Ware, lava quern and, interestingly, a sherd of early Stamford ware, a regional import.

As the earliest Anglo-Saxon levels at the northern extent of New Trench were removed, an east-west band of stones were revealed indicating the edge of a terrace or revetment. Underneath these stones the Post-Roman colluvium previously observed on Old Trench was revealed. During the removal of this deposit, apparently residual sherds of Roman Samian Ware were recovered.

Beneath the Post-Roman colluvium and at the northern edge of the trench three pits containing a dark brown/black fill were observed. The first pit, of Roman date, contained decorated sherds of possible Mediterrean pottery, two bone pin-beaters, a simple copper-alloy finger-ring, vessel glass, three iron blades and a large quantity of animal bone. The second pit contained large sherds of Late Iron Age Gallo-Belgic pottery, whilst the third pit contained no dating evidence, but was clearly sealed by the post-Roman collucium. The presence of these features, just clipping the northern edge of excavation, further suggests that concentrated Iron Age-Roman activity is located towards the valley bottom where the Iron Age coin Hoard was found.
See (S27) for further information.
D. Holburn (HES), 21 September 2011.

June 2018. Casual Observation.
While digging a non-archaeological trench on Boneyard, Sedgeford, as a soak-away for the Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project campsite shower facilities, human remains were uncovered at a depth of 95cm. Only the ankles and feet were exposed but enough was seen to assess that the burial was a supine inhumation with feet to the east. The burial lies outside of what was thought to be the bounds of the Middle to Late Saxon inhumation cemetery on the site so a toe bone and part of a heel were retained for radiocarbon dating. The remainder of the exposed human remains were covered for protection and backfilled.
See Email (S30).
A. Beckham (HES), 8 August 2018.

Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (Upper Palaeolithic to Late Mesolithic - 40000 BC to 4001 BC)
• FINDSPOT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• DITCH (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• ENCLOSURE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• GULLY (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• OCCUPATION SITE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• PIT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 1 AD?)
• PIT (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 409 AD)
• POST HOLE (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 409 AD)
• DITCH (Late Iron Age to Roman - 0 AD to 99 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BUILDING (Early Saxon to Middle Saxon - 410 AD to 850 AD)
• ENCLOSURE (Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• GRUBENHAUS (Early Saxon to Middle Saxon - 410 AD to 850 AD)
• GULLY (Early Saxon to Middle Saxon - 410 AD to 850 AD)
• POST HOLE (Early Saxon to Middle Saxon - 410 AD to 850 AD)
• BUILDING (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• CEMETERY (Middle Saxon to Late Saxon - 651 AD to 1065 AD)
• DITCH (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• FLOOR (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• GULLY (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• HEARTH (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• INHUMATION (Middle Saxon to Late Saxon - 651 AD to 1065 AD)
• PIT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• POST HOLE (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• SETTLEMENT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• YARD (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• GULLY (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• MIDDEN (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• PIT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• DESERTED SETTLEMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• GULLY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds

• HUMAN REMAINS (Undated)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Undated)
• MOLLUSCA REMAINS (Undated)
• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Upper Palaeolithic to Early Mesolithic - 40000 BC to 7001 BC)
• MICROLITH (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• TRANCHET AXEHEAD (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• TRANSVERSE ARROWHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• COIN (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• COIN HOARD (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 1 BC)
• BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• BOOK FITTING (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• BROOCH (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• COFFIN (Middle Saxon to Late Saxon - 651 AD to 1065 AD)
• COMB (Middle Saxon to Late Saxon - 651 AD to 1065 AD)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Middle Saxon to Late Saxon - 651 AD to 1065 AD)
• PIN (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• PIN (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• PIN (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• SHEARS (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• STRAP FITTING (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• STYLUS (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• COMB (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• PIN (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• PIN (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• STAINED GLASS (WINDOW) (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status

• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Related records - none

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Sedgeford (Parish Summary)
• Sedgeford, Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project (Places to Visit)