Record Details

NHER Number:23720
Type of record:Monument
Name:Iron Age ditch

Summary

This is the site of a large Iron Age ditch, excavated by the Norfolk Archaeological Unit in 1994, which may be a boundary ditch cutting off the small promontary now occupied by the Roman fort, see NHER 10471, and the village of Burgh Castle. Iron Age and Roman pottery, a Roman brooch, a medieval knife and a post medieval buckle have been found by metal detecting on the site.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 4908 0455
Map Sheet:TG40SE
Parish:BURGH CASTLE, GREAT YARMOUTH, NORFOLK

Full description

April 1987.
Formerly Oak Villa Farm Context 1.
Metal detecting find somewhere in field.
Head of hinged Colchester derivative brooch, late 1st century AD, (S1).
A. Gregory (NAU) 9 April 1987.

April 1987.
Context 2 .
Same date and circumstances as above.
Bronze crossbow brooch.
See drawing in file.
A. Gregory (NAU) 20 May 1987.

April 1989. Metal detecting find. Context 3.
Copper alloy figure of eight hook in form of snake.
Possibly Roman, from steelyard?
Photographed.
D. Gurney (NAU) 3 May 1989.

Object now positively identified as 18th/19th century military belt buckle.
D. Gurney (NAU) 28 July 1989

October 1994. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometry survey revealed a few possible pit and ditch type anomalies.
See report (S2) for further details.
D. Gurney (NLA) 27 October 1994.

December 1994. Trial Trenching. Context 4.
Several ditches noted, one of extreme length suggested as Iron Age boundary ditch across peninsula; contained briquetage of Iron Age or Roman date.
Iron Age sherds also found.
Flint flakes, medieval iron knife and recent finds.
See report (S3) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S4).
E. Rose, 22 March 1995.

November 1996. Watching Brief.
1.15km of trenches were dug to provide new services for static caravans.
Conditions for observation were poor.
Metal detecting was also carried out but no metal artefacts were recovered.
No archaeological features were seen.
Two pot boilers were the only finds recovered.
See report (S5) for further details.
J. Percival (NAU), 20 May 1997.

Monument Types

  • FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
  • BOUNDARY (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • DITCH (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Undated)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT BOILER (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • BRIQUETAGE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • BRIQUETAGE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • STEELYARD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • KNIFE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Illustration: Various. Various. Architectural plans.
---Photograph: NAU. [unknown].
---Photograph: NLA. Finds Photograph.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Slide: Various. Slide.
---Fiche: Exists.
---Photograph: EXL3-4.
<S1>Illustration: Gregory, T.. 1987. Drawing of a Roman head of hinged Colchester derivative brooch.. Film. 2:1.
<S2>Unpublished Contractor Report: Ovenden, S. M. 1994. Report on Geophysical Survey. Cherry Tree Holiday Park, Burgh Castle. Geophysical Surveys of Bradford. 94/106.
<S3>Unpublished Contractor Report: Ashwin, T. 1994. Report on Archaeological Evaluation. Cherry Tree Holiday Park, Burgh Castle. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 112.
<S4>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1995. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1994. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLII Pt II pp 230-239. p 232.
<S5>Unpublished Contractor Report: Forrest, K. 1997. A Watching Brief at Cherry Tree Holiday Park, Burgh Castle. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 207.

Related records - none

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