Skip over navigation

View a printer friendly version of this page

Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Record Details

NHER Number:	48921
Type of record:	Monument
Name:	Late Saxon and medieval features

Summary

An evaluation and watching brief carried out in 2006 revealed Late Saxon gravel surfaces and post holes indicating structures, presumably buildings, were present. A beaten earth floor is also thought to be of Late Saxon date. There were several medieval clay surfaces and pits, from which were recovered horn cores from sheep or goat and cattle, indicating an industrial use, probably for the procurement of horn from the cores or other related activities such as tanning. Post medieval and Victorian features were also present.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:	TG 22744 09024
Map Sheet:	TG20NW
Parish:	NORWICH, NORWICH, NORFOLK

Full description

September-October 2006. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site. Four trenches excavated. Contexts 1 to 304.
Trenches 1 and 2 were located close to the site frontage onto Oak Street. In trench 1 gravel surfaces thought to be of Late Saxon date were recorded while in trench 2 the presence of post-holes indicated that Late Saxon structures, presumably buildings were present. A beaten earth floor revealed in this trench is also thought to be of Late Saxon date. Cutting these Late Saxon remains in trenches 1 and 2 were several pits of probable medieval date. In both these trenches, clay surfaces also of probable medieval date were present , though no associated structural features were identified. Overlying these surfaces were tips and dumps of soils interpreted as levelling up deposits. Post-medieval walls were present in both trenches,and a modern concrete beam recorded in trench 1.
In trenches 3 and 4 natural gravel deposits were overlain by grey alluvial silts. Cutting these silts were medieval pits. The recovery from these pits of horn cores from sheep/goat and cattle is taken to indicate an industrial use, probably for the procurement of horn from the cores or other related activities such as tanning. The few datable artefacts recovered from these pits suggested that these pits were in use during the medieval period. Sealing these pits were layers of soils that seem to represent levelling up of previous ground levels. A wall of possible early post-medieval date was present in trench 4 and a series of floors were associated with this wall. Victorian structures present in these two trenches included a large circular tank in trench 4 and cellars and other walls in trench 3. Due to levelling and making up of the site, Late Saxon and medieval remains were present below a minimum 1m of modern overburden.
See reports (S1) and (S2) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S3).
J. Allen (NLA), 12 March 2007.

November 2006. Watching Brief.
Monitoring undertaken as result of mitigation strategy. Contexts 305 to 340.
Details to come.
J. Allen (NLA), 24 November 2006.

A combined archive comprising material associated with both phases of archaeological work undertaken at this site has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2011.114).
P. Watkins (HES), 12 May 2019.

Monument Types

PIT (Unknown date)
FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
BEAM SLOT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
BUILDING (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
FEATURE (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
FINDSPOT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
FLOOR (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
HEARTH (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
PIT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
POST HOLE (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
STRUCTURE (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
FEATURE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
HORN WORKING SITE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
POST HOLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
TANNERY? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
CELLAR (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
WALL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
WELL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

BIRD REMAINS (Unknown date)
FISH REMAINS (Unknown date)
MAMMAL REMAINS (Unknown date)
OYSTER SHELL (Unknown date)
PLANT MACRO REMAINS (Unknown date)
SAMPLE (Unknown date)
VESSEL (Unknown date)
BURNT FLINT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
ANIMAL REMAINS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
ICE SKATE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
KNIFE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
QUERN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
ROD (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
ROOF TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
SHOE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
XHORN CORE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (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: Adams, D. 2006. Interim Report on an Archaeological Evaluation at the Former L C Jay Works, Oak Street, Norwich, Norfolk. NAU Archaeology. 1215.
<S2>	Unpublished Contractor Report: Adams, D. 2007. An Archaeological Evaluation at the Former L.C. Works, Oak Street, Norwich, Norfolk. NAU Archaeology. 1226.
<S3>	Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 2007. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk in 2006. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLV Pt II pp 261-273. p 269.