Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

October 2004. Desk-based Assessment.
Air photographs of the site reveal former trackways and field boundaries around the area. The building was constructed in 1849 and later became a hospital which was enlarged in recent decades by wings and outbuildings.
See report (S1) for further details.
M. Dennis (NLA), 29 September 2005.

November 2004. Trial Trenching.
Excavation of 54 evaluation trenches. Contexts 1-324.
Revealed the presence of post medieval plough soil sealing probable medieval ditches and trackways. These represent a complex series of field systems and enclosure boundaries on the periphery of the medieval town of Aylsham. Two pits containing burnt material may be indicative of nearby medieval occupation. Within the grounds of the hospital most archaeology had been removed or obscured by construction of the workhouse and later hospital buildings. To the south were a series of 19th century rubbish disposal pits relating to the workhouse and later pits relating to the hospital. A small number of ditches were excavated suggesting that the medieval field systems seen to the north continue here.
See report (S2) for further details. See also (S3). The results of this work are summarised in (S4).
M. Dennis (NLA), 5th October 2005.

January 2008. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of large area in field to north of hospital.
This work revealed a number of ditches and gullies forming part of a medieval field system and a large medieval enclosure, which may have been used for holding stock. The remains of a possible medieval oven were found at the centre of the enclosure. The quality of the pottery suggests a high-status household was located within the vicinity during the 15th century. There was also a segment of Roman/Saxon ditch and post-hole and a possible Iron Age pit.
Final report awaited. See assessment report (S5) for further details. See also (S6)-(S8).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2010.275).
S. Howard (NLA), 18 November 2009.

Monument Types

• DITCH (Unknown date)
• FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• PIT (Early Bronze Age to Late Iron Age - 2350 BC to 42 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• POST HOLE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• DITCH (Roman to Late Saxon - 43 AD to 1065 AD)
• PIT (Roman to Late Saxon - 43 AD to 1065 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• BOUNDARY DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FIELD SYSTEM (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• GULLY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• LINEAR FEATURE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• TRACKWAY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• POST HOLE (Post Medieval to 21st Century - 1540 AD to 2100 AD)
• BUILDING (Early 20th Century to 21st Century - 1901 AD to 2100 AD)

Associated Finds

• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• FLAKE (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
• POT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• POT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• QUERN (Roman to Medieval - 43 AD to 1539 AD)
• POT (Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BRICK (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• COIN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• DISC (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• ROOF TILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• TOKEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• VESSEL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

Related records - none

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Aylsham (Parish Summary)