NHER 36663 (Monument record) - Late Saxon pottery, early medieval pit and several structural features

May 2001. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of proposed development site to rear of Nos 87-95 Market Place, Swaffham.
Linear north to south aligned features visible over area appeared to be continuations of rows of gravestones in church yard of Saint Peter and Saint Paul to the north (NHER 2698). Rows of small sub-rectangular features were visible between the lines. This would appear to be a possible southern extension of the graveyard to the north. Cartographic evidence would suggest that the area was defined prior to the development of plots on the Market Place frontage in the medieval period. The site would thus appear to be a remnant of the early medieval or even Saxon churchyard, which has since contracted. Tithe map (1843) indicates that area formed rear of residential/commercial property by later post medieval period.
See report (S1) for further details.
S. Tremlett (NAU), 2001. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 6 May 2015.

June 2001.
Site visited following receipt of Desk-based Assessment. The south wall of the churchyard was found to be 18th century in date; the rows of tombstones are partly 19th century, partly a more recent reordering. E. Rose (NLA), D. Gurney (NLA) and A. Rogerson (NLA) considered the small sub-rectangular features to be more probably vegetable beds. The conclusion of the DBA were not accepted, but evaluation was felt to be necessary as the land was clearly of archaeological potential in any case.
E. Rose (NLA), 3 January 2003.

January 2002. Trial Trenching. Contexts 1-64.
Trial trenching revealed a burnt surface containing a fragment of Romano-British tile, a pit containing sherds of early medieval pottery and several structural features including two post-holes. A single flint flake of possible Mesolithic/Early Neolithic date and a burnt flint were also recovered.
See report (S2) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S3).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.621).
D. Gurney (NLA), 6 March 2002. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 17 May 2019.

January 2003. Watching Brief.
No features or artefacts of archaeological interest were observed in the excavated footings. The depth of the trenches reduced the likelihood that underlying archaeological deposits would be observed during the excavation.
See report (S4) for further details.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 1 March 2005.