NHER 60543 (Monument record) - Middle Bronze Age, Late Iron Age to Roman, post-medieval and undated remains

November 2012. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Six archaeological features were recorded during excavation of a long, narrow trench in advance of development at Masons Farm. The most easterly feature was an undated pit cut from immediately below the topsoil and therefore most likely of relatively recent date. Two ditches towards the eastern end of the trench are likely the features identified on aerial photographs (see NHER 43500) which may have originally formed a sub-rectangular enclosure of Bronze Age to Late Iron Age date. Three features identified to the west of these have also been interpreted as possible ditches, but only two of them appear to correspond to previously identified cropmarks. Unfortunately no finds were recovered from the excavation and none of the features could be dated.
See report (S1) for further information.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2013.27).
H. Hamilton (HES), 26 June 2013. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 27 June 2021.

September 2023. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site
This survey identified a number of linear anomalies likely to represent infilled ditches, virtually all of which correspond with previously mapped cropmarks features. The majority relate to two extensive groups – the first thought to represent a Late Prehistoric to Early Roman settlement, field system and trackways (NHER 43494) and the second a more planned, coaxial field system and possible settlement of likely Roman date (NHER 43495). The majority of the geophysical anomalies were identified in the southern half of the site, where the cropmarks groups are at their most coherent. There was little evidence for surviving remains associated with the more fragmentary elements. There also no evidence for sub-surface remains associated with a ring-ditch visible as a cropmark at TG 5230 0134 (NHER 43516) and a number of smaller groups of cropmarks thought to potentially represent Late Prehistoric features (NHERs 43500, 43510 and 43514). There was also no trace of remains associated with parallel cropmarks in the north-west corner of the site likely to represent the southern end of a trackway (NHER 43529) and a probable post-medieval field boundary at the southern edge of the site (NHER 45159).
Responses not associated with previously recorded cropmarks included an east-to-west aligned linear anomaly crossing the northern half of the site. This corresponds with a former field boundary shown on the First Edition Ordnance Survey Six-inch map (S2). East-to-west and east-north-east to west-south-west aligned linear anomalies recorded to the north are regarded as being of undermined origin.
No potentially archaeologically-significant discrete anomalies were identified.
Scattered discrete dipolar anomalies were probably cause by ferrous objects on or close to the surface – most likely modern debris.
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 31 August 2024.

October 2023. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
Only one of the 33 trenches excavated was devoid of archaeological remains, with numerous linear and discrete features recorded. The majority of the ditches identified can be associated with features visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs, the bulk of which relate to two extensive and overlapping groups - the first through to represent an extensive Late Prehistoric to Early Roman settlement, field system and trackways (NHER 43494) and the second a more planned, coaxial field system and possible settlement of likely Roman date (NHER 43495). The fact that a good degree of preservation has now been demonstrated at this location is of particular significance as it is here that both field systems are at their most coherent. Remarkably few of the cropmarks investigated were found to have no associated sub-surface remains, the exceptions generally being the more fragmentary cropmarks mapped in the northernmost part of the site.
Despite the large number of features excavated only one can be identified as being of definite prehistoric date. This was a shallow pit containing the truncated base of a Middle Bronze Age Deverel-Rimbury urn. These are typically associated with cremation burials so it is possible that this was the truncated remnants of a burial, although no burnt bone was recovered and sample taken from the fill of the pit produced little of note. Further evidence for at least limited prehistoric activity on the site comes from a small assemblage of Neolithic/Bronze Age worked flints. Most of this material was recovered from what were likely to be later features, although it is notable that the bulk of the assemblage was recovered from features in the southernmost part of the site. A single Early Iron Age pottery sherd was also probably residual within a later ditch.
The ditches associated with cropmark group NHER 43494 were predominantly aligned either north-north-east to south-south-west or west-north-west to south-south-east and included features likely to represent elements of a more substantial group of enclosures and a trackway running along their northern edge. The small assemblage of pottery recovered from these ditches includes several sherds in 'Belgic' grog-tempered fabrics which may represent evidence for pre-Roman Late Iron Age activity, although in Norfolk such material could well date to the post-Conquest period. The remainder of the assemblage is Roman, with the bulk of this material coming from the features in the south-east corner of the site, within or close to the principal enclosures. Parallel north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditches in the north-west corner of the site represent elements of a sinuous trackway thought to potentially relate to this field system (the cropmarks of which are recorded as NHER 43529). Unfortunately these ditches produced no dating evidence.
Ditches associated with the extensive coaxial field system recorded as NHER 43495 were predominantly aligned north-west to south-east and north-east to south-west and encountered in more than half of the excavated trenches. Dating evidence was though limited to single sherds of Middle Bronze Age and Roman pottery – both of which could easily be residual or intrusive. This works has therefore done little to clarify the date of what had been thought to be the later of the two field systems – all that can really be said is that the paucity of the artefactual evidence suggest this area was probably not close to the contemporary settlement foci.
A number of other ditches related to more fragmentary groups of cropmarks that potentially predate that main field systems. These included a pair of undated ditches associated with a possible trackway visible as cropmarks between TG 5228 0146 and TG 5218 0131 (NHER 43510). Another undated ditch in this part of the site related to a group of cropmarks thought to potentially represent possible Late Prehistoric enclosures and associated ditches (NHER 43500). Two trenches also coincided with a elements of undated group of field boundaries recorded at the southern end of the site (NHER 43514), although in this case no corresponding ditches were encountered.
Although two trenches were positioned to coincide with a cropmark ring-ditch at TG 5230 0134 (NHER 43516) only one revealed a potentially corresponding ditch. This feature was 1.17m wide, with a ‘U’-shaped profile and 0.4m deep. No finds were recovered.
The limited evidence for post-Roman activity included a single sherd of potentially Middle/Late Saxon pottery and a small number of post-medieval features. The latter included an east-to-west aligned ditch at the southern end of the site that related to a group of cropmarks thought to represent post-medieval field boundaries (NHER 45159). This contained a small assemblage of medieval to post-medieval ceramic building material (the latest of which is a post-medieval/modern pantile fragment) and was cut by a pit that produced a fragment of medieval/post-medieval tile. A sample taken from the fill of this pit was one of the most productive, being found to contain frequent charred grains (primarily emmer), crop processing debris and large quantities of charcoal. A similarly aligned ditch further north corresponds with the former field boundary depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six-inch map (S2).
The small number of other ditches that couldn’t be related to the recorded cropmark groups (either directly or indirectly) were all undated.
Numerous discrete possible pits and post-holes were also recorded, although the vast majority of these features were undated. Notable exceptions included a line of nine post-holes in the south-east part of the site at TG 5236 0121 that contained Roman pottery and were almost certainly related to the surrounding Roman enclosures. It is likely that many of the other discrete features in this area were also related to the Roman phase of activity.
Information from draft report.
P. Watkins (HES), 31 August 2024.