NHER 65026 (Monument record) - Remains associated with early Roman farmstead, including field systems, possible post-built structures and pits

January-February 2016. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of part of large proposed development site (Area 2 east, Trenches 26, 28 and 30-67).
The majority of the 40 trenches excavated revealed no archaeologically-significant remains. The most notable exceptions were the trenches in the south-east corner of the site, where a pit and multiple ditches of probable Iron Age to Roman date were exposed.
The single pit produced a small number of handmade Iron Age sherds and two burnt flint flakes.
The majority of the ditches were aligned either north-west to south-east or north-east to south-west. Several of these features also produced handmade pottery, although in all cases this material was also present alongside wheel-made Romanised wares. One of the ditches turned through 90 degrees and its is likely that this and several features to the north-east represented elements of the same rectilinear enclosure. The excavated corner was found to contain an interesting, potentially transitional pottery assemblage comprising several handmade sherds, 40 sherds from wheel-made grog-tempered Aylesford-Swarling style vessels and a small quantity of Roman greyware. The presence of the Aylesford-Swarling type vessels suggests that the site was occupied during the later 1st century. At least some of the other ditches were though probably associated with later phases of activity - producing Roman pottery sherds of 2nd century and late 3rd to 4th century date. Other finds recovered from the ditches in the vicinity of the possible enclosure included two probable tegula roof tile fragments. Samples taken from several of the ditches produced only small assemblages of charred plant macrofossils likely to represent scattered hearth/midden waste or agricultural detritus. Wet sieving of the fills from selected features also produced approximately 250 fragments of mammal bone, although this material was too fragmentary to identify to species or element.
The small number of other features recorded across the remainder of the site included two north-to-south aligned ditches that correspond with former field boundaries depicted on the Hethersett tithe map (S1) and a single undated east-to-west aligned ditch. Both of the ditches associated with former field boundaries contained modern field drains.
No unstratified finds were recovered.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 May 2021. Amended 18 January 2024.

July-August 2016. Excavation.
Excavation in south-east corner of field where the preceding evaluation had identified a concentration of Roman remains. This work exposed a series of ditched enclosures and associated boundaries likely to represent elements of a Roman field system, along with the remains of two possible post-built structures and a number of other discrete features of probable Roman date.
There was only limited evidence for pre-Roman activity. An east-to-west aligned ditch at the northern end of the excavated area produced a small assemblage of possible Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery, although it is noted that these sherds were all small and heavily abraded.
Only a small amount of additional Iron Age pottery was recovered, with no features of this date identified. As with the bulk of the material recovered during the earlier work these sherds came from contexts that also produced Roman material. This, coupled with the presence of wheel-made grog-tempered vessels, suggests that most, if not all, of the Iron Age sherds were actually contemporary with the earliest Roman pottery, which dates to the mid to late 1st century AD. Although a small amount of late Roman pottery was recovered it appears that activity has significantly declined by the 3rd century.
As indicated by the preceding evaluation the principal alignment of the field system was north-west to south-east and it appears to have been established during the earlier phase of activity. At this time it consisted of various north-west to south-east and north-east to south-west aligned ditches that defined a number of small, interlinked fields or paddocks. It clearly continued to the south-east, beyond the limited of this field. At a subsequent date, most likely during the 2nd century, the field system was reworked. Although some of the new ditches cut through those of the preceding phase, the new layout maintained the same dominant alignment and it is clear that a number of elements also referenced, respected or re-established part of the earlier arrangement. It does though appear that this reworked field system was generally a simpler arrangement, dividing the site up into a smaller number of larger fields or enclosures.
The larger of the two possible structures comprised eight post-holes forming a roughly rectangular arrangement. These lay within an area partly enclosed by a shallow curving ditch that extended from one of the main field boundaries. None of the small assemblage of pottery recovered from the post-holes was likely to post-date the mid 2nd century. A group of four post-hole identified in more open ground to the north may have presented the fragmentary remains of a second structure, although this was far from conclusive. No finds were recovered from these features.
A small number of pits were the only other discrete features identified within the main enclosed areas. A number of other Roman pits were however identified at the eastern edge of the site, the majority of which were regarded as being associated with the final, 2nd century or later phase of Roman activity.
The Roman pottery assemblage consists primarily of locally produced utilitarian coarsewares, supplemented by a fairly typical range of imported fine wares. The most notable discovery was two sherds from imported Egyptian or Lebanese carrot amphora. These date to the 1st century AD and suggest an early Roman high status or military presence in the area at this time. Other Roman finds recovered included a small assemblage of floor and roof tiles, which serve to demonstrate the presence of at least one substantial building somewhere in the vicinity. Although animal bone was recovered from a range of features this material was generally poorly preserved. Samples taken from a number of Roman features produced only sparse assemblages of charred material (including a small number of cereal grains) that is likely to represent scattered refuse rather than any kind of primary deposition.
Evidence for post-Roman activity on the site was limited to a small number of features of relatively recent date, including a probable quarry pit that contained small post-medieval brick or tile fragments. A north-to-south aligned ditch was one of two recorded during the evaluation that correspond with boundaries on the Hethersett tithe map (S1). A similarly-aligned ditch to the east that produced no finds is recorded as probably Roman but may well represent another post-medieval feature.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 20 May 2021. Amended 18 January 2024.