Record Details

NHER Number:40942
Type of record:Monument
Name:Neolithic flints, Late Saxon occupation and metalworking site, 30 Bridge Street

Summary

Excavations revealed Late Saxon occupation and metal working activity on this site. A number of interesting finds were recovered during excavations, including a 10th century pewter brooch and a Viking arrowhead. All activity on this site appears to have ceased by the 12th century, when a blanket of topsoil was either strewn or built up across the site.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TL 8670 8300
Map Sheet:TL88SE
Parish:THETFORD, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

November-December 2004. Trial Trenching.
Four evaluation trenches. Contexts 1-238.
Excavations revealed archaeological remains dating from the 10th and 11th centuries. Although there were few traces of domestic buildings, the number of refuse-filled pits indicates that domestic settlement was located nearby. This settlement appears to have coexisted with metalworking on the site, an activity indicated by large quantities of ash and slags. A number of interesting finds were recovered during excavations, including a 10th century glass-inlaid pewter brooch and a Viking arrowhead. All activity on this site appears to have ceased by the 12th century, when a blanket of topsoil was either strewn or built up across the site.
See report (S1) for further details. The results of this work are summarised in (S2).
See NHER 61024 for details of a potentially Late Saxon stone observed in the wall of an adjacent building during this work.
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2013.324).
A. Cattermole (NLA) 3 January 2005. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 14 July 2015 and 17 May 2019.

Monument Types

  • GULLY (Unknown date)
  • FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Post Roman - 410 AD to 1900 AD)
  • HEARTH? (Late Saxon to Medieval - 851 AD to 1099 AD)
  • METAL WORKING SITE (Late Saxon to Medieval - 851 AD to 1099 AD)
  • PIT (Late Saxon to Medieval - 851 AD to 1099 AD)
  • POST HOLE (Late Saxon to Medieval - 900 AD to 1099 AD)

Associated Finds

  • DRESS FASTENER (DRESS) (Unknown date)
  • RING (Unknown date)
  • BLADE (Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 2351 BC?)
  • FLAKE (Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 2351 BC?)
  • POT (Iron Age - 800 BC? to 42 AD?)
  • POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD? to 650 AD?)
  • ARROWHEAD (Middle Saxon to Late Saxon - 651 AD to 1065 AD)
  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • BRIDLE FITTING (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • HOOKED TAG (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Late Saxon to Medieval - 851 AD to 1099 AD)
  • NEEDLE (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • PLANT REMAINS (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • PRICK SPUR (Late Saxon to Medieval - 851 AD to 1150 AD)
  • QUERN (Late Saxon to Medieval - 851 AD to 1539 AD)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • BROOCH (Late Saxon - 1044 AD to 1046 AD)
  • COIN (Late Saxon - 1044 AD to 1046 AD)
  • ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • ROOF TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • TOKEN (Medieval - 1327 AD to 1377 AD)
  • BRICK (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BUTTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • COIN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • CROTAL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • ROOF TILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • TOBACCO PIPE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • JETTON (16th Century to 17th Century - 1600 AD to 1699 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Photograph: 2004. KRJ-KRK.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Unpublished Contractor Report: Shelley, A. 2005. An Archaeological Evaluation at 30 Bridge Street, Thetford. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 1032.
<S2>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. 2005. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk in 2004. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIV Pt IV pp 751-763. p 760.

Related records - none

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