NHER 65232 (Monument record) - Medieval or later ditches, pits and possible structural remains

September 2020. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The five trenches excavated at this location revealed a number of ditches plus several linear and discrete features of a more uncertain nature.
Although prehistoric and Roman objects were found these were all either from unstratified contexts or within features that produced later finds. The same was also true for a small assemblage of Late Saxon pottery.
The majority of the ditches were aligned roughly north-to-south and east-to-west, their orientations therefore matching those of an extensive group of cropmarks recorded in this area that are believed to represent field boundaries of medieval to post-medieval date (NHER 27007). The excavated evidence was consistent with this interpretation, with one of the north-to-south aligned ditches producing a small amount of medieval pottery. Medieval pottery was also recovered from a nearby, north-west to south-east aligned possible ditch, although this appears to have been a much shallower, more irregular feature. The other ditches were undated but most likely medieval or post-medieval, given their orientations and the lack of earlier material.
It appears that none of the trenches coincided exactly with the single north-to-south aligned cropmark recorded within the bounds of this site, although it is mapped quite close to the line of a similarly-aligned ditch with a pronounced 'V'-shaped profile.
The small number of other features recorded included a large shallow linear feature of uncertain nature that produced a small amount of medieval pottery and a possible pit that contained finds of various dates, including a post-medieval brick fragment. Yellowish clay layers of uncertain nature were also noted between the topsoil and subsoil deposits within two of the trenches.
In addition to the ceramic objects a number of the excavated features also produced pieces of animal bone, oyster shells and fragments of lava quern.
A wide variety of unstratified finds were recovered during this work, including a flint end scraper and retouched flake of probable Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date; a fragment of black shale/jet that may be part of a small vessel of prehistoric or Roman date; a number of Late Saxon, medieval, post-medieval and post-medieval/modern pottery sherds; a medieval/post-medieval brick, post-medieval brick fragments and pantile; a post-medieval clay tobacco pipe stem fragment; lava quern fragments of probable Roman or Late Saxon date; undatable pieces of ?iron smelting and fuel ash slag; an oyster shell; a small assemblage of animal bone; Roman, medieval and post-medieval coins; a post-medieval jetton and various other Late Saxon to post-medieval metal objects. These metal finds include a Late Saxon ?hooked tag; medieval buckles, bar mount, strap ends, mount and bell; medieval/post-medieval copper alloy vessel fragment, lead buckle, lead window came fragments and iron stud; post-medieval copper alloy and lead buttons, buckle, ?strap end, handle, crotal bell, thimble, copper alloy ferrule, copper alloy nail, copper alloy stud, lead pistol shot and iron ?fitting and an undatable iron nail, iron stud, lead waste and unidentifiable copper alloy objects.
Although there was no direct evidence for significant activity on the site itself, the presence of such a wide variety of debris both within the excavated features and the surrounding soils clearly indicates that it was receiving material from a nearby settlement. This is also supported by the environmental samples processed, which demonstrated the widespread presence of carbonised plant macrofossils likely to represent culinary waste, hearth ash and other refuse.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 4 August 2021.

March-June 2021. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with construction of new general practitioner surgery.
The excavations at the site of the new building itself fully exposed one of the clay layers that had been noted during the preceding trial trenching. Although patchy, this appeared to be roughly sub-rectangular and associated with a band of chalk and sandy clay though to represent a wall foundation. The clay deposit was therefore potentially the traces of a floor, with a patch of compacted clayey chalk at its western edge potentially representing either a localised repair or the remains of a later surface. Two medieval pottery sherds were recovered from a layer beneath the clay deposit, which also contained much fired clay.
A pit and a ditch were also recorded during this phase of work, both of which had been noted within the trial trench dug at this location. The pit was a fairly large feature that contained Late Saxon and medieval pottery, quern fragments and animal bone. The ditch was a roughly north-to-south aligned feature that contained part of a medieval Grimston glazed ware jug, along with a residual Late Saxon sherd, animal bones, oysters shells and fragments of lava quern. This feature also contained an articulated dog burial.
Further excavations for a lift shaft and two surface water attenuation tanks revealed no additional archaeologically-significant remains.
The small assemblage of unstratified finds recovered (all from subsoil) comprises a single medieval pottery sherd and a number of metal objects, including a medieval coin, strap end, belt mount and part of a lead openwork object (possibly a pilgrim badge); a medieval/post-medieval lead window came fragment; a post-medieval coin, button, sword or dagger chape, ferrule and mounts and an undated iron ring and fragments of lead waste.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 30 January 2023.