NHER 65116 (Monument) - Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age pit and undated pits and ditches

July 2014. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of Weston Park Golf Club ahead of its proposed expansion and improvement.
This study concluded that there was a moderate to high potential for archaeologically-significant remains within the proposed development area. It was also deemed likely that any remains present would be in a good state of preservation.
No archaeological or historical features of interest were noted during a brief site visit.
See report (S1) for further details, including a summary of the documentary and cartographic sources that document the development of Weston Park, which was established soon after the construction of Weston Hall in the late 18th century.
P. Watkins (HES), 21 June 2021.

June 2015. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of land to north of Weston Park Golf Club (Field 5).
This survey identified a number of discrete positive anomalies that potentially represent archaeologically-significant features, although it is possible that they were caused by variations in the underlying superficial geology. A group of positive and negative linear anomalies at the western end of the field coincide with a topographic ridge and were probably geological in origin. One of these anomalies at the northern edge of the field corresponds with a cropmark that potentially represents an element of a curvilinear enclosure (NHER 50659). It was though noted that the origin of these cropmarks was uncertain and the association with a geophysical anomaly of this type would appear to increase the likelihood that they were the result of variations in the underlying geology.
Numerous isolated dipolar anomalies were probably caused by ferrous material in the topsoil (most likely modern debris). Areas of magnetic disturbance around the periphery of the site were primarily the result of the 2m high ferrous deer fences running along the field boundaries.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 21 June 2021.

February-March 2016. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of land to north of Weston Park (Field 5; Trenches 48-64).
The 17 trenches excavated at this location revealed a range of ditches and discrete features, although unfortunately the majority of these remains produced little in the way of dating evidence.
The more convincing pits included a sub-circular, steep-sided and flat-based feature that was found to contain an almost complete small Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Beaker vessel. Samples taken from the fill of the pit and the pottery vessel itself were found to contain charcoal but nothing else of interest in the way of charred plant macrofossils or other debris.
The majority of the other pits were also thought to be probably prehistoric, although finds were largely limited to a small number of worked flints, many of which were potentially residual. These include a Mesolithic microlith and several patinated blades of Mesolithic or Early Neolithic date recovered from a group of adjacent features in the south-west corner of the site.
The discrete features also included several shallow sub-circular pits with charcoal-rich fills and in some cases heat-scorched margins. Although these were also regarded as probably prehistoric, they are similar to features excavated at the site to the west (NHER 65115); two of which produced Middle to Late Saxon radiocarbon dates. Those at this site were therefore also potentially post-Roman and possibly related to charcoal production.
The various ditches were all aligned either north-west to south-east or north-east to south-west, suggesting a possible relationship with various fragmentary cropmarks recorded nearby (NHER 50660). Unfortunately none of the excavated features produced any dating evidence – all that can be said is that they are likely to pre-date the establishment of Weston Park in the late 18th-century (NHER 33733).
There was no evidence for sub-surface remains associated with a group of cropmarks recorded at the northern edge of the site (NHER 50659). It was noted when these were mapped that they were potentially of geological origin and it now seems highly likely that this was indeed the case.
Unstratified finds were limited to a small assemblage of worked flints (including part of a Neolithic flaked axehead) and an undated iron nail.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 21 June 2021.

February 2017. Excavation.
This phase of work saw the excavation of a single, relatively small area centred on the pit that had produced the Beaker vessel (Area 5).
There was evidence for considerable past disturbance, with the majority of the discrete features exposed likely to represent either tree-throw hollows or the results of animal burrowing.
Although a small number of more convincing pits were also present these were all undated, the only finds recovered being a small number of burnt flints.
Unstratified finds were limited to a several prehistoric worked flints of probable later Neolithic or later date.
See report (S4) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 24 June 2021.

A combined archive comprising material from the two phases of intrusive fieldwork has now been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.384).
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 24 June 2021.