NHER 51049 (Monument record) - Late Saxon to medieval, post-medieval and undated features

November 2006. Systematic Fieldwalking and Metal-detecting Survey.
Field survey on proposed line of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Field 56).
No archaeological finds were recovered.
See reports (S1) and (S2) for further details.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 17 September 2009.

March-June 2009. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey on proposed line of the Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Site R2).
One of three adjacent areas investigated due to their probable proximity to the deserted medieval settlement of Little Rackheath.
A range of anomalies were identified in this area, a number of which are potentially archaeologically significant. Significant areas of magnetic disturbance were identified in this area, including a number of strong dipolar anomalies that are probably due to the presence of ferrous material in the topsoil. A number of modern features had also caused dipolar anomalies, including a post and wire fence and a manhole cover. Several north-to-south and east-to-west aligned linear positive anomalies in this area may however represent archaeologically significant soil-filled features. A number of discrete positive anomalies in the vicinity of these features may represent soil-filled pits. A broad curvilinear positive anomaly detected in the northern part of this area was also interpreted as possibly representing a soil-filled feature. Weak linear positive anomalies were also identified in several locations, although the nature of these is less certain.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 3 August 2015.

February 2010. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of site on proposed line of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Site R2).
Five of the seven trenches excavated in this field revealed archaeologically significant features. These features identified included ditches, ditch terminii and pits. Dating evidence was sparse, but notably limited to medieval pottery sherds. The majority of these sherds were present either singularly or in small quantities within the fills of pits and ditches. One pit did however produce a somewhat larger assemblage (15 sherds). It appears that a number of the ditches identified correspond with the more convincing of the previous identified linear geophysical anomalies. At least one of the discrete positive anomalies also appeared to correspond with an excavated feature. It is reasonably likely that these features were associated with the nearby deserted medieval settlement of Little Rackheath, although their relatively sterile nature suggests they were represented peripheral activity. The lack of 15th-century or later material is notable and suggests there was little activity on the site by this time.
See report (S4) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S5).
P. Watkins (HES), 30 July 2015.

January-September 2016. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of site on route of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Area 12).
This phase of work revealed a relatively complex group of ditched enclosures on the higher ground at the southern end of the site. These and several dispersed clusters of pits were all of probable Late Saxon to medieval date.
Evidence for earlier activity was limited to an assemblage of prehistoric worked flints, the most notable of which were a small group of Mesolithic/Early Neolithic pieces (including two blade cores and a refitting flake) recovered from a three throw hollow or periglacial feature at the northern edge of the site.
A significant proportion of the pottery assemblage recovered is of early medieval date, with the presence of Late Saxon sherds confirming that the main phase of activity at this location had begun by at least the 11th century. Although some later material demonstrates that the site had continued to be occupied into the 12th century and potentially beyond, late medieval and early post-medieval sherds are notably absent.
The main group of ditches appears to have represented two or three phases of rectilinear enclosure that all continued beyond the eastern edge of the site. Although finds weren’t numerous, these ditches and a dispersed group of pits in their vicinity produced approximately two-thirds of the pottery recovered. To the west lay a group of three curvilinear ditches that appear to have defined an oval or sub-circular enclosure of similar date to the adjacent, more substantial rectilinear enclosures. A gully running parallel to one of these features contained a continuous row of tightly-spaced post-holes, suggesting it had been some form of palisade trench.
Other finds of note recovered from the features of Late Saxon to medieval date included fragments of lava quern and fired clay. The latter include a number of hand-squeezed pieces reminiscent of briquetage that may have functioned as spacers or prop-type objects in kilns or ovens.
Other features likely to have been associated with the main, Late Saxon to medieval phase of activity include a number of scattered pits with charcoal-rich fills thought to have been associated with charcoal production. These were primarily located in the northern half of the site and, typically for such features, mostly produced little in the way of dating evidence - the one exception being a feature that contained a small quantity of pottery of probable 11th-century date. Excavations to the north-west of this site revealed a number of similar pits, including several that were of probable Middle to Late Saxon date. Many of these features were though on or near sites that also produced evidence for an iron smelting industry that appears to have active primarily during the medieval period. As expected, samples from the fills of these pits produced large volumes of charcoal but little else in the way of plant macrofossils.
The small number of features that were probably post-medieval in date included several ditches at the northern end of the site, one of which partially coincides with an east-to-west aligned boundary shown on the Rackheath tithe map of 1834 (S6). One pit at the southern end of the site also produced a fragment of post-medieval tile.
Information from draft assessment report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 5 April 2021.