NHER 65557 (Monument record) - Potentially prehistoric pits and ditches

April 2016. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of proposed development site.
This study demonstrates that the site lies within a landscape with considerable evidence for both prehistoric and Roman period activity.
Cartographic evidence suggests the site has been open ground since at least the late post-medieval period.
No significant features were noted during a brief site visit.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 2 May 2022

September 2016. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site.
This survey recorded a number of potentially archaeologically-significant responses, including several linear anomalies that appear to correspond with elements of a potentially prehistoric field system visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs (NHER 32062). These include a north-north-east to south-south-west aligned anomalies that coincide with a probable trackway. Several parallel anomalies and one perpendicular anomaly also appear to be related to cropmarks in this group. A north-east to south-west aligned linear anomaly at the eastern end of the site also corresponds with a cropmark thought to represent an element of a prehistoric field system (part of a separate, potentially earlier group recorded as NHER 32062). A subtle curvilinear anomaly in the north-east corner of the field potentially represents a ring-ditch, although this suggestion is only tentative due to the weakness of the anomaly.
A north-north-west to south-south-east aligned linear anomaly crossing the central part of the site is likely to represent a former field boundary. This was probably a feature of medieval to post-medieval date as its alignment is identical to that of several former field boundaries shown nearby on the Rollesby Enclosure Map of 1816 (S2).
The discrete anomalies were mostly of limited interest. One possible exception is a relatively large, prominent example at TG 4487 1740 which could represent a concentration of ceramic material or burnt soil associated with the site of a kiln or similar. It could though simply have been caused by a deeply buried piece of iron. It is likely that the majority of the other, smaller dipolar anomalies were the result of iron objects in the plough soil (most likely modern debris).
A large positive anomaly in the north-west corner of the field corresponds with a large hollow in the surface of the field and probably represents a partially infilled quarry pit. There is no evidence for modern debris in its fills suggesting was not the result of recent excavations.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 3 May 2022.

May 2020. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
Nine trenches excavated in the eastern half of the site revealed a number of linear and discrete features, although dating evidence was limited to two worked flints of probable Neolithic/Bronze Age date and a small number of prehistoric pottery sherds.
The one feature that could be assigned a prehistoric date with a degree of confidence was a small pit that produced six Late Bronze/Early Iron Age pottery sherds. This feature also contained almost 2kg of burnt flint and sandstone. The sandstone was of interest as it comprised rounded alluvial pebble that occur only as erratics in the local glacial tills and had probably been deliberately collected, possibly for use in cooking (being less likely to violently fracture when heated). An undated pit that produced a similarly large quantity of burnt flint was also potentially prehistoric, although the nature of this material was somewhat different, consisting primarily of heavily burnt flint that had fragmented into much smaller pieces. Also potentially of similar date was a pit with a dark, charcoal-rich rich and a number of round cobbles lying in close proximity around part of its base. This feature also contained some burnt flint, although the quantity was much smaller. Samples taken from the fills of these pits contained abundant charcoal but little else of in the way plant macrofossils apart from a small number of burnt seeds and unidentifiable cereal grains. Several other undated pits with charcoal-rich fills were also recorded.
The majority of the linear geophysical anomalies investigated were found to have associated ditches. These included features that corresponded with north-north-east to south-south-west aligned and north-east to south-west aligned cropmarks associated with two potentially prehistoric groups (NHERs 27331 and 32062). Several ditches were also recorded that had not been detected by the geophysical survey, one of which was associated with a cropmark (a north-west to south-east aligned feature recorded under NHER 27331).
The only finds recovered from the ditches were two small sherds of flint-tempered handmade pottery of probable Neolithic to Early Neolithic date (which came from ditches close to the intersection of two cropmarks recorded under NHER 32062). This material is insufficient to confirm the prehistoric date suggested for the cropmarks, although the lack of later material from the site is obviously notable.
No features could be convincingly associated with the possible curvilinear anomaly identified by the geophysical survey. There were also no remains that could be associated with the more distinct discrete anomaly that had potentially indicated the site of a kiln.
See report (S4) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 3 May 2022.

September 2020. Excavation.
This phase of work saw the excavation of a relatively small, roughly ‘L’-shaped area in the north-east corner of the site. This primarily targeted the pit of possible Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age date that had been recorded during the preceding trial trenching. However, in the event, no further features of this nature were exposed. Although three discrete features were recorded nearby these were all thought to have been natural tree-throw hollows.
This work did though also provide an opportunity to further investigate two intersecting ditches that both corresponded with cropmarks thought to potentially represent elements of a prehistoric field system (recorded under NHER 32062). The later of the two was a north-north-east to south-south-west aligned feature that produced a small quantity of Late Iron Age pottery, along with several undiagnostic prehistoric sherds. Although it is noted that the pottery sherds are small and abraded this dating evidence is nevertheless at least consistent with the suggested age of the field system represented by this group of cropmarks. The earlier feature was aligned more north-east to south-west and was therefore possibly more closely relative to the potentially prehistoric field-system represented by a group of similarly-aligned cropmarks to the east (NHER 27331). Although this feature had produced a small quantity of prehistoric pottery during the preceding trial trenching the various slots excavated during this final phase of work produced only a single flint flake of probable Bronze Age/Iron Age date. One of the samples taken from the fills of this feature did though produced a significant quantity of charcoal, perhaps suggesting it was open at the same time as the pits containing burnt flints and stones that had been found nearby.
Although the excavated evidence means that a prehistoric date can only be tentatively assigned to these features the complete absence of any later dating evidence was again notable.
See report (S5) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 3 May 2022.

A combined archive comprising material from both the 2020 phases of work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2020.92).
P. Watkins (HES), 3 May 2022.