NHER 67908 (Monument record) - Probable Early Saxon inhumation cemetery and other, undated and medieval or later remains

July 2016. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The eight trenches excavated revealed a range of significant remains, the most notable of which were two groups of inhumation burials.
Early phases of activity on the site were represented by a small but diverse assemblage of prehistoric objects - although most, if not all, of this material was either residual or residual within later features. These prehistoric finds included Early Neolithic pottery sherds, a single probable Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery sherd, several blade-like flint flakes of probable Neolithic date and a Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age flint side scraper.
Although a small assemblage of Roman pottery was recovered these sherds were also mostly found alongside later material. The one feature to produced only Roman pottery was an otherwise undated pit that contained a single Roman sherd.
A total of eight probable graves were identified, four at the eastern end of a trench in the central part of the site and a further four at the eastern end of a trench approximately 30m to the south. These burials lie on the high point of a gentle east-to-west aligned ridge and presumably represent elements of a single inhumation cemetery. The position of the burials in relation to the excavated trenches means that the work only established the likely western limit of this cemetery. The recognition of these features as graves meant they were left largely unexcavated, with exposed human remains recorded in situ and then carefully reburied. Several iron objects were though retrieved from one of the graves – a knife, a probably spearhead and a third, unidentified object (possibly part of another spear). The nature of these objects suggests an Early Saxon date for the cemetery. This is also consistent with the evidence from previous metal-detecting at this location [1], which had recovered a large, diverse assemblage of Early Saxon finds that strongly indicated the presence of an inhumation cemetery of this date.
Later remains included a chalk surface that overlay the northern group of burials. This had been built up against a substantial post-hole and presumably represented a floor surface associated with some form of building. Two medieval pottery sherds were recovered from the chalk surface, along with a small amount of animal bone and an iron nail. A line of three post-holes recorded at the southern end of the site also potentially structural. One contained a single sherd of medieval pottery. Several medieval pottery sherds were also recovered from a pair of east-to-west aligned ditches and it is reasonably likely that a number of undated parallel and perpendicular ditches were also medieval or later in date.
Notable features of uncertain date included a fairly substantial north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditch. All of the graves identified lay to the east of this feature suggesting it might present a boundary associated with the cemetery, although one of the burial was observed to truncate its fills.
The small assemblage of other unstratified finds recovered comprises Roman, medieval and Victorian pottery sherds, a piece of undatable iron slag and several metal objects, including a post-medieval buckle and furniture tack and undatable copper alloy sheet fragments and iron nails.
See report (S1) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.347).
P. Watkins (HES), 24 January 2024.