NHER 65933 (Monument record) - Roman ditches

April 2013. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
A single trench excavated at the southern end of the site revealed three north-to-south aligned ditches. These features were exposed following the removal of a fairly thick subsoil layer and were all probably Roman, although finds were limited to two fragments of Roman tile and a small assemblage of animal bone. Their alignments were though broadly similar to the orientation of the nearby fort of Branodunum (NHER 1001) and the various ditches and roads associated with the associated areas of Roman settlement recorded to the south and east of this site (NHERs 1002 and 1004).
Unstatified finds were limited to a small number of additional Roman tile fragments recovered from the subsoil layer.
See report (S1) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.182).
P. Watkins (HES), 28 June 2022. Amended 9 December 2022.

June 2019. Excavation.
Excavation of footprints of two new residential dwellings. These lay to the north of the trench excavated in 2013, with the work taking place following the demolition of the house that had previously occupied this part of the site. The two adjacent, rectangular excavation areas revealed a serious of intercutting ditches, the majority of which were aligned either east-to-west or north-to-south and of probable Roman date. As with the features revealed in 2013 the location of the site and the alignments of these ditches mean that they were almost certainly associated with the vicus surrounding the nearby fort of Branodunum (NHER 1001) – the remains of which have been documented both through excavation and the analysis of cropmarks visible on aerial photographs (see NHERs 1002 and 1004). One possible exception was an east-to-west aligned ditch that produced no finds and therefore may have predated the establishment of the vicus (although it was still most likely Roman in date).
The excavated features are thought to represent activity between the mid/late 2nd and 4th centuries, with three distinct phases identified. It should though be noted that none of the ditches contained pottery that was necessarily later than mid 3rd century in date. Other Roman finds recovered included a small assemblage of tile fragments, the majority of which were probably roof tiles, although two flooring bricks and part of a box flue tile were also identified. One tile fragment has finger-marks which may form an 'X' – this may simply have been a 'signature' or tally mark, although similar marks on a tile from the fort were interpreted as part of an inscription (see (S2)). Metal objects were limited to an iron nail and an iron possible door or window fitting, both of which were most likely Roman in date. A range of animal bones were also recovered from the ditches (many of which display evidence of butchery), along with more than 200 oyster shells. A single sample taken from one of the ditch fills was found to contain a small number of cereal grains, along with other debris likely to represent scattered refuse.
Human remains were also found, with one ditch containing several bones from a neonatal or prenatal baby and the femur of a prenatal baby found in another. The 'disposal' of the remains of very young individuals in this fashion is now well-documented on Roman sites and most likely represents cultural practices that developed in response to high levels of infant mortality.
A north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditch was the only potentially post-Roman feature recorded. This produced a roof tile of 19th-century or later date, which was the only post-Roman find recovered.
See reports (S3) and (S4) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2019.217).
P. Watkins (HES), 28 June 2022. Amended 9 December 2022.