NHER 67135 (Monument record) - Early Neolithic pits and post-holes and limited later and undated remains

July 2021. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site.
No responses of definite archaeological significant were identified. An amorphous weak and strong positive anomaly recorded in the centre of the site was though identified as potentially archaeological – possibly representing a burnt mount of the kind recorded during earlier work to the north (NHER 29857). Two rectilinear anomalies identified at the eastern end of the site are also potentially archaeological in origin, although their somewhat irregular form and weak nature mean that a natural origin is probably more likely.
A number of parallel north-north-west to south-south-west aligned linear anomalies were likely to represent infilled ditches associated with former field boundaries. Several correspond with boundaries depicted on the Brundall tithe map and the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six-inch map (S1), the easternmost of which once formed part of the Brundall/Brandiston parish boundary.
Various other linear and amorphous anomalies recorded are all thought to be natural in origin.
A band of linear anomalies running parallel to the southern edge of the site mark the line of an Anglian Water foul sewer main.
See report (S2) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2021.171).
P. Watkins (HES), 15 May 2025.

October-November 2021. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The 47 trenches excavated revealed a range of scattered linear and discrete features, the most notable of which were three Early Neolithic pits that lay in relatively close proximity in the eastern part of the site. The largest of these was a partially substantial, flat-based and steep-sided feature that contained more than 150 Early Neolithic pottery sherds and nearly 200 worked flints of a similar date – the bulk of which was recovered from the uppermost of the six fills recorded. The worked flints represent all stages in the reduction sequence, with core fragments and debitage present alongside a range of retouched implements, including knives, a piecer, a burin and miscellaneous retouched flakes and blades. The presence of three flakes from at least two polished implements suggests the assemblage is likely to date to the later part of the period. Samples taken from four of the fills were found to contain charcoal, a small number of indeterminate cereal grains and vitrified material indicative of burning at high temperatures. Two much less substantial pits in trenches to the north contained smaller assemblages of Early Neolithic pottery, along with additional worked flints of a similar character to those within the larger feature.
There was also evidence for at least limited later prehistoric activity on the site, with a small assemblage of what was probably Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Beaker pottery recovered from a roughly north-to-south aligned ditch in the south-west corner of the site. An additional sherd of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age pottery was also recorded from an adjacent north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditch, although this also contained a fragment of later Iron Age pottery and a post-medieval brick fragment. This at least is therefore likely to be a much more recent feature, particularly as it also appears to have coincided with a similarly-aligned former field boundary shown on the Brundall tithe map.
There was no evidence for significant subsequent activity on the site prior to the post-medieval period. Post-medieval remains included a number of other north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditches that clearly corresponded with former field boundaries shown on the available 19th-century maps. These features contains various post-medieval pottery finds, including pottery sherds, brick fragments and pieces of clay tobacco pipe stem. A cluster of intercutting pits containing post-medieval brick fragments and animal bone also coincided with the line of one of these former boundaries. Other remains that were probably of relatively recent date included a large quarry pit in the central part of the site that contained post-medieval brick. This coincided with the large discrete anomaly identified by the preceding geophysical survey that had been tentatively interpreted as potentially representing a burnt mount. A large pit to the west was probably of a similar date and function, although no dating evidence was recovered. A brick structure of likely 18th- or 19th-century date was recorded in the north-east corner of the site, the function of which was uncertain. Post-medieval brick fragments and a piece of late post-medieval/modern pottery were also recovered from two adjacent north-west to south-east aligned features in the south-east corner of the site that are thought to have been associated with a former path.
Undated features of note included a circular pit in the eastern part of the site with slightly heat-scorched margins and a dark, charcoal-rich primary fill – samples from which contained abundant charcoal and a small number of burnt flints. This is interpreted as a fire pit, although it appears to have been similar to features seen elsewhere in the wider Norwich environs that are now thought to have been associated with small-scale charcoal production. Although various other undated pits were recorded across the site these were all fairly unremarkable features. The lack of evidence for Roman and later activity on the site does though make it likely that at least some were prehistoric in date.
The two rectilinear anomalies recorded by the geophysical survey in the eastern part of the site were both found to have no associated sub-surface remains, as were the majority of the other anomalies investigated.
A small assemblage of unstratified finds was recovered, including two worked flints of Mesolithic/Neolithic date, post-medieval pottery sherds and undatable iron nails and an incomplete piece of lead sheet.
See report (S3) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2021.181).
P. Watkins (HES), 15 May 2025.

March-April 2022. Excavation.
This final phase of archaeological mitigation prior to the development of the site saw a relatively small area excavated in the eastern part of the site, where several Early Neolithic pits had been recorded during the preceding trial trenching.
This excavation uncovered a number of additional Early Neolithic pits and two clusters of potentially Early Neolithic post-holes, along with several ditches of likely Roman and later date and a small number of undated discrete features. The largest of the Early Neolithic pits uncovered during the preceding evaluation was also fully excavated during this phase of work.
The majority of the additional Early Neolithic pits fell within several loose clusters, with two more isolated pairs also recorded. These features contained flint-tempered Early Neolithic pottery and a range what were likely to be contemporary worked flints. As now appears to be typical, the Early Neolithic pottery was unevenly distributed - both across and within the individual pit groups/pairs – with more than 200 sherds recovered from one pit and 100 from another, but no other feature producing more than 25 sherds. The worked flints were similarly unevenly distributed, with the two largest assemblages coming from the two pits that produced the bulk of the pottery. The worked flint assemblage recovered during this phase of work is entirely consistent with that from the proceeding phase of work - with a range of debitage present, along with various retouched blade and flake implements. Interestingly, analysis of the largest group suggests that some tools may have been brought to the site, these being much longer and broader than the debitage with which they were found. Other finds recovered from the pits of probable Early Neolithic date included two fragments of a Sarsen (sandstone) saddle quern, fragments of fired clay and a piece of yellow oche. Samples taken from their fills again produced plant macrofossil assemblages that were largely limited to charcoal and occasional charred grains.
A number of smaller probable post-holes were also recorded, the majority of which fell within two amorphous clusters. These are thought to be associated with the Early Neolithic phase of activity, although pottery was only recovered from one outlying feature and other finds were limited to a small number of worked flints. These flints are though mostly of a similar character to those recovered from the pits and probably Early Neolithic in date. It is possible that the two main clusters represented the remains of ephemeral shelters or similar structures.
The bulk of the Early Neolithic pottery sherds from the site are undecorated, with only four decorated sherds identified. The nature of the decoration suggests these sherds are Mildenhall Ware – a local variant of the Early Neolithic Decorated Bowl tradition. It is possible that the dominant 'plainware' component of the assemblage is also of this tradition, rather than representing material of a different date - particularly as the diagnostic Mildenhall Ware sherds came from the two features that produced the bulk of the pottery. To aid the study of this assemblage four radiocarbon dates were obtained for charred material recovered from three of the pits, which were all clustered reasonably tightly in the first half of the 4th-millenium BC. Ash charcoal and charred hazel nutshell from the pit containing the largest pottery assemblage produced dates of 3946-3662 cal BC at 95.4% probability (SUERC-126111; 5017 ± 27 BP) and 3779-3650 cal BC at 95.4% probability (SUERC-126115; 4950 ± 27 BP), while charred hazel nutshell from two of the other pits produced dates of 3769-3644 cal BC at 95.4% probability (SUERC-126116; 4927 ± 27 BP) and 3774-3647 cal BC at 95.4% probability (SUERC-126117; 4939 ± 27 BP). These dates suggest that activity at this site took place during the earliest phase of the Mildenhall Ware tradition – the Early Neolithic Decorated Bowl tradition in south-east England being associated with a date range of 3780-3685 cal BC to 3310-3185 cal BC (at 95% probability). As noted above the presence of flakes from polished implements had suggested a possible date in the later part of the Early Neolithic but this was clearly not the case.
A small number of potentially Neolithic/Bronze Age and Bronze Age worked flints represent the only evidence for subsequent prehistoric activity at this location - no later prehistoric pottery being found and the bulk of the worked flints recovered from other features almost certainly residual from the Early Neolithic phase of activity.
The small number of later features included a north-west to south-east aligned ditch that turned onto more of an east-to-west orientation at its eastern end. This contained a small number of early Roman pottery sherds (all from the same vessel) and was probably broadly contemporary with an east-to-west aligned ditch a little way to the west that also contained Roman pottery. A short, similarly-aligned ditch lay in the gap between these two features and perhaps represented the deliberate blocking or remodelling of an opening in this boundary. A north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditch that truncated two of these potentially Roman ditches produced no dating evidence but was probably a much more recent feature - being parallel with several adjacent former field boundaries shown on the available 19th-century maps. It is though notable that its line was interrupted at the same point as the Roman boundary, with a clear break and evidence of recutting at this location.
See reports (S4) and (S5) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2022.127).
P. Watkins (HES), 15 May 2025.