NHER 53200 (Monument record) - Medieval flood deposits, land reclamation and post-medieval structure, Austin Street

December 2009. Trial Trench.
Evaluation of proposed development site. Single trench excavated following demolition of Dairy Depot.
The earliest deposits recorded were the result of flooding during the medieval period as indicated by the presence of two sherds of medieval glazed pottery, broadly datable to the 12th to 14th centuries, and four fragments of 13th to 15th century roof tile. The presence of small quantities of cattle bone, shell, fish scales/bones, egg shell, plant remains and hammerscale suggests that some midden or industrial waste was either dumped or washed into these deposits. These findings suggest that this area was in fact fairly uninhabitable in the medieval period, contradicting Clarke and Carter's assertion in 1977, that there was no evidence to suggest that the New Land was any marshier than the vicinity of the market place (S1).
By the 15th or, more likely, the 16th century, reclamation of this land was underway as indicated by the presence of dumped material such as large quantities of soil and general waste. The presence of medieval bricks, roof and floor tile in these deposits could represent demolition material from ecclesiastical institutions such as the nearby Austin Friary (NHER 1025) or the Hospital of St John (NHER 5487), following the Dissolution. This phase of activity produced a significant quantity of animal remains with a high number of sheep/goat. The faunal assemblage includes evidence of industrial waste, perhaps from leatherworking, and complements the results from nearby NHER 31393. Notable finds from this deposit include a sherd from an unusual vessel which may be a puzzle mug or jug which was pierced at the neck and decorated with fine combing (parallels for such vessels are known from Dissolution contexts at Binham Priory) and a rimsherd from a 'Tudor Green' lobed cup which is an unusual find from this town.
The sloping nature of many of the dumped deposits, combined with the rapid ingress of water into the lower parts of the trench, suggest that a former fleet or stream may once have flowed nearby. Early maps of the town show a fleet to the west of this site, roughly in the location of what is now Austin Fields.
The only direct evidence for occupation of the site is the remains of part of an insubstantial timber structure of unknown function with a clay floor or construction layer. This probably dates from the 17th or 18th centuries. In the later post-medieval period intermittent flooding continued and further levelling of the ground is apparent through the 18th and 19th centuries. There is no evidence of structures on this part of the site until the 20th century.
See report (S2) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S3).
S. Howard (HES), 23 February 2011, amended by A. Cattermole (King's Lynn UAD), 2 May 2019.