NHER 64339 (Monument record) - Potentially prehistoric pit and post-medieval field boundaries

2006. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of large proposed development area.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 26 August 2020.

December 2015. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of large proposed development area.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 26 August 2020.

April 2016. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development area (Field 3).
This survey identified a number of straight linear anomalies, most, if not all of which appear to correspond with a post-medieval field system visible on 19th century cartographic sources. These boundaries are a continuation of the field system identified in the field to the west (NHER 64338) and are depicted on the Fakenham tithe map. Many were not removed until the 20th century.
Other potentially archaeologically-significant anomalies included a relatively small 'horseshoe-shaped' anomaly identified in the south-western part of the field. A large nearby area of magnetic enhancement was interpreted as a possible infilled extraction pit.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 26 August 2020.

October-November 2016. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development area (Field 3).
The 33 trenches excavated in this field revealed little evidence for activity on the site prior to the later post-medieval period. One possible exception was a potentially prehistoric pit which had a particularly charcoal-rich fill and produced a flint scraper of possible Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date. The only other discrete feature of note was a somewhat amorphous ovoid pit in the central part of the site that produced a small amount of iron slag.
The majority of the excavated features were ditches, all but two of which correspond with both linear geophysical anomalies and field boundaries visible on 19th-century maps. No finds were recovered and the features themselves were unremarkable.
A trench placed to investigate a horseshoe-shaped anomaly identified by the geophysical survey identified no corresponding sub-surface remains.
Although a brick works is known to have existed immediately to the south of this field during the 19th century (NHER 36190) nothing related to this industry was revealed.
See report (S4) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.357).
P. Watkins (HES), 26 August 2020.