NHER 58272 (Monument record) - Early Saxon pit, medieval ditches and pits, and undated features

December 2010. Trial Trenching.
A large number of archaeological features including pits, ditches, gullies and post holes were identified during excavation of twelve trial trenches. At least half of these features could not be dated, but the stratigraphic sequence indicates that the majority were not formed recently. The earliest dated feature is a pit containing a sherd of Early Saxon pottery and burnt flint. Several other features also contained burnt flint but this was found in conjunction with medieval material and therefore the flint is likely to be redeposited, possibly from a disturbed burnt mound such as that recorded at Church Close (NHER 42664).
The majority of the dated features are from the medieval period. Smithing slag waste similar to that recorded at Church Close (NHER 42664) was collected from several features, some of which also contained medieval pottery. Two post holes and a cluster of small pits suggest that a small structure or series of small structures may have been located here, but no obvious structural pattern could be assigned to these features. The majority of the ditches likely formed part of a medieval field system which may have been connected with the moated manorial site immediately to the north (NHER 22124). Several of the ditches appear to have been drainage ditches for the moat (NHER 22124). One gully associated with this field or drainage system contained 74 sherds of medieval pottery.
A fragment of a Roman or Saxon lava quern and small quantity of medieval and post medieval metal objects were recovered from the topsoil.
See report (S1) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2).
See also (S3).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2011.145).
H. Hamilton (HES), 21 November 2012. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 May 2019.