NHER 68327 (Monument record) - Roman, Early Saxon, post-medieval and undated remains

November 2022-April 2023. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with installation of new water main (Area 2). This section of the pipeline was subject to archaeological monitoring due to its proximity to the site of a probable Roman villa (NHER 5789).
Initial topsoil stripping along this section of the working easement and the subsequent excavation of trenches through the remaining overburden revealed various features, the most notable of was the sub-rectangular pit associated with an Early Saxon grubenhaus ('sunken-feature building').
Evidence for earlier activity included a small number of mostly undiagnostic prehistoric worked flints and an assemblage of Roman finds, which comprises pottery sherds, ceramic building material (including probable brick and tegula fragments), several metal objects and a piece of possible Roman window glass. Although some of this material was clearly residual within later features it is notable that the bulk of these finds came from the southern end of site – i.e. close to the possible villa site identified to the west. The small number of potentially Roman features included north-east to south-west and north-west to south-east aligned ditches and several pits.
The Early Saxon grubenhaus lay just to the north of the potentially Roman remains, at TG 2714 2144. It was a six-post example, with two axial post-holes and additional post-holes in each of its corners. The fills of the main pit produced a small assemblage of Early Saxon handmade pottery, along with a diverse assemblage of other finds comprising pieces of fired clay (two of which are potentially fragments of oven/kiln lining), iron slag, burnt flints and stones, sandstone and schist whetstones, animal bones with evidence for butchery, a polished antler tine, a spindle whorl made from the base of a Roman pottery vessel and a number of other Roman objects, including brick and tile fragments, a razor or toilet knife, an iron possible textile/leather-working tool and an iron nail. A sample from one of these deposits produced a moderately large quantity of charcoal fragments, along with a small number of charred oat and free threshing wheat grains. No other features of definite Early Saxon date were identified, although it is possible that some of the undated pits and ditches in the vicinity of this structure were of a similar age.
There was little evidence for significant subsequent activity at this location until the post-medieval period. Features of post-medieval date included several ditches and pits at the southern end of the site. Finds recovered from these features include post-medieval and post-medieval/modern pottery sherds, medieval/post-medieval and post-medieval roof tile fragments, a medieval/post-medieval iron stud and pieces of clay tobacco pipe.
Various scattered ditches and pits recorded in the northern half of the site were mostly undated. One exception was a north-west to south-east aligned ditch that contained fragment of medieval/post-medieval tile. It is also likely that one of several other, similarly-aligned ditches probably corresponded with a former field boundary shown on 19th-century tithe maps – the line of which marked the Coltishall/Sco Ruston parish boundary (now the Coltishall/Tunstead boundary).
Unstratified finds recovered at this location include a Mesolithic flint tranchet adze, Roman pottery sherds, a post-medieval brick fragment, a post-medieval coin, a post-medieval jetton and a number of other metal objects, including a Middle/Late Saxon pin and a post-medieval buckle and possible furniture finial.
See report (S1) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2023.4). This archive does not include the finds, which have been retained by the landowner.
P. Watkins (HES), 20 May 2024. Amended 7 January 2025 and 5 March 2025.