Record Details

NHER Number:33970
Type of record:Monument
Name:Iron Age to post medieval features, possible Prehistoric burnt mound and associatd finds.

Summary

Fieldwalking in 1997 during the laying of a gas pipe recorded remains of a possible prehistoric burnt mound as well as Saxon, medieval and post medieval pottery fragments and post medieval metal items including a coin and a buckle. Subsequent excavation revealed that the flints likely originated from the upper fill of a large undated pit or post hole. A large feature interpreted as a natural hollow yielded large quantities of Iron Age pottery, and other undated features including a small rectangular enclosure and two small grave-like pits may also date to this period. Small quantities of Middle Saxon pottery were also recovered from two small pits.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 3626 2976
Map Sheet:TG32NE
Parish:EAST RUSTON, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

January-April 1997. Systematic Fieldwalking and Metal-detecting Survey.
Field survey on proposed route of Bacton to Great Yarmouth pipeline (Field/Location RDX 9.5).
A concentration of burnt flint and dark soil indicate the presence of a ploughed out burnt mound in this field. 24 pot boilers and several flint flakes were recovered from either side of the concentration. One sherd each of Middle Saxon and medieval pottery, two post medieval sherds, a post medieval coin and a post medieval buckle were also recovered.
See report (S1) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2011.55 and NWHCM : 2017.395).
E. Rose (NLA) November 1998. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 May 2019.

November 1998. Systematic Fieldwalking Survey.
Additional field survey on proposed route of Bacton to Great Yarmouth pipeline (RDX 9.5; Site 2).
This area was selected for further, more detailed fieldwalking but cropping regimes prevented access.
See report (S2) for further details.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 2 June 2008.

March-May 1999. Excavation.
Excavation on route of Bacton to Great Yarmouth pipeline (Site 2).
Excavation in the north-western portion of the field recorded a variety of features and finds ranging from the Prehistoric to the medieval period. A small rectangular ditched enclosure at the northeastern end of the site associated with two undated pits remains undated. No entrance or other structural features could be discerned and the only find from the fill was a post medieval brick fragment. This feature may be a footing trench for a structure of relatively late date. Two ovate, grave-like features initially interpreted as possible burials have also remained undated. These features contained redeposited subsoil, but no finds were recovered.
On the western edge of the site a pit or possible ditch terminus yielded sherds from three Middle Saxon vessels as well as a possible hone stone fragment, weed seeds, and possible industrial residue.
Additional pits and post holes were recorded in the centre of the site. One large pit contained 78 fragments of burnt flint in its upper fill as well as ash, two pieces of fired clay or daub and hammerscale. The location of this pit corresponds to the burnt mound identified during field walking and is likely the source of the postboilers collected in 1997. Another small pit contained Middle Saxon and medieval pottery as well as a fragment of cattle bone, an iron nail and a small lava fragment, while a small post hole yielded 4 Iron Age sherds which may have originated from the same vessel and a possible flint core.
Additional Iron Age activity is represented by an assemblage of 59 pottery sherds recovered from a large area of dark soil along with burnt bone, charcoal, two flint core fragments, an irregular or 'spurred' flint scraper, and flint flakes. This feature was up to 0.60m deep and may have been an open hollow when the pottery was deposited. However, due to time constraints it was not fully excavated and it may have been comprised of several intercutting features. The undated rectangular enclosure noted above is similar in size to Iron Age features interpreted as burial barrows excavated elsewhere in Norofolk and this, along with the presence of the undated grave-like features, has led to the tentative suggestion that the site may have had ritual significance.
See publication draft (S3) and assessment report (S4) for further details. See also (S5).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2011.55 and NWHCM : 2017.395).
H. Hamilton (NLA), 5 June 2008. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 May 2019.

Monument Types

  • PIT (Unknown date)
  • POST HOLE (Unknown date)
  • RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE (Unknown date)
  • BURNT MOUND? (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • POST HOLE? (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • DITCH? (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • PIT? (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PIT? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Unknown date)
  • MANUFACTURING DEBRIS (Unknown date)
  • NAIL (Unknown date)
  • PLANT MACRO REMAINS (Unknown date)
  • QUERN? (Unknown date)
  • WHETSTONE (Unknown date)
  • CORE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT BOILER (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • RETOUCHED FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • CORE? (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • SCRAPER (TOOL) (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • COIN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Unpublished Contractor Report: Crowson, A. 1997. Bacton to Great Yarmouth Power Station Pipeline Archaeological Fieldwalking Survey. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 262. RDX 9.5.
<S2>Unpublished Contractor Report: Crowson, A. 1998. Bacton-to-Great Yarmouth Power Station Pipeline. Archaeological Fieldwalking Survey. Part II. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 362. Site 2.
<S3>Unpublished Report: Bates, S. 2008. Archaeological work on the line of the Bacton to Great Yarmouth Gas Pipeline, Norfolk, 1997-9. Publication draft. Site 2, pp 8-10.
<S4>Unpublished Contractor Report: Bates, S. and Crowson, A. 2004. Assessment Report and Updated Project Design for Archaeological Excavations and Watching Brief on the Bacton to Great Yarmouth Gas Pipeline, Norfolk. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 924. Site 2, pp. 10-11.
<S5>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1999. Chance to look at past. 31 May.

Related records - none

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