NHER 41940 (Monument record) - Medieval to post-medieval remains, including rectilinear enclosures

August 2005. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with construction of temporary contractor compound for A11 Attleborough Bypass Improvement Scheme.
Deturfing of this site revealed an east-north-east to west-south-west aligned linear feature that appeared to cut a large oval-shaped feature filled with a very dark brown silty clay.
Unstratfied finds were limited to a prehistoric flint flake, undatable fragments of fired clay and burnt flint and several post-medieval metal objects.
See report (S1) for further details. The results of the work associated with this project are also summarised in (S2).
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2025.173).
J. Allen (NLA), 26 August 2005. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 18 May 2022 and 31 August 2025.

February 2013. Norfolk NMP.
Assessments of the historic aerial photographs for this site revealed the former presence of two probable medieval settlement enclosures and/or moated enclosures at this location, which are recorded under NHER 58610. It is highly likely that the remains exposed in 2005 were associated with these earthworks. Given the substantial nature of the features it is likely that they survived the construction of the compound.
S. Horlock (NMP), 1 February 2013. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 18 May 2022.

July 2017. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
A total of five trenches were excavated, which revealed remains of probable medieval to post-medieval date.
Evidence for earlier activity included two Roman pottery sherds and several fragments of Roman ceramic building material, all of which were almost certainly residual within a later feature.
Although a small assemblage of medieval pottery was recovered the bulk of the stratified material came from a single recut east-north-east to west-south-west aligned ditch at the eastern end of the site. Most of the other sherds recovered come from the topsoil in the vicinity of this feature.
Two of the trenches were placed to examine the southern sides of the two rectilinear enclosures visible as earthworks on aerial photographs (see above). These revealed substantial corresponding ditches which were between 7m and 10m wide and up to 2m deep. These produced a number of finds, including of four sherds of medieval and post-medieval pottery and a small assemblage of post-medieval brick and tile fragments. A trench placed across the western side of the western enclosure revealed a much less substantial ditch, which was up to 5m wide and only 0.5m deep (this being consistent with the earthworks, which suggested this was a much narrower ditch). No finds were recovered from this feature. This trench also examined a portion of the interior of the western enclosure, revealing a number of narrow linear features and possible pits. Several of these features produced fragments of post-medieval ceramic building material, including a possible beam-slot adjacent to and parallel with the southern side of the enclosure. Also of note was a small patch of what appeared to be a metalled gravel surface, from which a worn post-medieval jetton was recovered.
A number of samples taken from the enclosure ditches and several internal features produced little that would indicate occupation of the site, although the presence of various waterlogged seeds offers the potential for environmental reconstruction.
The medieval ditches were the only features observed outside of the enclosures.
Although the enclosure ditches had survived the construction of the works compound on the eastern half of the site, this activity had clearly resulted in at least a degree of truncation and disturbance.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 24 May 2022.