NHER 66687 (Monument record) - Medieval to post-medieval remains and multi-period finds

March 2020. Excavation.
Small excavation at site of new freshwater swimming pool to west of Abbey House.
The work revealed a substantial west-north-west to east-south-east aligned ditch likely to have been associated with the precinct boundary of Marham Abbey (NHER 4483). Finds recovered from the lower portion of this feature included a relatively unabraded sherd of high medieval pottery and a dump of cattle bone. A medieval roof tile was also found in its uppermost fill. Samples taken from its lower fills produced the shells of freshwater snails, suggesting the ditch had been filled with water for a prolonged period.
A parallel ditch to the north was a much more recent feature with a ceramic drain at its base and a fill that contained rubbish of late 19th- to early 20th-century date. This feature corresponds with a boundary visible on 19th-century maps of the site.
A number of pits and post-holes were recorded in the area between the two ditches. Although dating evidence was limited it is suggested that most were probably post-medieval in date. Three of the pits did through produce fragments of medieval roof tile, one of which also contained a medieval pottery sherd and a small assemblage of medieval window and vessel glass. More recent finds were actually limited to a single post-medieval brick fragment and a piece of post-medieval/modern bottle glass – both of which came from the same post-hole. It is noted that samples taken from the fills of two of the features produced fragments of coal, although this material could be intrusive.
Earlier activity in the vicinity was represented by a small assemblage of finds likely to have been residual within later features. These include a small number of prehistoric worked flints and sherds of possible Iron Age and Roman pottery. Notably, four of the excavated features also produced sherds of what is likely to be Early Saxon pottery, including two otherwise undated post-holes.
See report (S1) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2020.73).
P. Watkins (HES), 26 February 2023.