NHER 40213 (Monument record) - Multi-period site, land at Ditchingham

November 2002. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of proposed mineral extraction area (covering c. 57 hectares).
See report (S1) for details.
P. Watkins (HES), 29 June 2015.

August 2004. Systematic Fieldwalking and Metal-detecting Survey.
Field survey of proposed mineral extraction area.
Finds recovered included prehistoric worked flints and medieval and post-medieval pottery sherds. Scatters of post-medieval brick and tile were also noted in the eastern part of the site.
No metal finds predating the modern period were recovered.
Report awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 23 June 2017.

September 2004 and September-October 2005. Trial Trenching.
Archaeological evaluation of proposed mineral extraction area. This work was undertaken in two phases, with 83 trenches excavated in September 2004 (Phase I; Trenches 1-83) and a further 40 trenches excavated the following year (Trenches 86-177).
Archaeologically signficant remains were identified in 69 of the trenches excavated and finds of prehistoric, Roman, Late Saxon, medieval and post-medieval date recovered.
Prehistoric pottery thought to date to the late Bronze Age or Iron Age was recovered from pits, a post hole and a ditch.
Late Saxon and early medieval features included ditches, possible drainage ditches and pits. The abundance of medieval finds strongly indicates occupation of the nearby medieval moated site (NHER 35378).
Post-medieval ditches are thought to represent field or property boundaries, perhaps relating to the farmstead shown in this location on the 1841 Tithe map and on Bryant's 1826 map of Norfolk.
See reports (S2) and (S3) for further information (the latter being a combined report that details both phases of evaluation). The results of this work are also summarised in (S4) and (S5).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 25 May 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 29 June 2015.