NHER 65218 (Monument record) - Medieval to post-medieval ditches and undated pits

November 2019-February 2020. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of land on route of proposed North Tuddenham to Easton A47 Improvement Works (Area F41).
This survey identified a relatively complex group of intersecting linear anomalies at the eastern end of the site, the majority of which are thought to represent infilled-ditches of potential archaeological interest. These include joining north-north-west and south-south-east and east-north-east to west-south-west aligned anomalies that appear to form two sides of some form of field or enclosure adjacent to Church Lane. Although these do not correspond with any boundaries shown on the available 19th-centujry maps, they are clearly related to a group of fields that can be seen to the north on the Easton tithe map (S1) (being similarly aligned and sharing a common western boundary). These ditches therefore represent lost elements of a precursor to the field system present in the 19th-century, making a medieval to post-medieval date highly likely. The a probably of a similar age to a number of similar-aligned cropmarks recorded to the north that are also likely to represent earlier elements of the late post-medieval field system (NHER 54359).
Intersecting north-west to south-east and north-north-west to south-south-west aligned features may represent elements of an earlier system of land division.
A large area of magnetic disturbance adjacent to Church Lane corresponds with a water-filled former quarry pit shown at this location on both the tithe map and the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six Inch map (S2). Numerous small discrete anomalies in this area are of uncertain origin but it is possible some represent infilled pit-type features.
Areas of magnetic disturbance around the margins of the site and scattered discrete dipolar anomalies were probably caused by ferrous material in the topsoil (most likely modern debris).
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 16 May 2022.

July-October 2020. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of land on route of proposed North Tuddenham to Easton A47 Improvement Works (Area 48; Trenches 617-627).
The 11 trenches excavated at this location revealed a number of linear and discrete features, the majority of which lay at the eastern end of the site, in the vicinity of the anomalies identified by the preceding geophysical survey.
The north-west to south-east aligned anomaly that was likely to represent one of the earlier features in the group was associated with a ditch that produced a single sherd of medieval pottery. A parallel ditch to the south-west (which had not been identified by the geophysical survey) was much more convincingly dated, producing 37 sherds of high medieval pottery. Samples taken from the fills of these ditches were found to contain charcoal and moderate amounts of charred cereals. The presence of this material, along with animal bone and oyster shells indicates these features had received waste from nearby domestic activity.
Two east-north-east to west-south-south-west aligned ditches had both been identified by the preceding geophysical survey and were likely to represent a later phase of activity, their positions and alignments suggesting they had been associated with a precursor to the field system present in the mid 19th century. However, neither produced any dating evidence.
Although several pits were recorded these were all also undated.
As expected the largest discrete geophysical anomaly was shown to be associated with a large former quarry pit. This feature produced single sherds of Late Saxon, early medieval and high medieval pottery, all of which were probably residual.
Two possible post-holes were the only features recorded across the remainder of the site.
See report (S3) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2020.131).
P. Watkins (HES), 16 May 2022. Amended 8 December 2022.