NHER 66023 (Monument record) - Medieval to post-medieval and undated remains

January 2020. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The six trenches excavated revealed a number of pits and ditches and a clay-built kiln or oven-type structure. Although dating evidence was far from abundant it is likely that these features were all associated with medieval and later phases of activity – earlier finds being limited to a single flint flake of Mesolithic/Neolithic date.
Small quantities of medieval pottery were recovered from a number of features in the southern half of the site including east-to-west and north-to-south aligned ditches and two large probable extractive pits, one of which also produced post-medieval pottery and a post-medieval brick fragment.
Post-medieval finds were also recovered from the surface of an unexcavated north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditch in the central part of the site and an adjacent pit (also unexcavated). A possible continuation of the ditch to the north produced pottery of late post-medieval/modern date. This particular ditch corresponds with a former, tree-lined field boundary shown on the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six Inch map (S1). A perpendicular ditch partially exposed at the northern edge of the site also corresponds with a former boundary depicted on this map.
The clay-built structure was approximately 2.75m long and had a clearly defined circular chamber with heat-reddened sides. Its exact date and function are currently uncertain as it was decided that it would be preserved in situ, with no excavation undertaken at this stage. The lack of any evidence for pottery production does though suggest that it was most likely some form of oven or corn-drier type structure. It is potentially of note that a sample taken from the uppermost fill of one of the probable extractive pits to the south (which produced post-medieval pottery) was found to contain abundant charred hulled barley and free-threshing wheat grains – potentially the result of an accidental fire during storage or drying. This assemblage differed from the charred material found in samples from other, potentially medieval and undated contexts, which contained a range of hulled barley, oat and rye remains but no wheat.
Unstratified finds were limited to several medieval pottery sherds, fragments of burnt flint and various metal objects of modern, mid 19th- to 20th-century date (which were not retained).
See report (S2) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2020.22)
P. Watkins (HES), 5 September 2022. Amended 8 December 2022.