NHER 64696 (Monument record) - Late Saxon and medieval features

November 2014. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site adjacent to Hingham Road.
The eight trenches excavated revealed a number of linear and discrete features, the majority of which lay in the southernmost part of the site. Although dating evidence was scarce (no feature producing more one pottery sherd of the same date) it is likely that the majority of these remains were associated with Late Saxon to medieval phases of activity.
The features exposed close to Attleborough Road included several ditches (the majority aligned north-to-south), several pits and a number of scattered post-holes. Three of the pits (two of which were adjacent) produced single sherds of Late Saxon pottery and a sherd of medieval pottery was recovered from one of the post-holes. An Early Saxon sherd was also found in an otherwise undated pit. It is possible that at least one of the ditches relates to a pair of parallel north-to-south aligned cropmarks recorded at this location (recorded under NHER 57408), although there was no trace of corresponding features in the trench to the north.
The small number of features identified elsewhere included a pit at the northern end of the site that produced single sherds of Late Saxon and medieval pottery along with several fragments of lava quern. An adjacent east-to-west aligned ditch produced a single sherd of Early Saxon pottery and appears to correspond with part of an ‘L’-shaped cropmark and earthwork feature recorded at this location.
A small undated pit was the only feature revealed in the central part of the area examined.
Samples taken from four of the probable Late Saxon/medieval pits were all found to contain low densities of cereal grain and common weed seeds, along with significant quantities of charcoal. Two from pits at the southern edge of the site also produced abundant bone fragments and it is suggested these deposits may contain debris from a specific activity involving heat and the processing of meat, hide or bone products.
Unstratified finds were limited to a single medieval pottery sherd, a possible medieval pottery crucible fragment and two tiles of uncertain date.
Information from report uploaded to OASIS. HER copy awaited.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.596).
P. Watkins (HES), 25 March 2021.