NHER 56832 (Monument record) - Middle Bronze Age enclosure and settlement

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Summary

In 2010 an excavation in this area revealed that the cropmark enclosure in this area is of Middle Bronze Age date and forms part of a settlement. Two possible structures were found within the centre of the enclosure.

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Location

Map sheet TG41NE
Civil Parish ORMESBY ST MICHAEL, GREAT YARMOUTH, NORFOLK

Map

January - February 2010. Excavation.
The excavation observed the enclosure previously identified from aerial photographs. The enclosure was created on the same alignment as an earlier Middle Bronze Age field system (NHER 56831) with a large ditch (up to 3.4m wide and 1.4m deep) and bank, as suggested by the silty sands found in the ditches, possibly to keep livestock inside or out of the main enclosure. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal taken from the lower fills inside the enclosure provided a date of 1450-1290 calibrated BC, placing this sequence of activity within the Middle Bronze Age. A structure was found within the centre of the enclosure at TG47441522, comprising five post-holes with deposits of burnt flint with charcoal inclusions. A single charred grain from a post-hole associated with this structure returned a date of 1420-1210 calibrated BC. A second group of features at TG47431526 may also represent a structure and included two pits, two beamslots and a post-hole. No finds were recovered from this area to provide a date for these features. At TG47431517 a group of seven post-holes was revealed containing Middle Bronze Age pottery, struck flint, a cylindrical clay loom weight and a probable whetstone.
See (S1).
S. Howard (HES), 9 March 2012.

See also (S2).
A. Cattermole (HES), 9 June 2015.

  • <S1> Unpublished Contractor Report: Gilmour, N. and Mortimer, R. 2012. Post-excavation assessment for early prehistoric settlement, field systems and enclosure at Ormesby St Michael, Norfolk. Oxford Archaeology East. 1170.
  • <S2> Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2010. Finds shed new light on Norfolk in Bronze Age. 17 June.
  • CEREAL GRAIN (Middle Bronze Age - 1600 BC to 1001 BC)
  • CHARCOAL (Middle Bronze Age - 1600 BC to 1001 BC)
  • LOOMWEIGHT (Middle Bronze Age - 1600 BC to 1001 BC)
  • WHETSTONE (Middle Bronze Age - 1600 BC to 1001 BC)

Record last edited

Jul 13 2025 9:04PM

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