Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

August-October 2001. Systematic Fieldwalking and Metal-detecting Survey and Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed aggregate extraction site.
Initial fieldwalking survey found that prehistoric worked flints of probable Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date were distributed in a fairly uniform pattern across the site, with three possible concentrations. Other finds were relatively scarse and included 1 prehistoric pottery sherd, 1 Roman coin, medieval and post-medieval pottery and ceramic building material.
The subsequent trial trenching identified a number of pits, post-holes and ditches, which were interpreted as representing several phases of activity between the prehistoric and medieval periods.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 6 May 2015.

September-October 2001. Excavation.
Revealed a Neolithic enclosure, Roman field system, Early Saxon settlement and later field boundaries.
See published article (S2) and publication draft (S3) for further details. The results of this work are summarised in (S9) and the prehistoric features are also discussed in (S10) and (S11).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.469).
D. Gurney (NLA), 8 March 2002. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 6 May 2015 and 27 April 2019.

August 2005.
The Neolithic enclosure could be an early Neolithic mortuary enclosure or a ploughed flat long barrow.
Full publication in (S3).
D. Robertson (NLA), 24 August 2005.

October 2006. Norfolk NMP.
Cropmarks of field boundaries and ditches of unknown, late Saxon, medieval and post medieval date are visible on aerial photographs (S4-S6). The central grid reference for this site has been amended from TM 3528 9210 to TM 3525 9202. The central section of this site has been excavated (S1-S3) providing dating evidence for some of the cropmarks. However, not all of the features recorded during the excavation were visible as cropmarks. The earliest dateable cropmarks relate to a Roman field system that lies mainly to the southwest of the site and is recorded separately as NHER 36363. Linear ditches, probably field boundaries, of late Saxon to medieval origin are present in the main area. These include a linear ditch that extends from TM 3509 9201 to TM 3526 9208. An L shaped ditch that extends between TM 3533 9217 and TM 3536 9209 and a linear ditch to its southeast at TM 3537 9208 are also of late Saxon to medieval date (S2-S3). A linear ditch, whch extends from TM 3511 9195 to TM 3535 9208 where it forms a T junction with a northwest to southeast aligned ditch, was also recorded during the excavation. This ditch is marked on the 1840 Broome tithe map (S7) and was proven to be of post medieval date by the excavation. Rectilinear enclosures are present along the northwest and northeast boundaries of the site, partly adjoining Broome Beck. At least three of the enclosures are complete and have internal dimensions of 48m by 45m, 57m by 42m and 188m by 46. The long enclosure of field along the northwest boundary of the site was marked on the 1840 tithe map (S7) and first edition six inch to the mile Ordnance Survey map (S8). The ditch on its southeast side was identified in Trench 4 of the site evaluation (S1) as being of 19th century date. However, this ditch continues to the northeast where it forms the boundary between the other complete enclosures. Those enclosures are not shown on any of the cartographic sources examined. It is likely that they are or early post medieval or possibly medieval origin and that they had been removed by the mid 19th century. Their alignment corresponds well to that of the excavated medieval ditches. One of the enclosures, centred on TM 3539 9218, contains cropmarks of parallel linear ditches. The enclosure is probably too small for these to relate to ridge and furrow, but it is likely that they are the result of some type of agricultural activity. Other fragmentary ditch cropmarks of unknown date are present across the field. Not all of the cropmark features were identified during the excavations and it is possible that some have been lost to ploughing. A Neolithic enclosure was also identified during the excavation. This was located in a former channel that did not reveal any cropmarks on the aerial photographs examined.
J. Albone (NMP), 30 October 2006.

Monument Types

• DITCH (Unknown date)
• MORTUARY ENCLOSURE (Undated)
• PIT (Unknown date)
• POST HOLE (Unknown date)
• ENCLOSURE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• FINDSPOT (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
• FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• LONG BARROW (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
• OVAL ENCLOSURE (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
• PIT (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
• PIT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• POST HOLE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• FINDSPOT (Late Neolithic - 3000 BC to 2351 BC)
• FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• PIT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• DITCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FIELD BOUNDARY (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FIELD SYSTEM (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PIT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BUILDING (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
• FENCE (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
• GRUBENHAUS (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
• GRUBENHAUS (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
• PIT (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
• POST HOLE (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
• SETTLEMENT (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
• DITCH (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• FIELD SYSTEM (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FIELD (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• FIELD BOUNDARY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FIELD SYSTEM (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POST HOLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• RECTILINEAR ENCLOSURE (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• FIELD BOUNDARY (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

• ANIMAL REMAINS (Unknown date)
• AWL (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• BLADE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• BURNT FLINT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• CORE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• DRILL BIT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• FLAKE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• POT (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
• POT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• SCRAPER (TOOL) (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• XFIRED CLAY (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
• POT (Late Neolithic - 3000 BC to 2351 BC)
• AWL (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• AXEHEAD (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• BLADE (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• BURNT FLINT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• CORE (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• DRILL BIT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• FLAKE (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• SCRAPER (TOOL) (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• BRACELET (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BRICK (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FLUE TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• QUERN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• KNIFE (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ROOF TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BRICK (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• BUTTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• MOLLUSCA REMAINS (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• ROOF TILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

Related records

Find out more...

• Make a prehistoric pot (Crafty Idea)
• Parish Summary: Broome (Parish Summary)