NHER 65131 (Monument record) - Potentially Early Iron Age, post-medieval and undated remains

February-March 2021. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of part of large proposed development area (Area 2).
No anomalies of obvious archaeological significance were identified in this field.
The only responses of possible interest were a short linear anomaly at the northern end of the field and an adjacent discrete anomaly. A second linear anomaly corresponds with a former field boundary shown on the Swainsthorpe tithe map (S1).
The majority of the other anomalies were of probable geological origin. The one possible exception is a more discrete area of magnetic disturbance that may represent an infilled extraction pit.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 7 July 2021.

February-June 2023. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of part of large proposed development area (Trenches 249-251).
The seven trenches excavated at this location revealed a number of pits and ditches that had not been identified by the preceding geophysical survey.
Several small pits were recorded in one trench, two of which contained small quantities of Early Iron Age pottery/ One also produced a piece of animal bone and several fragments of fired clay.
Although five Roman pottery sherds were found these were probably residual – all coming from a west-north-west to east-south-east aligned ditch that appears to have coincided with a former field boundary depicted on the Swardeston tithe map (S1). A large piece of Late Iron Age/Roman Hertfordshire puddingstone quern recovered from a parallel ditch to the north was also potentially residual as a post-medieval brick fragment was also found in this feature.
Of particular interest were two adjacent, substantial, steep-sided features thought to represent elements of a ring-ditch. One contained two medieval pottery sherds and fragments of lava querns. The second large feature and a much shallower pit between the two both produced no finds.
The geophyiscal anomalies thought to potentially represent an extraction pit and another linear feature were not investigated.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 November 2024.