Record Details

NHER Number:55058
Type of record:Monument
Name:Medieval and undated ditches and later garden features

Summary

Archaeological work undertaken prior to and during the redevelopment of this site revealed remains of only limited significance. The first work took place in 2010 when a single trial trench was excavated and watching briefs were maintained during subsequent groundworks in 2012 and 2017. Although the site is adjacent to St Andrew’s Church (NHER 6520) no human remains were identified, making it highly unlikely that the churchyard had ever extended to the south of its present position. Although deep soils were present these were most likely the result of the site’s use as a garden from at least the 19th century onwards. Features identified included two ditches of probable medieval date, one of which lay beneath the present churchyard boundary wall. The other remains recorded are likely to have been of much more recent date, including a number of probable cultivation features. Apart from a small number of medieval pottery sherds the finds recovered are all of post-medieval or later date.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 0813 3876
Map Sheet:TG03NE
Parish:HOLT, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

October 2010. Trial Trench.
Evaluation of site of proposed extension to St Andrew’s Church.
The single trench excavated revealed a deep sequence of soils, with natural deposits lying approximately 1.2m below the modern ground level.
A feature exposed at the northern edge of the trench was probably the edge of a north-east to south-west aligned ditch. This probable ditch produced two medieval pottery sherds and a medieval floor tile and ran parallel to the adjacent churchyard boundary.
A parallel linear feature to the south may have been another ditch, although it was much shallower and somewhat irregular, leading to the suggestion that it may have been some form of horticultural or garden feature. This linear feature also produced a small number of medieval pottery sherds. These feature were overlain by deep, humic garden soils.
Unstratified finds recovered during this work included a small number of post-medieval pottery sherds, a fragment of undatable lava quern and several animal bones.
The complete absence of human remains is notable, indicating that the adjacent churchyard never extended to the south of its present position.
See report (S1) for further details.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 6 February 2018.

May-July 2012. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with construction of extension to St Andrew’s Church.
The excavation of foundation trenches for the new building exposed three parallel east-to-west aligned linear features. The northernmost of these features was a ditch that lay directly beneath the existing churchyard wall. It produced an assemblage of medieval pottery and was been interpreted as an earlier churchyard boundary. The two other linear features had both been observed during the preceding evaluation of the site. Additional medieval pottery sherds were recovered from the larger ditch, whilst a single sherd of post-medieval pottery was recovered from the southernmost feature, which was again interpreted as a possible garden feature.
The unstratified finds recovered were predominantly of post-medieval date and included a range of pottery sherds, clay tobacco pipe fragments, bottle glass and a small number of metal objects.
As during the earlier work no human remains were encountered, confirming that the churchyard had always lain to the north of this site.
See report (S2) for details. Archaeological discoveries made during the excavation of foundation and service trenches within the churchyard itself are now recorded under NHER 63087.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2012.221).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 November 2018 and 16 May 2019.

July 2017. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with the extension of an existing carpark in the grounds of Gresham's School, immediately adjacent to the new extension to St Andrew’s Church.
Across much of the development area groundworks only disturbed the previously observed deep garden soils, with possible natural deposits only exposed in a small area at the eastern edge of the site. Here a possible ditch and a discrete feature of some kind were observed, although as neither was excavated their nature and date remain uncertain. The linear feature ran parallel to the wall that forms the eastern boundary of the site. Another linear feature exposed at the southern edge of the site contained brick rubble and was interpreted as either a wall foundation or a backfilled robber trench. A series of parallel dark strips observed at the western end of the site were probably the remains of cultivation features. These linear features were truncated by a single pit of unknown, but presumably relatively recent date.
Finds were limited to post-medieval and modern objects, none of which were retained.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 15 November 2018.

Monument Types

  • DITCH? (Unknown date)
  • PIT? (Unknown date)
  • FINDSPOT (Late Saxon to 12th Century - 1000 AD to 1150 AD)
  • DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • GARDEN FEATURE? (Post Medieval to 21st Century - 1540 AD to 2100 AD)
  • LINEAR FEATURE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Early 20th Century to 21st Century - 1901 AD to 2100 AD)

Associated Finds

  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Unknown date)
  • BURNT FLINT (Unknown date)
  • QUERN (Unknown date)
  • POT (Late Saxon to Medieval - 851 AD to 1539 AD)
  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD?)
  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD?)
  • FLOOR TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BOTTLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • DISC (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • HANDLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • PANTILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD? to 1900 AD?)
  • RING (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • SHEET (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BOTTLE (Early 20th Century to 21st Century - 1901 AD to 2050 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Unpublished Contractor Report: Adams, D. 2010. An Archaeological Evaluation at St Andrew's Church, Holt, Norfolk. NAU Archaeology. 2570.
<S2>Unpublished Contractor Report: Cope-Faulkner, P. 2012. Archaeological Monitoring and Recording at St Andrew’s Church, Holt, Norfolk. Archaeological Project Services. 97/12.
<S3>Unpublished Contractor Report: Mellor, V. 2018. Land off Church Street, Holt, Norfolk. Archaeological Supervision and Control. Witham Archaeology. 233.

Related records

6520Related to: St Andrew's Church, Holt (Building)
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