NHER 69147 (Monument record) - Medieval to post-medieval and undated remains

February-March 2021. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The 34 trenches excavated revealed a small number of scattered pits and ditches. There was no evidence for activity on the site prior to the medieval period, the earliest finds being a small assemblage of early medieval and high medieval pottery sherds recovered from four ditches in the central part of the site. These included two intercutting east-north-east to west-south-west aligned ditches and a nearby, perpendicular, north-north-west to south-south-east aligned feature (which also contained a single fragment of late medieval/early post-medieval roof tile). Medieval pottery was also present in a north-to-south aligned ditch to the south of these features. Other finds recovered from these potentially medieval ditches included fragments of fired clay and animal bone, with samples taken from the fills of three found to contain charcoal, charred cereal grains and vitrified material indicative of burning at high temperatures. The small number of other ditches recorded included a north-to-south aligned feature in the western half of the site that was thought to be of relatively recent date. This potentially corresponds with an extent ditch visible on aerial photographs taken in 1946.
The small number of possible pits recorded were mostly undated, the one exception being a feature in the south-west part of the site that contained a single fragment of late medieval/early post-medieval roof tile. A sample taken from its fill contained charcoal and a single charred cereal grain.
No unstratified finds were recovered.
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2021.32).
P. Watkins (HES), 14 May 2025.