NHER 52609 (Monument record) - Possible moat and other medieval to post-medieval features

March 2009.
An elongated pond shown on historic maps (S1-S2) following a field boundary may have formed part of a medieval or post-medieval moat. A linear pond measuring up to 45m long is present along the western boundary of a sub-rectangular field located immediately to the north of Grange Farm. The field measures approximately 105m by 80m. The pond is shown with the same L- or T-shaped form on both the 1846 tithe map (S1) and first edition six inch to the mile Ordnance Survey map (S2). The pond has now been truncated by driveways associated with the residential conversion of the adjacent barns at Grange Farm.
J. Albone (NLA), 20 March 2009.

May-June 2014. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site (Trenches 8-12).
The five trenches excavated at this location revealed a number of features of probable medieval to post-medieval date, including the possible northern arm of the moat thought to have been present at this site (see above).
Three fragments of Roman tile were the only evidence for activity prior to the medieval period and may well have been collected from a site nearby.
The possible moat ditch was exposed in the south-west corner of the area investigated and was a substantial east-to-west aligned feature that was potentially up to 5m wide and excavated to a depth of 1.2m without its base being reached. A deposit of orange-brown sandy clay on its northern side had a low, domed profile to its upper surface and was therefore interpreted as a possible bank deposit. It is though noted that the northern edge of the ditch was difficult to discern, so it is possible that this material was also a fill of the ditch. The more obvious ditch fills produced an assemblage of finds with a broad overall date range, including medieval, medieval/post-medieval and post-medieval pottery sherds, a medieval Flemish floor tile, post-medieval bricks; post-medieval bottle and window glass fragments, a medieval strap end and a post-medieval button. Immediately to the south of the ditch were two similarly-aligned bands of material likely to represent the remains of robbed out walls; one consisting of mortared flints and the other mortared red brick rubble and flints. The robbing out of these walls and the accumulation of material above their remains had occurred prior to the ditch becoming completely infilled, suggesting they had probably been broadly contemporary with this feature.
The line of this ditch to the east was not established, although it was not observed in the south-easternmost trench excavated, suggest it may have turned to the south before this point. Although this ditch is reasonably regarded as representing the northern arm of the moat it should be noted that another large feature partially exposed approximately 10m to the north may also have been related. Although tentatively interpreted as a possible pond this could represent another substantial east-to-west aligned feature, potentially connecting with another substantial feature partially revealed at the southern end of a trench to the east. Unfortunately both features were subject to only minimum excavation with no finds recovered.
Other remains exposed included a number of much smaller north-to-south and east-to-west aligned ditches and a shallow pit – all of which produced varying quantities of medieval pottery. The one feature of definite post-medieval or later date was a post-hole that produced fragments of 19th- or 20th-century brick and bottle glass.
Several narrow, shallow east-to-west aligned linear features were probably drainage features of some kind.
A small number of unstratified finds were recovered during this work, including a medieval pottery sherd, medieval and post-medieval coins, medieval and post-medieval buckles and a lead window came fragment of medieval or post-medieval date.
See report (S3) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.255).
P. Watkins (HES), 17 May 2021.