NHER 65039 (Negative evidence record) - Site with no evidence for archaeologically-significant remains

February 2016. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The three trenches excavated revealed no archaeologically-significant features or deposits, the only remains observed being the construction cut for a modern building and a pit containing modern glass.
This entirely negative result is somewhat surprising given that the site lies immediately to the south of a field shown to contain an extensive Saxon cemetery as well as ditches and other remains associated with multiple phases of past activity (NHER 28915). On the face of it this suggests that the site in question lies beyond the southern boundary of the cemetery. It should though be noted that photographs suggest the deposit regarded as representing natural geology (described as a pale yellow brown sandy gravel) appears to have been considerably darker than the geological deposits seen to the north. The latter appear to have been much more akin to the fine yellow sand and gravel deposits exposed by test pits excavated at the ends of two of the trenches. It therefore seems possibly that subsoil deposits were not fully removed, potentially leaving in place material that had masked archaeological remains.
Finds were limited to three medieval pottery sherds recovered from a subsoil deposit.
See report (S1) for further details.
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2016.276).
P. Watkins (HES), 26 May 2021.