NHER 69160 (Monument record) - Potentially prehistoric, Roman and undated remains

July 2021. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The nine trenches excavated revealed a range of linear and discrete features. Although these remains were predominantly poorly dated it appears that the majority were probably associated with prehistoric and Roman phases of activity.
The small assemblage of prehistoric pottery recovered comprises a mix of Early Neolithic, Early Iron Age and later Iron Age sherds, although the exact nature of activity in these different periods is difficult to determine – much of this material being either unstratified or clearly residual within later features. The potentially prehistoric features included a group of five relatively small post-holes in the north-west corner of the site, three of which were found to contain Early Neolithic pottery. Potentially Iron Age features included a large pit in the south-east corner of the site, the uppermost fill of which contained a small assemblage of 17 later Iron Age pottery sherds. Single sherds of later Iron Age pottery were also recovered from an adjacent pit and one of several post-holes recorded in a trench to the north. The small number of Early Iron Age pottery sherds found were though all either residual or unstratified.
Roman pottery was recovered from features and layers across the site, although this material was concentrated in the western half. Features of definite Roman date included a fairly large, amorphous pit that contained Roman pottery and a notable quantity of what was probably smithing slag. Roman pottery and additional probable smithing slag was also recovered from what were interpreted as possible occupation deposits in an adjacent trench. Samples taken from this material and the fill of the pit provided further evidence for metal-working in the vicinity, with both being found to contain notable quantities of flake and spheroidal hammerscale. A reasonably large assemblage of Roman pottery was also recovered from a nearby west-north-west to east-south-east aligned ditch. The orientation of this ditch is similar to that of a group of linear cropmarks visible on aerial photographs of the land to the west that are thought to potentially represent elements of a Roman field system (NHER 49180). Smaller quantities of Roman pottery were also recovered from another, similarly-aligned ditch and several possible pits and post-holes. The Roman pottery assemblage is quite mixed and appears to span the period – suggesting a sustained period of occupation.
There was little evidence for subsequent activity on the site, although two ditches do appear to coincide with north-north-east to south-south-west aligned former field boundaries depicted on the Hoveton St John tithe map of 1840 (S1). A sample taken from one of these features contained coal and the other was observed to cut through the subsoil, providing further evidence that they were probably of relatively recent date. The complete absence of post-Roman finds does though mean that the various undated ditches and possible pits and post-holes were most likely associated with the prehistoric and Roman phases of activity.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 27 May 2025.