NHER 62738 (Monument record) - Potentially Iron Age/Roman and undated ditches and undated possible pits

January 1998. Desk-based Assessment.
Study of proposed South Gorleston Development Area.
An aerial photographic assessment undertaken as part of this work identified and mapped a range of potentially archaeologically significant cropmark features. Those at this location included a ring-ditch, an extensive east-to-west aligned boundary and at least one other probable field boundary ditch.
These cropmark features are now recorded separately - the ring ditch under NHER 43593, the extensive boundary under NHER 43593 and the other probable ditch under NHER 45052.
See report (S1) for further details. This assessment is also noted in (S2).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 7 January 2019.

February-March 2010. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with installation of underground electrical cables.
No archaeologically significant features or deposits were recorded during the excavation of a cable trench through the western part of this field. There was therefore no evidence for sub-surface remains associated with the various cropmark features recorded in this part of this field (NHERs 43593, 45055 and 45056). It should though be noted that it appears most, if not all, of this section of cable trench was excavated without an archaeologist present.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 10 May 2018.

July 2014. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed route of A12-A143 Link Road (Trenches 17-19).
The trenches excavated in this field exposed three north-east to south-west aligned ditches and several possible post-holes, none of which produced any dating evidence.
A single prehistoric worked flint was the only find recovered.
No unstratified finds were recovered.
See report (S4) for further details.
An archive that probably includes material from this phase of work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2016.248).
P. Watkins (HES), 10 May 2018. Amended, 28 June 2021.

June 2015. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of potential impact of proposed development.
See report (S5) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 21 October 2024.

June-July 2016. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development area encompassing most of field.
The 33 trenches excavated revealed a range of linear and discrete features, although unfortunately dating evidence was scarce.
The small number of features to produce finds included a substantial east-to-west aligned ditch that clearly corresponds with cropmarks believed to represent an extensive boundary of possible Roman date (NHER 43593). One of the three excavated slots produced a single sherd of possible Iron Age pottery and pieces of fired clay that could be loomweight fragments.
Other stratified evidence for early phases of activity included three small sherds of Roman pottery recovered from a ditch in the south-east corner of the field. It is possible that this feature was associated with a north-east to south-west aligned cropmark feature mapped nearby (recorded under NHER 45055), although it appears their alignments may have differed.
Whilst a number of other ditches were identified in the southern half of the field there was little obvious correspondence between these and the various linear cropmarks mapped in this area (recorded under NHERs 45055, 45056 and 45057), the majority of which were found to have no associated sub-surface remains. One trench did however record a spread of material that probably represented a surviving trace of one of the east-to-west aligned post-medieval banks visible on aerial photographs of this field (NHER 45056). The excavated ditches in this part of the site were predominantly aligned north-east to south-west or north-west to south-east and so were potentially associated with the same phase of activity. It is possible that the smaller number of other, east-to-west ditches were associated with post-medieval boundaries. Other notable features in the southern half of the field included a small, narrow ring-gully with a probable diameter of 4.30m.
The various discrete features investigated produced few finds and were mostly fairly unremarkable. The exceptions included a substantial sub-circular pit of probable post-medieval date with a primary fill of bluey grey sandy clay and a thick layer of black, burnt organic material beneath its uppermost fill.
A trench excavated across circular cropmarks believed to represent the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow (NHER 43551) demonstrated that these actually corresponded with a large refuse pit of obviously modern date (containing corroded sheet metal, metal tubing and building rubble). A large pit of similar date was also identified at the western edge of the field.
A small assemblage of worked flints was found during this work that comprises a probable Upper Palaeolithic long blade fragment, an Early Neolithic blade core and several blade-like flakes and a retouched flake of probable Late Prehistoric date. All were either unstratified or likely to have been residual within the features in which they were found.
The other unstratified finds recovered include a possible Roman tile fragment, a single sherd of medieval pottery and a number of unremarkable post-medieval, modern and undated metal objects.
See report (S6) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.346).
P. Watkins (HES), 10 May 2018. Amended 27 May 2019.

September-October 2024. Excavation.
This final phase of archaeological mitigation saw the excavation of a 50m x 25m area at TG 5137 0260, where the preceding trial trenching had identified ditches, pits and a small curvilinear feature.
Limited evidence for prehistoric activity included a single sherd of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Beaker pottery, which was recovered from a large natural hollow. This hollow was cut by a previously identified east-to-west aligned ditch that corresponds with a linear cropmark thought to represent a boundary of possible Roman date (NHER 43593). This was again shown to be a substantial feature, although unfortunately no dating evidence was recovered. A sample taken from its fill contained charcoal and charred nutshell. A much narrower 'U'-shaped ditch appeared to form three sites of a small enclosure, the southern side of which lay outside of the area investigated. This feature was undated, although its orientation suggests it was potentially contemporary with the adjacent probable boundary ditch. A sample from its fill contained charcoal and indeterminate charred grain. Both of these features were truncated by an east-north-east to west-south-west aligned ditch that coincides one of a number of cropmarks thought to represent post-medieval field boundaries (NHER 45056). A single handmade pottery sherd of possible Late Iron Age date recovered from this feature was therefore most likely residual.
Although various discrete features were uncovered all of those investigated were deemed to be natural in origin. It is therefore likely that the pits recorded at this location during the preceding evaluation was actually natural. There was no trace of the small ring-ditch uncovered during the earlier work. There was also no evidence for surviving sub-surface remains associated with two other cropmarks that coincided with the excavated area (both part of a group of potentially prehistoric boundaries recorded as NHER 45055).
The only other feature of note was a pit containing a post-medieval clay tobacco pipe stem and modern glass.
Unstratified finds were limited to a single sherd of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery.
See report (S7) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 7 January 2025.