NHER 58828 (Monument record) - Upper Palaeolithic and Early Neolithic flint and post-medieval boundary ditches

March 2013. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The nine trial trenches excavated recorded three ditches and unstratified flint finds.
The southern portion of this area is depicted on Faden’s map (S1) as part of the Little Melton Common. However, no changes in land use were evident within the excavated areas. One north-south and two east-west ditches were recorded, but these did not contain any finds. The east-west ditches follow enclosure boundaries depicted on the 1882 Ordnance Survey map. One of these is also in the vicinity of the common edge on Faden’s map, but an 18th century date cannot be confirmed. If Faden’s map accurately depicts the common edge, it appears that there was no common edge settlement to the north of the boundary and the lack of finds indicates that none of this area was ploughed or manured in the historic period.
The only finds recovered from the evaluation were prehistoric flints identified as a bruised bladed from the Final Upper Palaeolithic, two Early Neolithic blades, and an Early Neolithic flake.
See report (S2) for further information.
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2016.294).
H. Hamilton (HES), 10 May 2013.