NHER 12165 (Monument record) - Prehistoric flint and medieval to post-medieval finds, Bacton to Great Yarmouth pipeline project

The linear and curvilinear cropmarks previously described below, including the trackway, are now recorded as NHER 27259 (parent number for the complex of trackways and fields), NHER 27338 (part of a probably Bronze Age field system) and NHER 27339 (part of a probably Iron Age to Roman field system). The two ring ditches are now numbered NHER 27343 and 27344, part of barrow cemetery NHER 27342.

May 1989. Metal detecting. Stated by finder to have come from area of cropmarks. Context 2.
A medieval sherd of 13th/14th century imported proto stoneware, a post medieval bronze rumbler bell, and an undated lead weight were recovered.
Identified by A. Rogerson (NAU).
D. Gurney (NAU), 9 June 1989.

January-April 1997. Systematic Fieldwalking and Metal-detecting Survey.
Field survey on proposed route of Bacton to Great Yarmouth pipeline (Field/location RDX 30.7; Context 3).
14 Prehistoric flints including flakes, retouched flakes, and a blade were recovered along with two fragments of medieval tile, a sherd of post medieval pottery, 5 fragments of post medieval ceramic building material, and a post medieval shoe buckle. The flint finds represent the northern portion of a very broad spread of flint finds extending for 1180m, through RDX 30.8 (NHER 34024) and RDX 30.9 (NHER 34025).
See report (S1) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2011.55 and NWHCM : 2017.395).
E. Rose (NLA) November 1998. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 May 2019.

November 1998. Systematic Fieldwalking Survey.
Additional field survey on proposed route of Bacton to Great Yarmouth pipeline (Field/Location RDX 30.7; Site 7)
This area was selected for further, more detailed fieldwalking but cropping regimes prevented access.
See report (S2) for further details.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 3 June 2008.

November 1998. Geophysical Survey.
Bacton to Great Yarmouth Gas Pipeline (Site 7 - Area A).
Geophysical Survey along the 30m easement of the proposed pipeline recorded a group of magnetic anomalies at the eastern end of the area which may be caused by pits, although no associated incease in susceptibility values was recorded.
See report (S3) for further details.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 04 June 2008.

March-May 1999. Excavation.
Excavation on route of Bacton to Great Yarmouth pipeline (Site 7N).
In the northern end of the site substantial ditches measuring 3m wide and over 1m deep containing sherds of Neolithic/Bronze Age pottery in the upper fills and a second ditch with evidence of a former bank were recorded. It is possible that these two ditches were part of a contemporary field boundary system. Features between the ditches include two shallow subcircular pits containing charcoal rich deposits and large amounts of burnt flint and a less distinctive pit also containing charcoal, burnt flint and flint flakes. A small circular pit contained 55 sherds of Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age pottery and 23 struck and burnt flints. It is possible that this pit represents refuse disposal. In the centre of the site are a number of small pits or post-holes one of which conatined a semi-complete vessel with a rounded base probably of Early Neolithic and a number of sherds of Bronze Age or indeterminate prehistoric date. Within this pit a small scraper and fossilised vertabra of an ichthyosaur were also recovered.
A number of ditches appear to have formed a rectilinear system of field boundaries of later date than the substantial ditches probably of later prehistoric or indeterminate prehistoric date. A sherd of abraded Bronze Age pottery was found in a narrow gully and a small number of struck and burnt flint was recovered from a ditch. Two parallel ditches in the middle of the site may relate to the field system as they run on the same alignment and might be wayside ditches for a trackway.
See publication draft (S4) and assessment report (S5) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S6).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2011.55 and NWHCM : 2017.395).
S. Howard (NLA), 2 February 2010. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 May 2019.