NHER 67120 (Monument record) - Prehistoric, Roman and post-medieval remains

November 2015. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of large proposed development site.
No features of archaeological or historic interest were noted during a brief walkover survey,
See report (S1) for further details, including a detailed map regression.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 June 2023.

February-March 2016. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site.
This survey revealed little of potential archaeological significance. Although a number of linear anomalies were recorded, the majority correspond with former field boundaries depicted on 19th-century maps. These include north-to-south and east-to-west aligned responses that correspond with boundaries shown on the Dereham enclosure map of 1815 (S2). A north-north-west to south-south-east aligned anomaly to the west corresponds with a boundary seen for the first time on the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six-inch map of 1884 (S3). A large discrete anomaly at the southern end of this field coincides with a feature clearly marked as a pond on this map. Only a pair of fragmentary linear anomalies in the south-eastern part of the field can be categorised as being of undetermined origin.
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 June 2023.

August 2021. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of part of large proposed development site (Area 3; Trenches 23-58).
The 36 trenches excavated revealed only fairy sparse, scattered remains, with the most notable features being several ditches of probable Roman date.
Evidence for earlier, prehistoric activity included a small assemblage of worked flints. A number of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery sherds were also recovered, the majority of which came from a hollow exposed at the southern end of the site. Several sherds were also recovered from a west-north-west to east-south-east aligned ditch to the north.
There was clear evidence for Roman activity, with a recut north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditch in the central part of the site producing 26 Roman pottery sherds (the bulk from a near-complete vessel of 2nd- to mid-3rd-century date). Smaller quantities of Roman pottery were also recovered from a parallel ditch and two perpendicular ditches to the east, suggesting these features potentially represented a contemporary group of field or enclosure boundaries. None of these ditches had been identified by the preceding geophysical survey.
The majority of the other features recorded were probably of relatively recent date, including three ditches that coincide with former field boundaries depicted on 19th-century maps. These comprise north-to-south and east-to-west aligned ditches in the easternmost part of the site that correspond with former field boundaries depicted on the enclosure map of 1815 (S2) and a north-north-west to south-south-east aligned feature in the western half of the site that is associated with a boundary first shown on the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six-inch map (S3). All three were also associated with geophysical anomalies. A number of undated but similarly-aligned ditches were potentially also post-medieval, particularly given the complete absence of evidence for medieval activity at this location.
Two pits in the central part of the site produced no finds but were thought to be of relatively recent date due to the similarity of their fills to the overlying topsoil.
A narrow curvilinear feature was also recorded at the northern end of the site, although its small size suggests it was probably of natural origin.
See report (S4) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2021.162).
P. Watkins (HES), 14 June 2023. Amended 28 July 2023.

January-March 2022. Excavation.
This final phase of archaeological mitigation prior to the development of the site saw the excavation of two areas, both of which were positioned to target remains of probable Roman date exposed by the preceding trenching.
As during the previous work there was some limited evidence for prehistoric activity on the site. This included a pit at the southern end of the eastern excavation area (Area 2) that was found to contain several sherds of probable Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Beaker pottery. A sample from one of the fills of this feature contained abundant charcoal but little else in the way of plant macrofossils apart from a small number of carbonised seeds and root/stem fragments. This feature also produced a small assemblage of fired clay, including several fragments identified as potentially from a loomweight (for which a Roman date has been suggested). Similar fragments of fired clay were recovered from another, otherwise undated pit in the same excavation area.
Two pits (one in each excavation area) produced small assemblages of Late Bronze Age/Early Bronze Age pottery, with several sherds of similar pottery also found residual within Roman features (as now appears to have been the case with the sherds found within a ditch during the preceding work).
This work confirmed that several north-north-east to south-south-west and west-north-west to east-south-east aligned ditches identified by the preceding work were indeed Roman in date. The western excavation area (Area 1) demonstrated that the most convincingly-dated of these ditches was one of two adjacent parallel features and therefore potentially associated with a narrow trackway. The bulk of the Roman pottery recovered during this phase of work came from a ditch in the eastern excavation area with an identical north-north-east to south-south-west alignment and a pair of what are presumed to have been broadly contemporary east-to-west aligned ditches at its northern end. Although it couldn't be conclusively demonstrated, it is highly likely that the ditches revealed in the two excavation areas formed elements of the same group of fields or enclosures, along with a small number of other, similarly-aligned more fragmentary features. The exact extent of these remains is somewhat unclear, although the results of the trial trenching suggest these ditches most likely represented a relatively discrete cluster of enclosures rather than part of an extensive field system. An east-north-east to west-south-west aligned ditch at the southern end of the eastern excavation area was also fairly convincingly dated as Roman, although it is suggested that it represented a distinct, potentially later phase of activity. It should though be noted that it produced Roman pottery that was of the same broad date as the other ditches (along with the only Late Iron Age pottery recovered). Overall, the Roman pottery assemblage recovered suggests that activity at the site had probably peaked around the 2nd century AD, with nothing of either exclusively 1st century or 3rd century or later date recovered. It consists largely of unsourced (but probably fairly local) grey wares, with regional and extra-regional imports present in only small quantities. Very few discrete features could be identified as potentially Roman, suggesting that the range of activities taking place at this location may have been fairly limited and probably largely agricultural. It is notable that samples taken from the fills of the Roman ditches all produced limited plant macrofossil assemblages comprising only sparse charcoal fragments and small numbers of carbonised seeds.
One feature of definite post-Roman date was identified. This was partially exposed in the south-west corner of the eastern excavation area and although recorded as a ditch clearly corresponds with the former pond (potentially originally an extraction pit) that had been identified by the geophysical survey. This contained post-medieval brick and tile fragments.
Information from assessment report (S5). Final reports awaited.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2022.6).
P. Watkins (HES), 15 June 2023. Amended 28 July 2023.