NHER 37649 (Monument record) - Iron Age pits, post-medieval ditches and other, poorly-dated remains

Mangreen Farm Site 1.

September 2002. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of proposed mineral extraction area.
Remains of Roman date may extend across the assessment area, particularly given the proximity of a possible temple site immediately to the east. For the medieval period there is little to suggest that Mangreen was anything but small and marginal, despite its perceived importance.
A small number of potentially archaeologically-significant cropmarks were identified on aerial photographs of this area.
See report (S1) for further details.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 7 January 2009. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 23 January 2023.

January 2003. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetic susceptibility survey followed by detailed magnetometry in four targeted areas (Areas 1-4).
Most of the area surveyed appeared to contain anomalies associated with recent agricultural activity.
See report (S2) for further details.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 7 January 2009. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 27 May 2015.

January 2003. Systematic Fieldwalking and Metal-detecting Survey.
Field survey of proposed mineral extraction area (Area 1).
Finds recovered included a small assemblage of later prehistoric worked flints, the majority of which came from the south-west part of the site. A number of potentially prehistoric burnt flints were also collected.
Later finds included a diffuse scatter of post-medieval pottery sherds and a number of post-medieval roof tile fragments, with the latter also mostly found in the south-west part of the site. It is noted that a small number of potentially late medieval sherds were also recovered during this work, although it is unclear from the report where exactly these were found.
Metal finds were limited to two iron nails and an unidentified iron object (all probably of relatively recent date).
See report (S3) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S4).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2007.305).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 24 January 2005. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 23 January 2023.

August 2003. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of three proposed mineral extraction areas (Areas 1-3). The 34 trenches excavated revealed only a small number of scattered features, the majority of which produced no dating evidence.
The nine trenches excavated in the north-western field (Area 1; centred TG 2177 0337) revealed only a single pit and two ditches. The pit contained a small amount of burnt flint but was otherwise unremarkable. One of the ditches was aligned east-to-west and clearly coincided with a former boundary depicted on the Swardeston Tithe map (S5). The second ditch was aligned north-to-south and of uncertain date.
The 13 trenches excavated in the eastern field (Area 2; centred TG 2198 0337), revealed two ditches, one aligned east-to-west and the other north-to-south. The former produced a fragment of post-medieval clay tobacco pipe.
A slightly greater number of features were exposed by the 12 trenches excavated in the southernmost field (Area 3; centred TG 2178 0315). These included a number of ditches and three pits. The ditches included several north-east to south-west aligned features, one of which produced a small amount of prehistoric pottery. As in the other areas north-to-south and east-to-west aligned ditches were also recorded, which were probably associated with a more recent phase of activity. One of the pits was found to contain two sherds of medieval or earlier pottery but the others produced no dating evidence. What appeared to be a large quarry pit or pond was also recorded in two adjacent trenches, the fill of which contained several sherds of medieval pottery.
See report (S6) for further details.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 23 January 2023.

2003-2004. Metal-detecting.
Examination of trial trench backfills and two additional areas:
Found in area of Trenches 1-9:
18 undatable prehistoric flint flakes, 1 ?borer, 1 retouched flake, 2 spalls and 1 trial piece.
1 Mesolithic flint blade.
2 Early Neolithic flint single-platform flake cores.
1 post-medieval drop handle.

Found in area of Trenches 10-21:
36 undatable prehistoric flint flakes, 1 core fragment, 2 scrapers, 1 ?scraper, 1 ?knife, 1 borer, 1 notched flake, 4 retouched flakes, 2 spalls, 1 ?trial piece and 4 shatter pieces.
1 Early Neolithic flint single-platform core.
1 Neolithic flint end scraper.
1 ?Roman lead weight.
1 medieval pottery sherd (glazed Grimston) and 1 buckle.
1 post-medieval pottery sherd (Glazed Red Earthenware), 1 buckle and 1 crotal bell.
1 undatable lead weight and 1 copper alloy fragment.

Found at [1]:
5 undatable prehistoric flint flakes.
1 Mesolithic flint two-orthogonal platform blade core.
1 Early Neolithic flint ?single-platform core fragment.
1 post-medieval token, 1 jetton 1 harness mount, 1 buckle and 1 crotal bell.

Found at [2]:
1 post-medieval shoe buckle.

Found at [3]:
1 undatable prehistoric flint flake, 1 retouched flake and 1 shatter piece.
1 Early Neolithic flint single-platform core.
1 Early Bronze Age flint retouched flake.

Flints identified by P. Robins (NCM) and other objects by A. Rogerson (NLA). See lists in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 10 May 2004. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 2 April 2014

See NHER 39785 for Roman bowl, etc. found October 2003 by [1] while detecting part of area.
J. Allen (NLA), 8 April 2004.

June-July 2008. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of topsoil stripping in advance of mineral extraction.
This phase of work saw the excavation of much of the easternmost of the three areas examined by the preceding trial trenching (Area 2), plus part of the area to the west (Area 1) and part of the field to the south (which had not been subject to trial trenching).
A number of prehistoric discrete features were exposed, the majority of which were of probable later Iron Age date. These included two adjacent pits in the north-east corner of the site, one of which produced more than 140 Iron Age pottery sherds (mostly from two vessels) and the other 31 sherds. A further 41 later Iron Age pottery sherds were recovered from an apparently isolated pit approximately 90m to the south, although this feature also produced a single small sherd of possible Late Iron Age/early Roman date.
A cluster of five pits and post-holes was recorded in the south-east corner of the excavated area, two of which produced small amounts of Iron Age pottery. Although this group was most likely Iron Age in date it should be noted that one feature did produced a small assemblage of less diagnostic prehistoric pottery, including two grog-tempered sherds of possible Bronze Age date.
A small assemblage of worked flints provided some additional evidence for pre-Iron Age activity on the site, although these could only be broadly dated as late Neolithic/Bronze Age.
Four ditches were also exposed, three aligned north-to-south and one east-to-west. Although one of former produced a single sherd of possible Roman pottery it is likely that most, if not all of these features were of relatively recent date. Finds recovered from the other ditches included two sherds of post-medieval pottery and post-medieval pantile fragments.
See report (S7) for further details.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 27 May 2015.

August 2009. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of topsoil stripping in advance of mineral extraction.
This final phase of archaeological mitigation saw the excavation of a roughly square area to the south of the much large area stripped in 2008.
A single burnt tree hollow was the only feature recorded.
No finds were recovered..
See report (S8) for further details.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 23 January 2023.