NHER 37356 (Monument record) - Prehistoric burial and Saxon/medieval occupation at 3 Minstergate

September 2002. Trial Trench. Contexts 1-73.
Excavation of a single trench perpendicular to Minstergate recorded an east-to-west aligned ditch, several post holes, and twenty eight pits of various sizes (all dated to the Late Saxon to medieval period), as well as a post-medieval flint surface, a large post-medieval pit, and a post-medieval deposit containing charcoal, coal fragments, and brick dust. The ditch contained bone fragments, a horn core, Late Saxon and medieval pottery (including two re-used sherds of Thetford ware), a fragment from a lava quern and a post-medieval roof tile and iron objects. The latter appear to be intrusive, and the ditch most likely dates to the medieval period. The majority of the pits contained Late Saxon pottery and animal bone and several of the post holes also contained Late Saxon Thetford ware. Other finds from the pits include fish bone, fired clay (possibly daub), and oyster and mussel shell. Seven residual struck flints were also found, the majority of which were blades or blade-like flakes. This small assemblage is likely to primarily represent limited activity during the Mesolithic or Early Neolithic, although one flake is hard-hammer struck and therefore probably of a later date. Four burnt flints were also recovered.
See report (S1) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2).
J. Allen (NLA), 2 January 2003. Updated by H. Hamilton (NLA), 20 August 2008 and P. Watkins (HES), 28 July 2013.

September 2004. Excavation. Contexts 100-358.
Excavations uncovered significant evidence from the prehistoric, Roman, Late Saxon and medieval periods.
A further 23 worked flints and 37 burnt flints were recovered during this phase of work. This assemblage lacks diagnostic pieces and was not closely datable. Although a number of blades and blade-like flakes were present these were though likely to be of Neolithic rather than Mesolithic date. Of the excavated features two ditches and a crouched inhumation were identified as being of probable prehistoric date. None of these features can be firmly dated, producing only a small number of later prehistoric flints. The grave was orientated north to south, and the skeleton survived mainly as a sand body. The skeletal remains are thought to be those of a child aged approximately 11 years old.
A single Roman ditch crossed the site on an east-west alignment, and contained two large, unabraded sherds of 2nd-3rd century pottery. The ditch aligns with the current street frontage.
Evidence for activity during the Late Saxon period was plentiful and included pits and gullies as well as structural evidence in the form of post holes and beam slots.
Evidence from the early medieval period included the substantial remains of a building measuring 5.5m wide. Its construction can be dated to the latter part of the 12th century as a lead papal bulla of Alexander III (1159-1181AD) was found in one of the footing trenches.
Later medieval evidence included a series of deposits relating to the disuse and demolition of the building.
The only notable post-medieval feature was a substantial ditch running parallel with the street frontage.
See report (S3) and assessment report (S4) for further details. The results of this work are summarised in (S5). See also newspaper article (S6).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 12 August 2005.

23 October 2013. Stray Find.
See NHER 59726 for details of Late Saxon pottery found in a spoil heap thought to come from this site.
E. Darch (HES), 6 Februaury 2014.

A combined archive comprising material from both phases of archaeological work at this site has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2010.318).
P. Watkins (HES), 11 May 2019.