NHER 64517 (Monument record) - Bronze Age enclosure and other prehistoric and undated remains

May 2015. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of proposed development site.
The site’s proximity to the medieval village of Kenningham (NHER 10106) is noted, although it is suggested that any as yet unrecorded archaeological assets are unlikely to be of greater than local significance (and would therefore not preclude development).
Cartographic sources suggest this has been open, agricultural land since at least the later post-medieval period.
No features of interest were noted during a brief site visit.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 22 January 2021.

August 2015. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site.
This survey revealed only limited evidence for potentially archaeologically-significant remains. Of the greatest interest were two adjacent, perpendicular linear anomalies in the northern part of the main field, which may represent the infilled ditches associated with a former field system or an incompletely-detected enclosure. A nearby north-east to south-west aligned band of magnetic disturbance corresponds with a field boundary that is depicted on an 1887 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map. This was extant until at least the later 20th century. A perpendicular linear anomaly extending to the south does not correspond with anything depicted on the available maps and is therefore probably a ditch associated with a boundary lost prior to the late 19th century.
Linear anomalies identified elsewhere are all parallel to nearby extant boundaries and likely to be the result of recent cultivation practices (one was observed to correspond with a furrow visible during the survey).
Numerous discrete anomalies were also detected, although only a small number could be identified as being potentially pit-type features - none of which formed any notable clusters or concentrations. The bulk of the discrete anomalies were likely to be the result of either ferrous debris in the topsoil or variations in the underlying natural geology.
Overall, the survey suggests the site is unlikely to contain significant remains associated with the nearby medieval village of Kenningham (NHER 10106).
Information from report upload to OASIS. HER copy awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 22 January 2021.

September 2015. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
Archaeologically-significant remains were recorded in seven of the 12 trenches excavated, including several features that produced evidence for occupation during the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age period.
Significantly, both of the linear geophysical anomalies thought to potentially represent two sides of an enclosure were found to correspond with large ditches; one 5.2m wide and 1.2m deep and the other (which was not bottomed) 5.9m wide and more than 1.4m deep. The substantial nature of these features makes it highly likely that they do indeed represent two sides of a rectilinear enclosure. Although there was again no evidence for features associated with either a southern or eastern side it should be noted that no trenches were placed in the areas where these were most likely to be present. The finds recovered from the excavated ditches included 25 sherds of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery, burnt flints, fragments of animal bone (mostly cattle) and several worked flints. Notably, the bulk of this material was recovered from the uppermost fills of the ditch, suggesting that whilst it had potentially been the focus of a phase of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age activity, its origins could well be earlier. It is noted that its form is similar to that of several Middle Bronze Age enclosures that have now been identified elsewhere in the county.
Features recorded within the interior of the enclosure included several ditches and at least one pit, none of which produced any clear dating evidence. The most interesting was a partially exposed, narrow ring-ditch which may have been the remains of a roundhouse associated with the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age phase of activity (although structures of this date tend to be post built, with ring-ditches more commonly associated with dwelling of later Iron Age date).
Prehistoric features identified elsewhere on the site included a sub-circular pit at the eastern end of the main field that produced more than 50 sherds of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery, most of which appears to be from a single vessel. A much more substantial (but undated) pit exposed in the same trench was interpreted as some form of water hole (i.e. a feature deliberately dug to collect water for animals to drink). Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery was also recovered from an east-to-west aligned ditch in the far south-eastern corner of the site, demonstrating the widespread nature of activity during this period. Prehistoric pottery was also recovered from two nearby tree throw hollows, although these sherds were identified as potentially earlier in date (including one likely to be from an Early Bronze Age Beaker). This small group of features also produced a notably diverse assemblage of worked flints that includes Mesolithic/Early Neolithic blades, Neolithic/Bronze Age flakes and cruder pieces of probable later Bronze Age/Iron Age date.
Samples taken from the fills of various prehistoric features (including the enclosure ditches) produced charcoal but little else of note apart from occasional charred wheat grains.
There was little evidence for more recent subsequent activity on the site, with the lack of medieval remains being particular notable given the proximity of a deserted medieval settlement (NHER 10106). The only other features that could be dated with any degree of confidence were three ditches that all corresponded with geophysical anomalies. These included an unexcavated ditch that clearly coincided with the north-west to south-east aligned anomaly likely to represent an element of the later post-medieval field system. The other two coincided with two of the linear anomalies interpreted as cultivation traces and were both clearly relatively recent (one containing wood fragments and the other cutting a land drain). None of the other linear anomalies of this type were found to be associated with sub-surface remains.
Undated features included a number of other ditches with alignments that differed markedly from those of the post-medieval field system and were therefore likely to have been associated with one or more earlier phases of activity.
Information from report uploaded to OASIS. HER copy awaited.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.607).
P. Watkins (HES), 24 January 2021.