Record Details

NHER Number:19168
Type of record:Monument
Name:Possible Middle to Late Saxon settlement, prehistoric worked flints, Roman to post-medieval objects

Summary

Fieldwalking and metal-detecting between 1984 and 2019 recovered undated and Early Bronze Age flint implements; Roman, Middle Saxon, and post-medieval pottery sherds; Roman and medieval coins; aswell as undated, Roman, Late Saxon, and medieval to post-medieval metal objects. The metal finds include undated metalworking debris, unidentified objects, and a button; Roman metalworking debris; Late Saxon brooches; medieval to post-medieval dress accessories, a harness fitting and an unidentified object; and a post-medieval thimble and an unidentified object. A geophysical survey before 2011 revealed a possible boundary bank that may have enclosed a Middle to Late Saxon settlement.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TF 67 12
Map Sheet:TF61SE
Parish:WORMEGAY, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

1958. [1].
Source claimed that Roman sherds and slag, part of site NHER 3460 were found on south edge field north of church, but R. Silvester (NAU) could find no such finds in 1983 and suggests this was a mistake.

26 April 1983. Fenland fieldwalking.
Over field planted with sugar beet not yet growing, well weathered.
Odd sherds of Roman and medieval pottery.
Flints including good scraper.
Individual findspots plotted on Fenland overlay.
One sherd re-identifed as possible Middle Saxon, flints as Beaker period.

1984. Metal detecting finds. [2].
Include Late Saxon brooch, Roman coins, post medieval metalwork, undated metalwork.
See detailed list and (S1) in file.
A. Rogerson (NAU), October 1984.

1987. [2].
Further finds include medieval coin and post medieval? forgery.
See file for details.
E. Rose (NAU), 7 January 1988.

1996. Fieldwalking by source and students. Divided into two areas. [3].
Iron slag, Middle Saxon, medieval, post medieval sherds, one Roman sherd.
See list and (S1) in file.
E. Rose (NLA), 9 February 1999.

October 1998. Metal detecting. [4].
Late Saxon brooch, (S2).
Medieval and post medieval objects.
See list in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 4 December 1998.

Before 2011. Geophysical survey.
Three north-south aligned linear features were noted as parchmarks c.100m west of the eastern extent of NHER 19168, running over an average north to south distance of c. 90m. Each had an approximate width of 3m, and they seemed to curve on a common alignment slightly towards the east at their northern end. The features seem to represent boundary ditches; probably the main western boundary ditches of the Middle to Late Saxon settlement. Their common alignment suggests either the presence of a trivallate enclosure, or the periodic reinstatement of a key boundary feature. Beyond the northern extent of the three north-south anomalies two further cropmarks were identified, running broadly on an east-west alignment into NHER 17286 for observed lengths of c. 20m (western feature) and c.40m (eastern feature). If these features relate to the north-south aligned features, a potential northern side of a large sub-square, measuring a maximum of c.200 square metres, is implied. If this is a Middle to Late Saxon boundary the now isolated St. Michaels church would be placed in the south-west corner of an enclosure, possibly implying either a contemporaneous layout or later churchyard layout respecting earlier boundaries.
See (S3).
S. Howard (HES), 10 November 2011.

January-February 2019. Metal-detecting. [5].
2 medieval coins.
Information from PAS import.
E. McDonald (HES), 1 April 2019.

Monument Types

  • FINDSPOT (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BOUNDARY BANK? (Middle Saxon to Late Saxon - 651 AD to 1065 AD?)
  • ENCLOSURE? (Middle Saxon to Late Saxon - 651 AD to 1065 AD?)
  • FINDSPOT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • SETTLEMENT? (Middle Saxon to Late Saxon - 651 AD to 1065 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

  • BUTTON (Undated)
  • METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Undated)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Undated)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Undated)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • BROOCH (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • BROOCH (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • HARNESS FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • STRAP FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • COIN (Medieval - 1422 AD to 1427 AD)
  • COIN (Medieval - 1464 AD to 1470 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • HARNESS FITTING (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • STRAP FITTING (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • THIMBLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Unpublished Document: Smallwood, J.. 1996. Park Farm, Wormegay.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Photograph: CQE 5-13.
<S1>Map: Finder's Map..
<S2>Illustration: White, S.. 1998. Drawing of a Late Saxon disc brooch.. Film. 2:1.
<S3>Thesis: Davies, G.. 2010. Settlement, economy and lifestyle: The changing social identities of the coastal settlements of West Norfolk, 450-1100 AD.. p 158.

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3460Related to: Roman metal working debris and pottery sherds, Saxon and medieval pottery sherds (Monument)

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