NHER 1092 (Monument record) - Late Saxon defensive ditch and settlement and post medieval features, St Barnabas' Hospital, Bury Road

THE SITE OF THE THETFORD UNION WORKHOUSE AND ST BARNABAS' HOSPITAL, PREVIOUSLY RECORDED UNDER THIS NUMBER, IS NOW RECORDED UNDER NHER 51822.

1948-1957. Casual Find.
A bronze pin with a domed head and expanded shank was recovered from the ground surface.
See (S1, p 69 no 47 fig 112) for further details.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 22 August 2008.

April to May 1957. Evaluation. G. Knocker.
29 test trenches were excavated in southeast Thetford in order to assess the extent of Late Saxon occupation and locate a former ford in the area of Nuns' Bridges. Two of these were located near St Barnabas' Hospital (NHER 51822). Test Pit NB17 was located at the northeast corner, adjacent to Bury Road. No finds or features were recorded in this trench. Test Pit NB29 was located at the exteme south of the site and also yielded no archaeological finds or features.
See (S1, p 54) for further details.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 26 August 2008.

May 1977. Geophysical Survey.
A resistivity and magnetic survey was conducted in the eastern part of the walled area of St Barnabas' Hospital (NHER 51822) prior to excavation. No anomalies related to the Saxon town defenses were recorded.
See report (S6) and (S1) for further details.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 26 August 2008.

July to August 1977. Excavation.
Four trenches were excavated between the site of St Barnabas’ hospital (NHER 51822) and the isolation hospital in order to determine whether the Saxon town defences passed through this area.
The earliest feature recorded was a small ditch in Trench 1, located towards the north of the excavated area. This ditch contained no finds but was stratigraphically earlier than the Late Saxon period features.
Two parallel east-west ditches believed to be the Late Saxon defensive ditch were located in the extreme north of the site, within Trenches 1 and 3. The northern ditch was approximately 7.7m wide and 1.95m deep while the southern ditch was only about 3.4m wide and 1.5m deep. A bank may have been constructed on the northern edge of the northern ditch, but this was only seen in section in Trench 3 and this evidence was very slight. Four east-west aligned post holes just north of the northern ditch may also have been associated with the defences. Very few finds were recovered from the lowest fills of both ditches. Deposits in the northern ditch indicate that it was periodically waterlogged while it was open and contained only a few leather fragments, a bone skate, and occasional human and animal bone. However, the uppermost ditch fills contained large quantities of Late Saxon cultural material.
Between the two defensive ditches was a series of east-west linear features or slots containing Late Saxon and early medieval pottery. On the northern edge of one of the linear features was a small undated pit containing a tightly packed selection of human bones.
Both defensive ditches were cut by several small ditches, pits, and post holes. In the northwest of the excavated area the northern defensive ditch was also overlain by a layer containing large quantities of bone working residue and bone comb fragments. This material has been dated to the 11th century and a variety of industrial activities are represented including iron, bone, and horn working. Other finds from this area include a dog skeleton recovered from the lower fill of a northeast-southwest ditch and a bone flute.
To the south of the defensive ditches were several Late Saxon pits and post holes, one of which produced a styca of Ethelred of Northumbria dated to the late 820's AD, as well as a stratigraphically earlier inhumation. This was an extended inhumation of a male, orientated with head to the west, within a vertically-sided grave-pit which remains undated. A fragment of a child's skull and twelve vertebrae were recovered from the grave fill. Progressively fewer features were encountered towards the south of the site. Trench 2 contained only a single pit yielding Late Saxon and medieval pottery, and two post medieval pits were recorded in Trench 4.
Two sets of post medieval features observed in Trench 1 have been interpreted as likely garden features related to the Thetford Union Workhouse (NHER 51822). These consist of parallel north-south flat-based trenches designed to be freely draining and north-south rows of rectangular pits which appear to have contained organic material. These features contained 19th century pottery and brick as well as a late 14th century Walsingham lead pilgrim badge and a Late Saxon bone comb tooth fragment. The garden features were cut by a post medieval pit and a brick sump associated with St. Barnabas’ Chapel (NHER 51822).
Residual Prehistoric worked flint and a Neolithic flint arrowhead were also recovered.
See (S1, Pp 55-59), and (S2-S3) for further details. See (S4) for short summary.
The finds from this excavation have been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1995.54).
H. Hamilton (NLA), 7 October 2008.

1988. Casual Find.
A 17th century weight marked with the stamp of George IV was recovered from a garden in St Barnabas Close.
See (S5) for further details.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 22 August 2008.