NHER 65134 (Monument record) - Prehistoric, potentially Roman and medieval to post-medieval remains

February-March 2021. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of part of large proposed development area (Area 8).
This survey identified a range of linear and discrete features in this field, although the exact nature of many is uncertain.
Several clusters of discrete anomalies were identified towards the southern end of the site, near Brickkiln Lane. These include a number that are potentially thermoremanent and therefore tentatively identified as possibly the sites of clamp kilns or similar. Similar responses were identified in the field to the south (NHER 65132). Although there are other possible causes for these anomalies, an association with some form of industrial process is also indicated by their close proximity to a number of larger anomalies that are likely to represent infilled extraction pits. These are between c.3m and 15m in diameter and in a number of cases they correspond with cropmarks on aerial imagery and/or slight depressions visible in LiDAR data. A potentially thermoremnant anomaly within one of these probable extraction pits may represent evidence for lime production or some other industrial activity taking place within the quarry pit.
Although a number of linear anomalies were also identified these are of limited significance, the majority being north-to-south or east-to-west aligned features that clearly correspond with former boundaries depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six-inch map (S1).
The was no clear evidence for surviving sub-surface remains associated with a small group of fragmentary cropmarks recorded in the south-east corner of the site (NHER 52002).
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 7 July 2021.

February-June 2023. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of part of large proposed development area (Trenches 1-64).
The 64 trenches excavated at this location revealed various linear and discrete features, although these were fairly widely dispersed and in many cases poorly dated. There was though clear evidence for at least limited activity during multiple prehistoric periods. Potentially prehistoric remains included a curvilinear feature in the south-west corner of the site that contained several Early Neolithic pottery sherds. Worked flints of probable Mesolithic/Early Neolithic date were also found in a range of features, although most were probably residual. A fairly large quantity of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery was also recovered, although the bulk of this assemblage came from a single pit. This feature also contained a small quantity of residual Middle Bronze Age pottery and several worked flints of probable Bronze Age or Iron Age date. Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery was also recovered from two pits in an adjacent trench, one of which also contained fragments of at least one fired clay object (identified as part of a triangular loomweight, although it should be noted these are typically regarded as being of later Iron Age date). Samples taken from the fills of these pits contained charcoal fragments along with charred seeds, a charred nutshell and fragments of animal bone. Two small pieces of burnt bone were examined in detail to determine whether they were cremated human remains but found to lack any diagnostic characteristics. Small quantities of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery and flints of probable Bronze Age or Iron Age date were recovered from a number of other features across the site, although much of this material was probably residual. This was also the case with the small number of later Iron Age pottery sherds recovered – the bulk of which came from features that were almost certainly of much more recent date. Two features – a pit and a north-west to south-east aligned ditch produced small assemblages of early Roman pottery although the latter was also found to contain a fragment of post-medieval tile.
There was little evidence for significant subsequent activity on the site. Features that were almost certainly post-Roman included a number of large extraction pits, several of which had been identified by the preceding geophysical survey. The limited number of finds from these pits included a medieval/post-medieval iron horseshoe. As noted above these pits were potentially associated with brick production in the vicinity, although no other remains associated with such an industry were identified.
The majority of the ditches recorded were aligned either north-to-south or east-to-west, with many clearly corresponding with former field boundaries depicted on the Mulbarton and Swainsthorpe tithe maps ((S3)/(S4)) and/or the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six-inch map (S1). It is likely that many of the undated but similarly aligned ditches were earlier elements of the same fieldsystem. Finds recovered from these ditches included post-medieval brick and tile fragments, late post-medieval to modern glass and a number of obviously modern objects.
A number of undated ditches with differing orientations were most likely associated with earlier phases of activity, although there was little obvious pattern to these remains. These included a north-west to south-east aligned ditch in the south-east part of the site that appears to correspond with a previously recorded cropmark (part of a group of undated probable field boundaries recorded as NHER 52002).
See report (S5) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 22 January 2025.