NHER 49747 (Monument record) - Medieval to post-medieval remains including probable iron smelting furnace

2004-2005. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of proposed line of Norwich Northern Distributor Road.
See reports (S1) and (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 28 July 2015.

April 2012-April 2013. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey on proposed line of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Block 40).
Several linear anomalies were identified, all of which are likely to represent soil-filled ditches. Two extensive north-east to south-west aligned anomalies clearly correspond with former field boundaries depicted on the Beeston St Andrew Tithe Map of 1842 (S3). These defined the sides of a long narrow plot extending north-eastwards from the site of Dairy Farm (NHER 12640).
A large dipolar anomaly corresponds with a former gravel pit shown on the Ordnance Survey Six-inch First Edition Map (S4). Two other large, similar anomalies represent former ponds marked on this map.
A small cluster of linear and discrete anomalies identified at the northern edge of the survey area are potentially archaeological, although an agricultural or geological cause is also possible.
Although a range of other anomalies were identified these are not thought to be of archaeological significance, being most likely of agricultural or geological origin.
There was no evidence for surviving remains associated with two cropmarks recorded at this location (NHER 50801).
See report (S5) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 5 August 2015. Amended 22 February 2021.

April-September 2015. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of site on proposed line of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Field S16).
The sixteen trenches excavated in this field revealed a range of features of probable medieval to post-medieval date, including ditches, pits, post-holes, the corner of a flint-walled structure and remains associated with iron smelting.
There was little evidence for activity on the site prior to the high medieval period, with earlier finds limited to two prehistoric worked flints and single sherds of Roman, possible Late Saxon and early medieval pottery.
Although a number of ditches and possible pits produced medieval pottery this material was either only present in small quantities or found alongside later material.
There was however much clearer evidence for activity at this location during the late medieval/early post-medieval period, with the bulk of the pottery of this date being recovered from a pit or post-hole and an adjacent linear feature in the northern part of the site. The latter was interpreted as potentially a robber trench and produced a pottery assemblage of probable 16th-century date, a medieval pin, post-medieval brick and tiles fragments and piece of tap slag. The main evidence for iron working was however identified in the southernmost part of the site, where a spread of tap slag was associated with a narrow flue and a pit. These features were probably related to an iron smelting furnace and produced fragments of fired clay and a single post-medieval tile. A sample taken from the dark material filling the flue was found to contain charcoal, charred grains and a small amount of hammerscale. Post-medieval tiles were also recovered from two ditches and a pit in this part of the site and one of the former (close to the ironworking debris) also produced fragments of fired clay what were possible pieces of oven dome.
Other remains of note included a reasonably substantial flint wall exposed in the northern half of the site that clearly formed the corner of some kind of structure or building. The date of this wall was unclear.
Topographically, the site straddles a minor, north-east to south-west aligned dry valley. The low-lying ground running through the centre of the site was notably wetter, with the one trench it was possible to excavate in this area revealing what appeared to be an infilled channel.
There was again no evidence for sub-surface remains associated with the two cropmarks recorded in this part of the field (NHER 50801). At least two of the ditches exposed did however correspond with previously identified geophysical anomalies, although it is clear that this survey had failed to identify many of the features present.
See report (S6) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 22 February 2021.

January-September 2016. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of site on route of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Area 9 west).
This final phase of work took saw the excavation of areas to either side of what was conclusively shown to be a north-east to south-west aligned palaeochannel running along the base of this minor valley. Both areas revealed extensive, reasonably dense remains, most, if not all of which were of probable medieval to post-medieval date.
Evidence for early activity on the site was limited to a small assemblage of Mesolithic/Early Neolithic and later worked flints and several sherds of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Beaker pottery that were residual within a later feature.
The bulk of the reasonably large pottery assemblage recovered was of high medieval date, with only small numbers of Late Saxon and early medieval sherds present. As during the preceding trial trenching there was a notable number of late medieval sherds present along with a roughly equal number of post-medieval sherds. These suggest that the site had seen significant activity until at least the 16th century.
The features associated with the early to high medieval phase of activity included a number of sinuous boundary ditches flanking both sides of the palaeochannel, a small square enclosure to the south and fragmentary ditches in the northernmost part of the site that had potentially formed small stock enclosures. Other medieval features included various pits in the northern part of the site, several of which produced reasonably large amounts of pottery. Other finds from features of probable medieval date included animal bone, fragments of fired clay and lava quern and metal-working debris. The metal-working debris was primarily tap slag from iron smelting. One of the pits contained a thick primary fill of charcoal and was therefore regarded as potentially associated with charcoal production. It did though produce a particularly large quantity of pottery, which is highly unusual for features likely to have been associated with this activity.
Features of probable late medieval to early post-medieval date were clustered in the centre of the northern excavation area (in close proximity to the linear feature that had produced an assemblage of 16th-century pottery and post-medieval ceramic building material during the preceding trial trenching). These included a group of intercutting pits and a roughly linear alignment of 14 post-holes. The pits produced pottery of pottery of 14th- to 16th-century date, along with animal bone, fragments of smithing hearth lining and pieces of ceramic building material, including several bricks of probable 16th-century date. A number of other 16th-century bricks were also recovered from a nearby post-medieval brick-lined well, along with post-medieval tiles. It is likely that at least some of this material represents debris from a demolished late medieval or early post-medieval building that had stood somewhere nearby. However, although the feature revealed during the evaluation was interpreted as a possible robbed out wall, it appears that none of the remains exposed in this part of the site during the excavation were regarded as potentially structural.
Samples taken from the fills of features of probable medieval to early post-medieval date were generally unproductive, producing only occasional charred cereal grains and other material likely to represent wind-blown rubbish.
Remains of probable later post-medieval date included a rectangular structure associated with the flint wall partly exposed during the preceding trial trenching. This small structure was interpreted as a barn and consisted of two surviving walls set into the base of a shallow pit that had been slightly terraced into the valley side to create a level platform. The backfill of this pit contained pottery of 17th to 18th-century date, along with clay tobacco pipe, lava quern and a small quantity of ceramic building material. This structure is another possible source for some of the debris in the well, which had been partially backfilled with flint and mortar rubble. This had probably occurred in the late post-medieval period as its fill also contained an assemblage of 19th-century pottery.
Other potentially post-medieval features included a group of intercutting pits adjacent to the main group of late medieval features, which produced potentially slightly later pottery of 16th- to 18th-century date and fragments of post-medieval tile. Several groups of probable quarry pits to the west were also regarded as post-medieval, as were a number of ditches. It should be noted that the potentially post-medieval boundary ditches to the south of the palaeochannel appear to have incorporated two sides of the earlier square enclosure, demonstrating a degree of continuity from this earlier phase of activity.
A large pit to the north of the palaeochannel was found to contain a large rubbish dump consisting of mid 20th-century bottles and other modern artefacts. This material was assessed on site and then discarded.
Undated features included two pits with charcoal-rich fills at the eastern end of the site that had actually probably been associated with charcoal production. Typically, samples from the fills of these features produced charcoal but no other charred plant macrofossils.
Information from draft assessment report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 26 February 2021.