NHER 64833 (Monument record) - Medieval enclosures and associated remains and late medieval pottery production waste

August-October 2014. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation on route of Postwick Overflow and Distribution Main pipeline (Area 3a).
This work uncovered various pits and ditches, most of which are likely to have been associated with high medieval and late medieval phases of activity.
Although a small assemblage of Roman pottery was recovered at this location this material appears to have been entirely residual, with no features of this date identified. The limited number of Late Saxon and early medieval pottery sherds found were all also likely to be residual within later contexts and the site produced few post-medieval finds.
The ditches uncovered were mostly aligned roughly north-east to south-west, with the majority corresponding with previously recorded cropmarks (all part of an extensive group of enclosure and field boundaries of probable medieval to post-medieval date recorded as NHER 45126). The cropmarks features that coincided with the excavated strip included two probable rectilinear enclosures, the western sides of which appear to have been formed by Hare Road. Surviving ditches associated with these enclosures were encountered and both were found to be associated with concentrations of pits and other features. The enclosure ditches themselves produced predominantly high medieval pottery, although late medieval pottery was recovered from features within the interiors of both enclosures. This later material was concentrated within the larger, southern enclosure, with two pits in this part of the site found to contain 'late medieval and transitional ware' (LMT) wasters. This material is thought to represent debris from a nearby, previously unrecognised production site, although the only possible kiln furniture recovered was two small curved pieces of fired clay which may have formed part of a kiln prop. Most of the sherds are in the same fabric and it is suggested they were potentially associated with a single firing. Significantly, a charred pea or bean from the pit containing the bulk of the waster sherds produced a radiocarbon date of 1277-1392 cal AD at 95.4% probability (SUERC-63230; 663 ± 29 BP). If indeed an accurate date for the associated pottery waste this would put it at the beginning of the accepted date range for LMT production (late 14th to 16th century). It is noted that the pottery from this site appears to be similar to the 'East Norfolk glazed ware' identified by Jennings (S1), which should potentially now be regarded as an infant LMT industry.
Other finds recovered from medieval features included fragments of lava quern, a fragment of gritstone that had possibly used as a hone, fragments of fired clay and a piece of iron slag. Samples taken from a number of pits of likely medieval date produced charred plant macrofossils assemblages predominantly comprised of cereals, weed seeds and legumes – material likely to represent domestic refuse.
The only features recorded between the two enclosures were four ditches. There produced no dating evidence but were also probably of medieval to post-medieval in date, being perpendicular to the adjacent road and the majority corresponding with cropmark features. One was almost certainly associated with a former field boundary shown on the Little Plumstead tithe map (S2).
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 13 October 2024.

Two pottery sherds from this site were included in a petrographic study of late medieval and transitional (LMT) pottery from known and suspected kiln sites in Norfolk and Suffolk (Samples 1 and 2). Material was also examined from known or assumed production sites at Norwich (Mountergate, NHER 67512), Pottery Heigham (NHER 8388), Woodbastwick (NHER 1076) and Hopton (Suffolk), along with comparative sherds from 'consumer' sites at Norwich (Muspole Street, NHER 50560) and South Walsham (Suffolk). The sherds from this site are petrologically closely related and bear strong similarities with those from the other production sites. Those from the 'consumer sites' also had a comparable composition to the general petrological fabric represent by the kiln sites. This may simply reflects the homogeneous bedrock and superficial geology of this wide area, although it may indicate some degree of regional organisation to LMT production.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 October 2024.