NHER 65580 (Monument record) - Medieval pottery production waste and Late Saxon, medieval and undated features

January 2016. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site.
A number of potentially archaeologically-significant discrete anomalies were identified. These included one in the southern half of the site with a potentially thermoremnant magnetic signature of the kind created by extreme heating. Given the nature of the remains previously discovered in the immediate vicinity of the site this anomaly is considered to potentially represent the site of a pottery kiln. Another large discrete anomaly in the northern half of the site was also associated with a comparatively high response, although it was less obviously thermoremnant in nature. Several fragmentary linear anomalies and a number of other discrete responses in this part of the site were also considered to be potentially archaeological in origin.
A significant proportion of the discrete anomalies recorded across the remainder of the site were however probably caused by variations in the natural geology.
Large parts of the northern half of the site were obscured by areas of magnetic disturbance which were observed to correspond with dumps of modern material. Discrete ferrous spike were probably caused by objects in the plough soil, most likely modern debris.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES).

April and July 2016. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site. This work was undertaken in two stages, with 13 trenches excavated in April 2016 and a further eight in July 2016.
This work revealed a number of linear and discrete features, although the most important discovery was several deposits containing large quantities of medieval pottery, much of which is likely to represent waste from at least one kiln in the immediate vicinity. The geophysical anomaly thought to potentially represent the site of a kiln was however found to coincide with a pit containing modern debris.
There was also clear evidence for Late Saxon activity in the vicinity of the site, with more than 150 pottery sherds of 10th- to 11th-century date recovered (all Thetford-type wares of probable local manufacture). The bulk of this material was however either unstratified or clearly residual within features that also contained high medieval pottery. The handful of features to produce small amounts of exclusively Late Saxon pottery included two pits and one of a group of three adjacent post-holes, all of which lay in the central part of the site. It is also possible that at least some of the undated ditches and pits were associated with this (or another) early phase of activity. It is particularly notable that a number of north-north-west to south-south-east and east-north-east to west-south-west aligned ditches were entirely devoid of medieval pottery. None of the Late Saxon pottery sherds are thought to be wasters – this material appears to have been associated with domestic activity.
Although no actual pottery kilns were exposed, deposits revealed in the north-west part of the site suggest at least one had lain in very close proximity. This material included a thick spread of fired clay and pottery waste that was likely to represent the debris generated when an adjacent kiln was opened. This deposit was overlain by a more ashy, charcoal-rich layer interpreted as the rake-out from at least one other kiln firing. These deposits produced almost 2000 pottery sherds. Several other large dumps of medieval pottery were also present in ditches at the eastern edge of the site that ran parallel to the Ashwicken Road. Two samples taken from the deposits associated with the largest assemblages of pottery both produced plant macrofossil assemblages dominated by charred fragments of root/stem, including a very high density of heather. This material had almost certainly been deliberately burnt in the kilns, although it is uncertain whether it was being used as a main fuel or just tinder and kindling. Fragments of fired clay recovered from several contexts included some probable kiln furniture, along with what were possibly pieces of kiln lining or dome.
Features of probable medieval date included various ditches and probable pits, the majority of which were concentrated in the northern half of the site. It is possible that some of the medieval pottery was residual within later features, although there was little evidence for significant subsequent activity on the site. A piece of pantile appears to have been the only stratified post-medieval find recovered.
Unsurprisingly, the assemblage of finds recovered from topsoil and subsoil deposits consisted largely of Late Saxon and medieval pottery sherds. The other unstratified finds include a Roman flanged tegula; single sherds of post-medieval and post-medieval/modern pottery; post-medieval pantile fragments; a post-medieval coin and a small group of other metal objects comprising a medieval/post-medieval lead weight, post-medieval buttons and an undatable lead pot mend, ?came and iron nail.
The medieval pottery assemblage is largely of high to late medieval date and includes some sherds that show signs of use, the majority of which are unglazed wares. Although the pottery production waste appears to primarily comprise fragments of Grimston glazed ware jugs, some late Grimston ware is also present and it is possible that much of the material identified as high medieval is actually of a similar date (internal glaze being the key diagnostic trait for late Grimston body sherds, but not something that will be seen with jugs). The evidence that a large proportion of the assemblage represents pottery production waste includes soft, underfired sherds, fragments with defective glaze, pieces with glaze on broken edges, blown or spalled sherds and the occasional deformed piece.
See reports (S2) and (S3) for further details.
Archives associated with these two phases of work have now been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.341 and NWHCM : 2017.350).
P. Watkins (HES), 19 May 2022.