NHER 68782 (Monument record) - Burials of probable medieval date and other post-medieval and undated remains

April-August 2023. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of various groundworks in the vicinity of The Old Rectory (NHER 38092).
Ground reduction within the inner courtyard exposed three pits, one of which contained disarticulated fragments of human bone. This pit was sealed by layer of compact, redeposited chalk (that appeared to extend beneath the courtyard wall) and was cut by a later pit that contained a reasonably large assemblage of post-medieval and late post-medieval/modern pottery. This feature contained various other post-medieval finds, including window glass, ceramic building material and clay tobacco pipe fragments. Pottery of late post-medieval/modern date was also recovered from the third pit. These features were sealed beneath a layer of overburden containing crushed late post-medieval to modern ceramic building material, much early 20th-century bottle glass and additional fragments of disarticulated human bone. This deposit also contained several redeposited worked flints of probable Bronze Age/Iron Age date and a single Roman pottery sherd.
Ground reduction within the outer courtyard confirmed that the south-eastern boundary of the churchyard of All Saints’ Church (NHER 12244) had previously lain several metres beyond its present line – the original edge of the churchyard being seen to truncate a spur of natural chalk. The graveyard soils exposed between the extant boundary and its former position contained fragments of both human and animal bone. It is potentially of interest that these deposits also produced single sherds of Middle Saxon and Late Saxon pottery - the only Saxon pottery recovered during the work. Three partially intact east-to-west aligned burials were exposed within this area, along with two skulls that probably represented charnel from other burials. The three in situ burials ad been disturbed by the construction of a modern soakaway and were further disrupted during its removal. At least some of the encroachment into the cemetery occurred relatively recently as the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25-inch map of 1886 (S1) clearly shows the boundary much closer to The Old Rectory.
Service trenches excavated to the south-west of the Old Rectory revealed a number of other features and structures, including a well adjacent to the house. This was built from red frogged bricks, one of which bore a stamp of the Whittlesea Central Brick company – suggesting a date of between 1898 and 1969. This well truncated one of two large pits or terracing cuts exposed in the vicinity of the building, one of which contained a segment of brick garden wall of relatively recent date. A north-west to south-east aligned red brick and flint cobble wall exposed in a service presence adjacent to the annex building was also probably a freestanding garden wall rather than part of a building.
Other unstratified finds recovered during these various works (mostly during ground reduction in the outer courtyard) a single late medieval/early post-medieval pottery sherd, various post-medieval pottery sherds, post-medieval clay tobacco pipe fragments and a post-medieval bone cutlery handle.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 January 2025.

February-March 2024. Trial Trenching.
Excavation of single 'T'-shaped trench at site of proposed 'amphitheatre' adjacent to house.
This trench revealed a large pit of uncertain date - finds being limited a small amount of animal bone. A sample from the fill of this feature contained charcoal and charred cereal grains. The pit was truncated by a broad construction cut containing two adjoining flint and mortar wall that had formed the corner of building. The walls were relatively narrow and the flints were of mixed size and not lain in any obvious pattern. The construction cut also produced no dating evidence.
No unstratified finds were recovered.
See report (S3) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2024.47).
P. Watkins (HES), 9 January 2025. Amended 24 August 2025.

June 2024. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with construction of ‘amphitheatre’.
No archaeologically-significant features or structures were recorded. A layer of demolition debris noted during the preceding trial trenching was encountered but only the top of this deposit was removed.
No finds were recovered.
See report (S4) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 9 January 2025.