NHER 65427 (Monument record) - Medieval and post-medieval remains

November-December 2011 and May 2012. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed mineral extraction area (Field A).
This survey identified a number of potentially archaeologically-significant responses.
These include a pair of adjacent, parallel east-north-east to west-south-west aligned linear anomalies at the northern end of the site (immediately east of Grandcourt Farm). These coincide with the line of a former field boundary shown on the East Winch tithe map (S1) but may represent the remains of an earlier double-ditched trackway. This is potentially a continuation of a possible double-ditched feature identified in the field to the east (NHER 65428), which is itself a probable continuation of linear cropmarks though to represent the line of a former road depicted on Faden’s map of 1797 (S2) (part of a group of likely medieval to post-medieval features recorded as NHER 50836). The possible trackway in this field also appears to represent the southern boundary of a group of probable medieval to post-medieval enclosures and drainage ditches visible as earthworks on aerial photographs immediate to the north (NHER 50835) – there being no evidence for similar remains to the south of its line.
Anomalies likely to represent features of more recent date include a much straighter, north-east to west-south aligned linear anomaly that coincides with a former field boundary shown on the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six-inch map (S3). A similarly-aligned linear anomaly to the south also most likely represents a former post-medieval field boundary. Two other, fragmentary linear anomalies that are aligned more east-north-east to west-south-west are potentially associated with earlier ditches.
A somewhat irregular group of north-west to south-east aligned linear anomalies at the southern end of the field appears to coincide with an extant footpath of some age – its line being marked on both of the 19th-century maps.
Other responses of note include a faint semi-circular anomaly with a diameter of approximately 26m identified in the north-east corner of the site. The nature of this anomaly is though uncertain and it is not necessarily archaeological in origin.
Few of the discrete anomalies recorded are of potential archaeological origin. The small number of possible exceptions include a small number of scattered discrete anomalies at the southern end of the site.
Numerous isolated bipolar ferrous anomalies were probably caused by material on or near the surface (most likely modern debris).
Information from report uploaded to OASIS. HER copy awaited.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2013.85).
P. Watkins (HES), 28 February 2022.

February-March 2012. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of site of proposed mineral extraction (Area A; Trenches 3-46).
The 44 trenches excavated at this location revealed evidence for medieval activity in the vicinity of the northern end of the field, but little in the way of significant remains elsewhere – results that were broadly consistent with those of the preceding geophysical survey.
The possible double-ditched trackway identified by the geophysical survey survey at the northern end of the site was found to coincide with a complex group of parallel linear features, the majority of which were thought to represent ditches. Medieval pottery was recovered from a number of these features, with one producing a particular large assemblage of more than 170 sherds. Although these remains couldn’t be conclusively identified as being associated with a routeway of some kind this remains a possibility – at the very least this was clearly a significant and enduring boundary that appears to have represented the southern limit of medieval activity at this location. A number of perpendicular ditches extended to the north of this routeway/boundary, the most substantial of which corresponds with a feature visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs (part of the group of probable enclosure and drainage ditches recorded as NHER 50835). This lower fills of this feature contained medieval pottery.
The features in this part of the site contained a number of Late Saxon and early medieval pottery sherds, suggesting activity at this location had probably commenced by the 11th-centry, although all of this material was found in contexts that also produced high medieval pottery. There was little evidence for significant activity after the 13th century, with no pottery of late medieval or early post-medieval date recovered. The boundary represented by the main group of east-north-east to west-south-west aligned ditches had though clearly persisted into the post-medieval period, with pottery, ceramic building material and other finds of this date recovered from one of the most recent ditches and one of the deposits sealing the earlier features. This was unsurprising, given that it was clear from the tithe map (S1) that the position of these remains had been fossilised by the line of a late post-medieval field boundary.
Only a small number of scattered ditches were identified across the remainder of the field, the majority of which corresponded with linear anomalies identified by the preceding geophysical survey. The most notable of these was an east-north-east to west-south-west aligned feature that produced a single medieval pottery sherd and two brick fragments of possible medieval date. This therefore potentially represent an outlying medieval field boundary. Two north-east to south-west aligned ditches produced no finds but were most likely late post-medieval in date - one corresponding with a former boundary shown on the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six-inch map (S3) and the orientation of the other suggesting it was most likely of a similar date.
There was no evidence for sub-surface remains associated with the north-west to south-east aligned linear anomalies identified towards the southern end of the site, confirming that these were most likely associated with the similarly-aligned footpath at this location.
The one trench that coincided with the faint semi-circular geophysical anomaly revealed no associated sub-surface remains, indicating that this was most likely nature in origin.
A wide range of unstratified finds were recovered during the excavation of these trenches, including Mesolithic/Early Neolithic, Neolithic, ?Early Bronze Age and undatable prehistoric worked flints; small quantities of later Iron Age, Roman, Late Saxon, medieval, medieval/post-medieval, post-medieval and post-medieval/modern pottery sherds; possible medieval brick fragments; medieval and post-medieval roof tile fragments; Roman to medieval lava quern fragments; medieval and post-medieval coins and a range of other medieval to post-medieval and undatable metal objects. These metal finds include medieval strap ends, a buckle, bar mount and quatrefoil mount; a medieval/post-medieval padlock slide key, copper alloy suspension rings and copper alloy vessel foot; a post-medieval buckle, button, mount, furniture handle, thimble and spoon; a possible post-medieval lead mount and an undated copper alloy possible vessel fragment, lead pot mends, a lead possible gaming counter and various unidentified metal objects. A notable quantity of unstratfieid probable smithing slag was also recovered from two adjacent trenches in the southern half of the site.
See report (S1) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2016.366).
P. Watkins (HES), 5 April 2024.