NHER 65175 (Monument record) - Potentially prehistoric, post-medieval and undated features

June 2015. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of proposed development site.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 22 July 2021.

August 2015. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site.
This survey identified a cluster of anomalies in the south-west corner of the site that potentially represent a ditched enclosure and associated pit-like features.
The majority of the anomalies identified elsewhere were however likely to represent changes in the underlying natural geology. Several modern services were visible and a number of other linear trends were probably the result of recent agricultural activity. A small number of linear and discrete anomalies were though of uncertain origin (and therefore potentially archaeologically significant).
It should be noted that the area examined did not extend as far as the cropmarks recorded in the north-east corner of the site (NHERs 61021 and 61022).
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 22 July 2021.

September 2015. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The twelve trenches excavated revealed a low density scatter of linear and discrete features, the majority of which were undated.
A trench in the north-east corner of the site revealed a number of linear features likely to relate to cropmarks visible on recent aerial imagery (S3). These included two ditches with similar, steep-sided ‘V’-shaped profiles that almost certainly represented the northern and southern sides of a sub-circular enclosure noted at this location (NHER 61021). Finds were limited to two flint flakes and a single fragment of post-medieval clay tobacco pipe stem (the latter potentially intrusive). Two much more substantial east-to-west aligned ditches probably corresponded with a parallel of parallel cropmarks thought to represent some form of routeway (NHER 61022). These produced no dating evidence.
There was only limited evidence for activity on the site prior to the post-medieval period. The few potentially early features included a substantial pit or natural solution feature in the centre of the site, the upper fill of which produced nine Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery sherds. Other prehistoric finds were limited to a single sherd of undiagnostic prehistoric pottery and a small number of flint flakes that could only be broadly dated as Late Neolithic to Middle Bronze. These were mostly either unstatified or potentially residual within later contexts. The same was true for the two Roman pottery sherds recovered.
The only other feature that could be convincingly date was a north-north-west to south-south-east aligned ditch at the western edge of the site corresponds with a former field boundary depicted on the Bawburgh tithe map (S4). This produced a post-medieval pottery sherd and several fragments of ceramic building material that were probably of a similar age.
The remaining features were all of uncertain date, including two substantial pits and several east-to-west aligned ditches.
In general, there was little correspondence between the results of this work and those of the preceding geophysical survey, with the anomalies identified as potentially archaeologically-significant all found to have no associated sub-surface remains.
See report (S5) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2018.60).
P. Watkins (HES), 22 July 2021.