NHER 65129 (Monument record) - Post-medieval, modern and undated remains

November-December 2015. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The thirteen trenches excavated revealed only a small number of scattered features, the majority of which were undated ditches. The one convincingly dated ditch was a north-west to south-east aligned feature that corresponded with a former field boundary depicted on the Scole tithe map of 1840 (S1) and produced a range of post-medieval finds, including pottery, ceramic building material, bottle glass and clay tobacco pipes. Two parallel flint wall foundations in the north-east corner of the site were probably the remains of an outbuilding shown at this location on the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six-inch map (S2). A layer of loose flint cobbles between them probably represented a disturbed floor surface.
Potentially earlier features included a ditch in the northern half of the site that produced a single sherd of medieval pottery and two ditches to the south with alignments that were markedly different to those of the surround post-medieval and modern boundaries.
The only discrete features were two isolated pits, one of which was of obviously modern date.
Samples taken from the undated pit and the potentially medieval ditch produced only small quantities of charcoal.
Evidence for activity on the site prior to the medieval period was limited to a small number of Neolithic/Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age/Iron Age worked flints.
Information from report uploaded to OASIS. HER copy awaited.
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.402).
P. Watkins (HES), 6 July 2021.