Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

July 2007. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of proposed aggregate extraction area.
The desk-based assessment revealed no indications of remains dating to any historic period, but cropmarks of prehistoric features within the proposed development area were noted (including NHER 16162, NHER 18235, NHER 18825 and NHER 18826).
See report (S1) for further details.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 16 October 2007.

October 2007. Systematic Fieldwalking and Metal-detecting Survey.
Field survey of proposed aggregate extraction area. Contexts 1-365.
Systematic fieldwalking and metal detecting of the proposed development area recovered three sherds of undiagnostic medieval and late medieval to post medieval pottery, a fragment of post medieval roof tile, 18 metal objects, and 34 struck flints. The flint implements include a core, a small blade of possible Mesolithic to Early Neolithic date, two retouched blades and a notched blade, seven scrapers, a piercer, and two retouched tools likely of Late Bronze Age to Iron Age date. The majority of the flint assemblage is likely of later Prehistoric date. The metal objects include a fragment of a medieval to post medieval buckle pin, a fragment of an iron cauldron of possible early post medieval date, a post medieval copper alloy button, a copper alloy escutcheon, and a possible fragment of a post medieval to modern tether ring.
See report (S2) for further details.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 07 March 2008.

October 2007. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometry survey of proposed aggregate extraction area.
This survey revealed several anomalies likely of archaeological origin. Five circular ditches were identified, four of which correspond with ring ditches identified in aerial photographs (NHER 16162, NHER 18825, NHER 18235). Negative anomalies at these four ditches may indicate former banks. Several rectilinear features may indicate enclosures, linear anomalies in the south of the site may indicate a bank and ditch system running southeast to northwest, and other small positive anomalies and linear anomalies may indicate additional cut features.
See report (S3) for further details (also reproduced in (S2)).
H. Hamilton (NLA), 14 February 2008.

January 2008. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed aggregate extraction area. Contexts 400-627.
This work saw the excavation and recording of three ring-ditches, probably the surviving parts of Bronze Age barrows previously identified from cropmarks and by geophysical survey. For details of these features, see NHER 16162, NHER 18825 and, NHER 18235. Other possible ring-ditches suggested by the geophysical survey were not proven by excavation, although the possibility remains that they do exist.

Some struck flint and pottery recovered from the site probably resulted from activity associated with the ring-ditches.
Two or three features containing pottery or flint characteristic of the earlier Neolithic period were excavated within the area enclosed by one of the ring-ditches. This suggests that activity on the site pre-dated that associated with the Bronze Age barrows.
A small but significant assemblage of Romano-British pottery was recovered from the site and clearly represents activity in its vicinity during the Roman period. However, none of the excavated features was datable to the Roman period.
Two Early Saxon sunken-featured buildings were excavated. This is of particular interest since no evidence from this period was previously known from the site. One of the buildings was unusually large.
Several finds from the fills of these sunken-featured buildings and from other deposits dated to the Early Saxon period. These include pottery, a copper-alloy pin, a copper-alloy toilet implement, a lead spindle whorl, an iron knife and a very unusual example of an iron snaffle. Both of the sunken-featured buildings were represented by geophysical anomalies. Several other similar anomalies occurred in the vicinity of the excavated examples and might represent further buildings.
A Late Saxon strap-end was recovered from the fill of a ring-ditch.
Other excavated features included ditches, pits and post holes, many of them undated but probably relating to one or other of the phases of activity mentioned above.
See report (S4) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S5).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.121).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 29 May 2008. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 18 May 2019.

October 2009. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Details to come.
The results of this work are summarised in (S6).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.121).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 13 October 2009. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 18 May 2019.

2013-2014. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Details to come.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.216).
P. Watkins (HES), 9 February 2017.

Monument Types

• DITCH (Unknown date)
• FINDSPOT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• GRUBENHAUS (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
• HEARTH? (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
• IRON WORKING SITE? (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
• PIT (Early Saxon - 410 AD? to 650 AD?)
• FINDSPOT (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

• UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Unknown date)
• WASTE (Unknown date)
• BLADE (Early Mesolithic to Early Neolithic - 10000 BC to 3001 BC)
• AWL (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• BLADE (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• CORE (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• CORE (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• END SCRAPER (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• FLAKE (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
• RETOUCHED FLAKE (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• RETOUCHED FLAKE (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• SCRAPER (TOOL) (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• SIDE SCRAPER (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)
• POT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• RETOUCHED FLAKE (Late Bronze Age to Late Iron Age - 1000 BC to 42 AD)
• COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• QUERN (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• BEAD (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• EAR SCOOP (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• KNIFE (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• LOOMWEIGHT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• PENDANT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• PIN (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• PLANT REMAINS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• ROD (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• SLAG (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• SPINDLE WHORL (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• SNAFFLE BIT (Early Saxon to Middle Saxon - 600 AD to 699 AD)
• STRAP END (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• BUCKLE (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BUTTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• CAULDRON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• RING (Post Medieval to Mid 20th Century - 1540 AD to 1950 AD)
• ROOF TILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• THIMBLE? (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• FURNITURE FITTING (17th Century to 19th Century - 1700 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

Related records