NHER 65191 (Monument record) - Roman ditch, medieval/post-medieval kilns and pits and post-medieval field boundaries

November 2019-February 2020. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of land on route of proposed North Tuddenham to Easton A47 Improvement Works (Area F14).
The responses of greatest interest were two clusters of discrete anomalies in the eastern half of the site, one at TG 0943 1255 and the other at TG 0955 1236. These were all associated with a distinct magnetic response of a kind typical associated with kiln-type features or areas of burning. Two linear anomalies were also identified in this part of the site, although these both correspond with former field boundaries depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six-inch map (S1). Various fainter linear trends were also detected. Several in the western half of the site were potentially of archaeological interest but most were probably the result of recent agricultural activity. Other, more irregular linear trends are likely to be of geological origin, as is a band of magnetic enhancement at the western edge of the site.
Areas of magnetic disturbance around the margins of the site and scattered discrete dipolar anomalies were probably caused by ferrous material in the topsoil (most likely modern debris).
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 25 July 2021.

July-October 2020. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of land on route of proposed North Tuddenham to Easton A47 Improvement Works (Areas 16 and 17; Trenches 187-221),
The 35 trenches excavated at this location revealed a number of scattered linear and discrete features.
The more notable remains included a north-west to south-east aligned ditch at the western edge of the site that contained a large dump of Roman pottery. This assemblage was of probable 2nd century date and contains a significant number of refitting sherds - indicating the vessels were probably freshly broken when deposited. A sample from this feature was found to contain abundant charcoal fragments and a number of charred cereal grains. This and an undated but potentially contemporary perpendicular ditch to the north both correspond with linear anomalies identified by the preceding geophysical survey.
The two clusters of potentially thermoremanent geophysical anomalies were both found to be associated with archaeologically-significant remains. One of the anomalies in the northern group coincided with a small rectangular brick-built structure set in area of significantly heat-reddened natural clay. The bricks that formed this probable kiln were potentially medieval although a post-medieval date is apparently also possible. The southern group of geophysical anomalies didn’t appear to be associated with surviving remains of this nature, although one was found to coincide with a linear band of ceramic building material and heat-reddened clay. Although recorded as a ditch it seems more likely that this feature represented the traces of another kiln-type structure. The absence of pottery suggests that these structures was probably associated with small-scale brick and/or tile production. Most, if not all of the other features identified in this half of the site were probably also medieval to post-medieval in date, including several pits that contained fragments of ceramic building material. A number of large probable clay extraction pits were also presumably associated with the same phase of activity as the kilns, although none produced any dating evidence.
The majority of the ditches in the eastern half of the site corresponded with former field boundaries depicted on (S1), including two that had been identified by the geophysical survey. These produced a number of finds including a single post-medieval pottery sherd, fragments of post-medieval and later ceramic building material and pieces of modern wire.
The alignments of the undated ditches in this part of the site suggest that they were also associated with a relatively recent phase of activity.
See report (S2) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2020.131).
P. Watkins (HES), 25 July 2021. Amended 8 December 2022.