Record Details
| NHER Number: | 41754 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Multi-period finds and features at Corner House |
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Summary
An evaluation excavation in 2005 revealed an Iron Age pit containing Iron Age pottery fragments, part of a quern, pieces of salt-making briquetage and flint artefacts. These were important finds, not only because they are rare in themselves, but because they are the first evidence of Iron Age activity in Wells. Also found were Roman ditches and medieval and post medieval ditches and pits.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TF 91703 43492 |
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| Map Sheet: | TF94SW |
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| Parish: | WELLS NEXT THE SEA, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK |
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Full description
June 2005. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site. Four trenches excavated. Contexts 1 to 37 used.
A later Iron Age pit containing fifteen sherds of pottery, a semi-complete rotary quern, fragments of salt-making briquetage and worked flint was found. This was an important discovery as not only do the feature and artefacts comprise the first Iron Age archaeology found in Wells, but Iron Age rotary querns, briquetage and flint artefacts are rare finds in Norfolk.
A medieval ditch, either a field or property boundary, was found in one trench.
Three pits, a ditch and six features of post medieval date were discovered. The pits could have been dug as rubbish pits, quarries for clay or as garden features. Six parallel east to west features were most probably garden features.
See report (S1) and (S2) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S3).
J. Allen (NLA), 17 February 2006. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 July 2015.
October 2005. Excavation.
Excavation of small area encompassing two of the evaluation trenches. Contexts 100-123.
No additional Iron Age features were identified.
Two parallel ditches were present, both of which produced Roman pottery sherds (suggesting a small medieval sherd recovered from one of these features during the evaluation was potentially intrusive. These were the first features of this period to be found in Wells, with a Roman presence previously evidenced only by chance finds.
Even though the site lies in what would have been the centre of Wells from at least the late medieval period onwards, no traces of buildings were identified.
The remainder of the features excavated were post-medieval in date and related to the site's recent use as a garden.
See assessment report (S4) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S3).
J. Allen (NLA), 6 February 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 July 2015.
April 2008. Outline publication synopsis.
This Iron Age evidence from this site will be included in a forthcoming monograph on Iron Age sites in Norfolk.
See revised project design (S5) and publication synopsis (S6) for further details.
S. Howard (NLA), 5 January 2010. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 July 2015.
A combined archive comprising material from both phases of archaeological work at this site has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.106).
P. Watkins (HES), 18 May 2019.
Monument Types
- GULLY (Unknown date)
- PIT (Unknown date)
- POST HOLE (Unknown date)
- FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
- FINDSPOT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
- PIT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
- DITCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- GULLY (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- BOUNDARY DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- DITCH (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- GARDEN FEATURE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- LINEAR FEATURE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- PIT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Associated Finds
- ANIMAL REMAINS (Unknown date)
- NAIL (Unknown date)
- SLAG (Unknown date)
- XFIRED CLAY (Unknown date)
- FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
- FLAKE (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
- POT (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
- POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- ROOF TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- BOTTLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- BRICK (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- KNIFE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- ROOF TILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- WINDOW GLASS (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| --- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
| <S1> | Unpublished Contractor Report: Robertson, D. 2005. An Archaeological Evaluation at The Corner House, Staithe Street, Wells-next-the-Sea. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 1081. |
| <S2> | Unpublished Document: Fryer, V.. 2005. An evaluation of the charred plant macrofossils and other remains from an Iron Age pit at Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk .. |
| <S3> | Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. 2006. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk in 2005. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLV Pt I pp 124-136. p 135. |
| <S4> | Unpublished Contractor Report: Watkins, P. J. 2006. An Archaeological Evaluation at The Corner House, Staithe Street, Wells-next-the Sea. Assessment Report and Updated Project Design. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 1113. |
| <S5> | Unpublished Contractor Report: Watkins, P. J. 2008. An Archaeological Excavation at The Corner House, Wells-next-the Sea. Revised Project Design. NAU Archaeology. 1113b. |
| <S6> | Unpublished Contractor Report: Watkins, P. 2008. The Archaeology of Iron Age Norfolk: an outline publication synopsis. NAU Archaeology. 1716a. |
Related records - none
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