Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

January 2003. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometry survey of proposed development area.
Revealed several ditches surrounding a large, irregular feature on the western side of the site.
See report (S1) for details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 11 October 2007.

January 2003. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development area. Contexts 1 to 17 used.
The trial trenches confirmed the archaeological character of these geophysical anomalies and revealed several substantial pits, an additional ditch and two smaller, shallow pits, all dated to mid to late Roman.
Evidence appeared to represent quarrying, arable cultivation and midden accumulation at the edge of the fairly substantial 2nd to 4th century AD Roman settlement that was identified previously during field survey and observations further to the west (NHER 9270) .
Also a flint scatter of probable Bronze Age date.
See report (S3) for details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.108).
M. Horlock (NLA), 20 January 2003. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 18 May 2019.

August-December 2005. Excavation and Watching Brief.
There was little evidence for a sustained presence on this site during the prehistoric period. A small assemblage of worked flint was recovered. A large, irregularly-shaped feature was found to contain a broken Neolithic polished axe and eight other worked flints. The irregular shape of this feature and its undulating base suggest that it was a tree throw which was used in some way in the Neolithic period.
Activity appears to have intensified on this site during the first half of the 2nd century AD, as suggested by a cache of 2nd century Samian pottery. This represents a complete group of table vessels, perhaps a funerary or votive deposit, apparently deposited in an area bounded by a network of ditches. The coins from this site support the intensification of activity on the site in the 2nd century, with only one out of a total of 68 having been struck during the 1st century AD. A large enclosure ditch was excavated and was found to contain a large number of archaeological finds including 20 coins and a large quantity of pottery dating from the mid 3rd to 4th centuries. The ditch appears to have been excavated in the 1st to 3rd century AD to enclose the main area of buildings within the settlement (NHER 9270), which lay outside the area of excavation. A further segment of this ditch was observed during the watching brief that followed the excavation. During the watching brief no archaeological cut features or finds were observed or recorded to the west of the ditch, suggesting this feature respected and enclosed the farm and its associated structures and not a further building located to the west.
The area to the east of the ditch, which formed the bulk of the area excavated, was marked by a number of ditches and gullies which divided the area. These ditches followed a number of alignments, and more time is required to interpret these alignments and inter-relationships more accurately.
A large feature within the farmyard area at Hethersett is thought to be a pond. This feature started to backfill in the 1st to 2nd centuries but was still backfilling in the later 3rd or 4th centuries.
A small area of the site, clearly demarcated on three sides by ditches, contained a number of curvilinear features. These, along with post holes and pits within the same area, have been tentatively interpreted as stock enclosures. An alternative explanation is that these are the remnants of eaves-drainage gullies, perhaps partially surrounding haystacks for example.
One of the most striking features within the excavated area was a drying building located against the eastern edge of the excavation. This example proved to be exceptional within a Norfolk context for the survival of such an early clay-walled building. Its size is also exceptional, suggesting that it served a large area. The building was formed from clay walls in a flat-based cut measuring 5.27m by 5.42m. The wall circuit was broken by a single aperture from which clay flanking walls protruded for approximately 0.85m. The aperture was bordered on one side by an oval raking pit and was divided in two by a central spine wall, also of clay. The flanking walls continued into the body of the building to create the outer walls of two parallel flues separated by the spine wall. The raking pit was sheltered from the elements by a timber structure. The flanked aperture is interpreted as the throat of the hearth, and the clay floor in this area was baked a dark crimson red. The flues probably continued to the back wall where they turned and followed the inside faces of the outer walls. A revision of the arrangement appears to have taken place when the central flues instead terminated against the rear wall. There was evidence that all flues were roofed with clay blocks and that in the second phase of use at least, the internal area between the flues was also floored with clay. A single sherd of 3rd to 4th century pottery was recovered from the building's foundation cut. Unsurprisingly, very few artefacts were recovered from within the building.
A square well was located within the area of the farmyard, sitting within an ovoid-shaped cut. The shape of this feature parallels a 2nd to 3rd century timber-lined well at Weeting (NHER 5636), although no traces of a timber-lining were recorded at this location. The backfill of the well is dated to the end of identifiable occupation of the site, the Early Saxon period. One coin was found in the well backfill and was dated to the period 353-364. Several nearby features were probably associated with the well, including a shallow sub-surface tank, backfilled in the 4th to 5th centuries.
Final report awaited. See assessment report (S4) for further details. The results of this work are also briefly summarised in (S5).
Previously recorded (in error) under NHER 41869.
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.108).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 11 October 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 18 May 2019.

Two wells found in excavation are to be preserved in situ.
See (S5) in file.
D. Gurney (NLA), 21 September 2005.

Monument Types

• DITCH (Unknown date)
• FINDSPOT (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
• FINDSPOT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• BOUNDARY DITCH (Roman - 43 AD to 250 AD)
• DITCH (Roman - 43 AD to 250 AD)
• DITCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• DRAINAGE DITCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• ENCLOSURE (Roman - 43 AD to 250 AD)
• FARMSTEAD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FIELD SYSTEM (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• GULLY (Roman - 43 AD to 250 AD)
• GULLY (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• MIDDEN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PIT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PIT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POND? (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POST HOLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• QUARRY (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SETTLEMENT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• STOCK ENCLOSURE? (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• TRACKWAY (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• WELL (Roman to Early Saxon - 43 AD to 650 AD)
• BUILDING (Roman - 250 AD to 409 AD)
• CORN DRYING OVEN (Roman - 250 AD to 409 AD)
• DRYING KILN (Roman - 250 AD to 409 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

• BLADE (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
• BURNT FLINT (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
• CORE (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
• FLAKE (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
• KNIFE (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• POLISHED AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• RETOUCHED FLAKE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• SCRAPER (TOOL) (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BRACELET (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BRACELET (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FERRULE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FIGURINE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• HARNESS MOUNT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• MORTARIUM (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• NAIL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PLANT MACRO REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POT MEND (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• QUERN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SPINDLE WHORL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SPINDLE WHORL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SPOON (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

Related records

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Hethersett (Parish Summary)