NHER 66020 (Monument record) - Prehistoric and undated remains

February-March 2012. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of site prior to installation of replacement water main (Field 1).
A range of linear and discrete features were recorded, a number of which were of probable prehistoric date. These included what appeared to be an Early Neolithic pit in the central part of the site that had been truncated by a later ditch. The fills of both features contained Early Neolithic Mildenhall Ware pottery, along with a small assemblage of what were probably contemporary worked flints. A small quantity of similar pottery was recovered from a nearby pit. Another prehistoric feature in this part of the site was a sub-rectangular, steep-sided pit that contained 50 sherds of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Beaker pottery - all of which appears to be from a single vessel. Although a number of other probable pits were recorded in the eastern half of the site these produced few finds and are therefore of uncertain date. The one notable exception was a small pit containing burnt clay, a sample from the fill of which was found to contain a significant assemblage of charred plant macrofossils, including six-row barley and wheat grains and seeds from several plants that commonly grow on cultivated soils. The charred grains produced a Middle Iron Age radiocarbon date.
The remaining discrete features were all thought to be of likely natural origin, including a number of probable tree throw hollows. Finds were limited to a small number of worked flints.
A total of four ditches were recorded, none of which produced any convincing dating evidence – the only finds of note being the previously mentioned redeposited Early Neolithic material and a single sherd of probable Roman pottery (recovered from a north-north-east to south-south-west aligned feature at the western end of the site). An undated north-west to south-east aligned ditch corresponded with one of the numerous cropmarks recorded in this area (NHER 12997). This was the only cropmark to coincide with the excavated area.
Information from draft report. HER copy awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 5 September 2022.