NHER 40949 (Monument record) - Early Iron Age, post-medieval and undated remains

2004. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of proposed development site.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 11 September 2015.

December 2004. Trial Trenching.
Limited evaluation of proposed mineral extraction site.
One of the northernmost trenches revealed what appeared to a buried soil, which contained Iron Age pottery sherds and fragments of animal. This deposit was truncated by three pits, two of which also produced Iron Age pottery. A pit at the southern end of the site was found to contain a single Roman pottery sherd. A cluster of undated post- or stake-holes were also recorded in this part of the site.
Unstratified finds were limited to Neolithic/Early Bronze Age worked flints and a small assemblage of metal objects, comprising a medieval/post-medieval lead window came; post-medieval buttons, mounts, a possible vessel spout, an iron bucket handle and lead toy gun and a late post-medieval/modern steel button.
See report (S2) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S3).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2007.185).
J. Allen (NLA), 8 June 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 5 May 2019 and 11 March 2025.

May-November 2012. Trial Trenching.
Further evaluation of proposed mineral extraction site.
The 23 additional trenches excavated revealed further evidence for Iron Age activity, with Early Iron Age pottery recovered from a number of pits and three natural hollows. This assemblage appears to fall within the 'Mature Decorated ware' phase of the period and therefore likely dates to c. 600/500 to 350/300 BC. Features of Iron Age date were encountered in several parts of the site suggesting activity was potentially fairly widespread. Other finds from these features included an assemblage of animal bone (that appears to represent consumption waste, rather than primary butchery debris), fragments of fired clay and pieces of burnt flint. Samples taken from several of the Iron Age deposits produced a small number of charred spelt wheat and hulled barley grains and uncharred specimens of segetal weeds.
There was some limited evidence for earlier activity on the site, with a small number of potentially Upper Palaeolithic and undiagnostic Late Prehistoric flint flakes recovered, along with a single Early Bronze Age pottery sherd (residual within an Iron Age context).
Later features included a number of north-west to south-east and north-east to south-west aligned ditches. Most, if not all, are of probable post-medieval date, with two corresponding with former field boundaries depicted on the Stoke Ferry tithe map (S4) and late post-medieval pottery recovered from two of the other, similarly-aligned features. Single fragments of clay-tobacco pipe stem and iron slag were also found in one of these ditches.
Notable undated remains included a probable ring-ditch partially exposed at the northern end of the site that was potentially associated with a domestic dwelling. Other undated features included a cluster of 33 post-holes and stakeholes revealed in the south-east corner of the site, close to where similar features had been uncovered during the preceding phase of work. Several undated pits were also recorded.
See report (S5) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 11 March 2025.