NHER 61176 (Monument record) - Medieval pottery and post-medieval remains

May 2011. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed redevelopment site (Trenches 1-4).
The two trenches excavated close to Prior Court were both limited in scope and revealed no archaeologically significant remains. The first trench revealed a thick make-up deposit, overlying a homogenous black silty sand. Auger testing suggested that this black deposit was one of two such deposits present beneath the modern make-up, separated by a thin chalk layer and overlying the natural sand and gravel. These layers had a combined depth of approximately 3m. Excavation of the second of the smaller trenches had to be abandoned due to the presence of live services.
The other two trenches in this area were located within the footprint of a now demolished row of early 20th-century almhouses (Holme Cottages; NHER 54240) and although these were larger, their excavation was curtailed to a depth of 1m by the presence of contaminated ground. One of these trenches exposed a fairly unsubstantial flint and brick wall of probable early post-medieval date, associated with a possible crushed chalk floor on one side and a demolition spread on the other. The cut of a large feature was also recorded in the base of this trench. The second of the two larger trenches exposed a floor surface of crushed chalk that was cut by a large pit. A small number of finds were recovered from this feature, including a probable medieval pottery sherd. The floor surface was overlain by a probable demolition deposit that was in turn sealed by what appeared to be garden soil. The uppermost layers in the sequence can be associated with the construction and subsequent demolition of Holme Cottages (NHER 54240).
Due to the contamination the finds recovered during this work were identified on site but not retained.
See report (S1) for further details.
See NHER 49101 for information on the trench excavated close to the east wing of the cloister (Trench 5).
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2011.383).
P. Watkins (HES), 10 August 2015. Amended 16 May 2019.