Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

January 2007. Desk-based Assessment.
The desk-based assessment found some potential for prehistoric remains dating from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. Roman activity in Gooderstone seems to be confined to an area east of this site. Saxon occupation evidence has been found in the vicinity of the site and nearby church, indicating a high potential for Saxon remains within the development area. It seems likely that the site had an agricultural function during the medieval period, but there may have been a small homestead on the road frontage to the south of the site.
See report (S1) for further details.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 2 October 2007.

January 2007. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site. From Context 1.
Saxon features recorded on the site include a pit containing a single sherd of Early Saxon to Middle Saxon pottery, and a ditch which yielded a single abraded fragment of Late Saxon or early medieval pottery along with approximately 1kg of animal bone. The excavators suggest this may indicate that this area of Gooderstone was formally divided by a series of ditches by the Late Saxon period, and that the animal bone suggests occupation in the immediate vicinity of this ditch. The presence of a possible Late Saxon buried soil elsewhere on the site is thought to indicate agricultural activity. This also contains some animal bone, again suggesting settlement very close by. This may relate to the Late Saxon settlement approximately 150m to the southwest (NHER 35779).
Medieval features included a ditch, a pit and a buried soil. The ditch was dated to the mid-12th to mid-14th century and was aligned east-west, parallel to Church View to the south, and may have been a plot boundary. The pit was found close to the Clarke's Lane frontage and yielded a few sherds of pottery and some animal bone, suggesting that it was used for waste disposal. These features together were thought to represent property boundaries and back yard activity adjacent to occupation areas. It has also been tentatively suggested that the alignment of the ditch indicates that the modern road layout pre-dates this period as it appears to respect the axes of Church View and Clarke's Lane. The buried soil appears to be slightly later, possibly late 13th to early 14th century, suggesting agricultural activity in this area in the later medieval period.
Post medieval 'made ground' layers and yard surfaces sealed the earlier deposits and almost certainly relate to the farm which occupied this site. 17th and 18th century pottery was recovered from a complex sequence of made ground deposits in the southern part of the site and a mid to late 18th century garden soil was also noted. The farmyard appears to have been established by the start of the 19th century, and a barn is depicted on maps of this area dated 1840.
See report (S1) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 2 October 2007.

Monument Types

• PIT (Unknown date)
• FINDSPOT (Early Saxon to Middle Saxon - 410 AD to 850 AD)
• PIT (Early Saxon to Middle Saxon - 410 AD to 850 AD)
• BOUNDARY DITCH (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• DITCH (Late Saxon to Medieval - 851 AD to 1539 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Late Saxon to Medieval - 851 AD to 1539 AD)
• BOUNDARY DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• RUBBISH PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• WALL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• GARDEN (17th Century to 18th Century - 1700 AD to 1799 AD)
• FARMYARD (18th Century to 19th Century - 1800 AD to 1899 AD)

Associated Finds

• ANIMAL REMAINS (Post Roman - 410 AD to 1900 AD)
• POT (Early Saxon to Middle Saxon - 411 AD to 850 AD)
• POT (Late Saxon to 12th Century - 900 AD to 1199 AD)
• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

Related records