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Record Details

NHER Number:5188
Type of record:Monument
Name:Early Iron Age settlement and Beaker period cemetery

Summary

An Early Iron Age settlement and a Beaker period cremation and inhumation cemetery were excavated in the 1960s. Two Iron Age buildings were excavated and many Iron Age objects including fragments of pottery, complete vessels, animal bones and a bone weaving comb were recovered. Seventeen Beaker period burials were also excavated. Several cremations were contained within vessels and one inhumation was that of a child. Later fieldwalking recovered Iron Age pottery, prehistoric flints and identified several possible other Early Iron Age structures.

Images

  • An Iron Age weaving comb found during excavation of an Iron Age settlement at Feltwell. © Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service. NWHCM 1961.393:A

Location

Grid Reference:TL 6969 9083
Map Sheet:TL69SE
Parish:FELTWELL, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

1961.
Human bone. Bronze Age burial? Found in agricultural works sectioned afterwards. Querns, weaving comb found.

1962. Excavation.
Hut site.
See dissertation by P. Shand (S1) for further details.

1965. Excavation.
Inhumation cemetery. Beaker pottery, (S4).
2 leafed-shaped arrowheads (S5 and S6) and a Neolithic scraper (S7) were drawn.

1974.
Iron Age and medieval sherds and a polished bone (S8) found.

1975. Stray Finds? [1].
Iron Age chalk weights possibly loom weights, (S9).
Identified by A. Rogerson (HES), 6 June 2014 from the illustration.
H. Mellor (HES), 6 June 2014.

Pre 1979.
Iron Age or Early Saxon sherds found.

1981.
Iron Age sherds found.

Pre 1981. Stray Find.
According to (S3) the Secker Collection also includes a number of other worked flints that were found either in this location or elsewhere in this field (Lower Hill Close, old O.S field 283, Curtis Field 84). Objects that appear to have not been previously recorded include:
2 blade cores.
1 leaf arrowhead.
1 scraper.
1 scale-flaked knife.
4 saddle querns.
It is noted that the cores are small and heavily corticated with blade scars; suggesting a possible Mesolithic date.
P. Watkins (HES), 22 October 2013.

1985. Fenland fieldwalking.
Iron Age pottery.
For full details see lists in file.
E. Rose (NAU), 23 April 1990.

For full details of Fenland wares, flint types, etc. see (S2).

Monument Types

  • HEARTH (Unknown date)
  • FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC? to 4001 BC?)
  • FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)
  • INHUMATION (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • CREMATION (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)
  • BUILDING (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • FLOOR (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • HEARTH (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • INHUMATION (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • ROUND HOUSE (DOMESTIC) (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • SETTLEMENT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds

  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Undated)
  • HUMAN REMAINS (Undated)
  • QUERN (Undated)
  • SPINDLE WHORL (Undated)
  • TEXTILE EQUIPMENT (Undated)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Undated)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Undated)
  • SCRAPER (TOOL) (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • BLADE CORE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC? to 4001 BC?)
  • HAMMERSTONE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • KNIFE (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
  • LEAF ARROWHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • LEAF ARROWHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • PLANO CONVEX KNIFE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • SADDLE QUERN (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • HUMAN REMAINS (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • POT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • BARBED AND TANGED ARROWHEAD (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)
  • POT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • WEAVING COMB (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---*Fieldwork: Fenland Survey. FWL 110. FENS.
---Serial: 1974. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1974. No 21. p 4.
---Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TL 69 SE 4 [2]; TL 69 SE 36 [2].
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Serial: 1961. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1961. No 8. p 2.
---Serial: 1962. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1962. No 9. p 3.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Bronze Age. Feltwell.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Iron Age. Feltwell [6].
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Medieval. Feltwell.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Miscellaneous. Feltwell.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Human Skeletal Remains (HSR). Feltwell.
<S1>Unpublished Report: Shand, P. 1984. Cauldron Field, Feltwell. Excavations of an Early Iron Age Settlement at the Fen Edge, 1962.
<S2>Archive: Fenland Folders.
<S3>Monograph: Healy, F. 1996. The Fenland Project, Number 11: The Wissey Embayment: Evidence for pre-Iron Age Occupation. East Anglian Archaeology. No 78. pp 30-36, 38-39; Appendix 8 (microfiche).
<S4>Illustration: Unknown. 1975. Drawings of a Beaker pottery sherd.. Film. 1:1.
<S5>Illustration: Unknown. 1975. Drawings of a Neolithic leaf-shaped arrowhead.. Film. 1:1.
<S6>Illustration: Unknown. 1975. Drawings of a Neolithic leaf-shaped arrowhead.. Film. 1:1.
<S7>Illustration: Unknown. 1975. Drawings of a Neolithic scraper.. Film. 1:1.
<S8>Illustration: Gregory, T. 1975. Drawing of an undated polished bone. Card. 1:1.
<S8>Illustration: [Unknown]. Drawing of an undated iron object (?bit). Card. 1:1.
<S9>Illustration: Gregory, T.. 1975. Drawing of Iron Age chalk weights possibly loom weights.. Card. 1:1.

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