NHER 40133 (Monument record) - Undated field boundary and pits and multi-period finds

This site records a multi-phased programme of archaeological investigation undertaken prior to the construction of a new link road between the A11 Cringleford bypass and Colney Lane. For other sites related to this work, see NHER 40130 –NHER 40132, NHER 40134 – NHER 40137, and NHER 40205.

This site also records a programme of archaeological investigation in advance of development to the west of the link road. For other sites related to this work, see NHER 36138, NHER 40130, NHER 40132, NHER 40135, NHER 40140, and NHER 60815.

Metal-detecting finds from 2012 previously recorded under this number and NHER 40135 are now recorded under NHER 60745. The results of a systematic fieldwalking and metal-detecting survey undertaken in 2004 are now recorded under NHER 31627.
H. Hamilton (HES), 8 June 2015. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 23 March 2021.

February to April 2004. Geophysical Survey. Field 5, Areas C-F
A magnetic susceptibility survey was carried out over the entire field and a gradiometer survey was undertaken within four discrete areas.
No anomalies of possible archaeological origin were detected during the magnetic susceptibility survey.
The gradiometer survey recorded four possible pits in the south and east of the survey area and evidence of cultivation parallel to the northern and western field boundaries.
See report (S1) for further details.
J. Allen (NLA), 29 June 2007. Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 19 May 2015.

October-November 2004. Watching Brief. Context 220 used.
Topsoil stripping for creation of a new link road and associated junctions was monitored.
No archaeological features were recorded within this section of the link road.
Unstratified finds recovered from the topsoil included:
1 prehistoric flint blade and 1 blade-like flake.
4 post-medieval pottery sherds and a lead cloth seal.
Undated fragment of copper alloy sheet (not recorded).
See report (S2) for further details.
J. Allen (NLA), 29 March 2005. Expanded H. Hamilton (HES), 8 June 2015.

July 2010. Norfolk NMP.
A linear feature is visible on aerial photographs (S3) running from TG 1878 0622 to TG 1897 0641. It probably represents a linear field boundary.
E. Bales (NMP), 20 July 2010.

March 2013. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of large proposed development area.
See report (S4) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 November 2018.

March 2013. Geophysical Survey. Sector 2.
A detailed magnetometer survey was carried out over three areas, encompassing approximately 44 hectares of land in total, in advance of development. Each area was comprised of several fields. Sector 2 of this survey was comprised of the small portion of land to the northwest of Round House Way.
No magnetic anomalies of archaeological origin were identified within Sector 2.
The majority of the magnetic responses within this area are indicative of compositional changes in the soils and superficial ferrous deposits within the topsoil. Two weak linear trends were interpreted as evidence of modern cultivation.
The survey did not include the area of the cropmark recorded in 2010.
See reports (S5) and (S6) for further information.
H. Hamilton (HES), 30 March 2015.

November 2013. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The eight trenches excavated exposed two ditches and two pits. One of the pits had a charcoal rich fill and was interpreted as potentially prehistoric, although no finds were recovered. The second pit was a modern feature. A north-east to south-west aligned ditch that was observed in three of the trenches almost certainly corresponds with the linear cropmark identified on aerial photographs in 2010 (see above). Brick fragments recovered from this feature suggest a post-medieval date, which is supported by the similarity of its alignment to those of the 19th-century boundaries. A residual sherd of Late Bronze Age pottery and a prehistoric flint flake were also recovered from this ditch. The second ditch had a roughly perpendicular alignment but produced no dating evidence.
See report (S7) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.215).
P. Watkins (HES), 2 November 2016.

January 2014. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of land immediately east of Round House Way.
This survey identified nothing of potential archaeological interest, with no evidence for surviving remains associated with the single cropmark noted at this location (see above). The majority of the anomalies recorded are thought to represent modern disturbance - most likely associated with the construction of the adjacent road.
See report (S8) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 17 April 2026.

April 2021. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development area at western edge of site, to west of Round House Way (Trenches 11-15).
The five trenches excavated at this location revealed little in the way of archaeologically-significant remains, with only two ditches and a small number of discrete features recorded – all of which were undated.
The only discrete feature of interest was a small shallow pit in the south-west corner of the site with a notably charcoal-rich fill. A sample taken from this deposit was found to contain abundant charcoal but nothing else in the way of charred plant macrofossils. Similar features recorded at several nearby sites are now thought to have been associated with charcoal production and a number have now produced Middle-Late Saxon radiocarbon dates (see for example NHER 60815). Two prehistoric flint flakes recovered from the sample are therefore probably residual.
An additional prehistoric flint flake was the only unstratified find recovered.
See report (S9) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2021.53).
P. Watkins (HES), 4 February 2022. Amended 5 December 2022.