NHER 1437 (Monument record) - Roman inhumation burial and other Roman and undated remains

June 1957. Stray Find.
Found "in grounds of 'Kenwood', Kenwood Road, during digging for sewers in sandy soil at depth of 2'6" [76cm]"...:
"Fragments of several Roman pots (one nearly complete when found), dish, and jar in rusticated ware".
These finds were donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1957.243).
Information from record cards (S1) and (S2). See file for sketch location plan (S3) and photocopy of photograph (S4). The former suggests the pottery was discovered adjacent to a detached structure to the north-west of the house, close to the road (c. TF 67944 37377).
This discovery was first reported in (S5).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 8 January 2021.

1958. Stray Find.
Found by owner of house in garden:
1 medieval green glazed sherd.
This sherd was also donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1958.70).
Information from record cards (S6) and (S2).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 8 January 2021.

January 2011. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
Archaeologically-significant remains were exposed in two of the three trenches, by far the most significant of which was an extended human burial. The lower portion of this skeleton was partially exposed in the north-west part of the site, lying immediately beneath a thick subsoil deposit. An on-site examination of the bones (which were left in situ) suggested that they represented the remains of a young adult male. A near complete pottery vessel found next to his legs was potentially a deliberately placed grave good, as was a large piece of whale bone that had possibly been worked into some kind of tool. The presence of these items and the north-west to south-east alignment of the burial suggest it is unlikely to have been Christian. The crossing of the legs and the position of a hand bone suggest that the body had probably been encased in a shroud prior to burial.
A number of linear features were recorded in the vicinity of the grave, including two to the east that potentially represented elements of a single ring-ditch. Unfortunately these produced no dating evidence. A north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditch at the western end of the trench produced two sherds of Roman pottery and was therefore regarded as broadly contemporary with the adjacent burial, although it should be noted that this feature was parallel to the Kenwood Road and therefore potentially more recent in date. Three similarly-aligned features recorded in a trench at the eastern end of the site were regarded as probable plough scars.
See interim report (S7) for further details. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 January 2022.

April 2011. Excavation.
Final phase of archaeological work undertaken prior to the redevelopment of the site.
Details awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 January 2022.