NHER 66833 (Monument record) - Early Roman remains (including pottery kiln) and post-medieval ditches

May 2011. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of potential archaeological implications of proposed development.
No new archaeologically- or historically-significant features were noted during a brief site visit undertaken as part of this study.
A map of 1817 (likely based on an earlier enclosure map) shows the site to comprise a mix of small strip-like fields and several larger fields. This arrangement is shown largely unchanged on the East Dereham tithe map of 1839 but a number of boundaries had been removed by the time the Ordnance Survey First Edition Six-inch map was published in 1884 (S1), a process that continue throughout the 20th century.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 March 2023.

February-March 2012. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site.
This survey identified a number of north-north-east to south-south-west and west-north-west to east-south-east linear anomalies, the majority of which appear to coincide with former field boundaries depicted on the available 19th-century maps. A small number of differently-aligned linear anomalies may though represent ditches associated with earlier systems of land division.
The majority of the other linear anomalies were probably the result of recent agricultural activity.
Numerous isolated dipolar identified across the survey area were probably caused by iron objects on or close to the surface (most likely modern debris). Other discrete anomalies were probably the result of natural variations in the underlying soils or superficial geological deposits.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 March 2023.

February 2016. Desk-based Assessment.
Further assessment of potential impact of proposed development on below-ground archaeological remains.
See report (S4) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 March 2023.

April-May 2016. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The twenty trenches excavated revealed a range of linear and discrete features.
A small number of worked flints represented the earliest activity on the site, although these were mostly probably residual within later features. The assemblage is also clearly multi-period, with several blades and blade-like flakes of probable Early Neolithic date present along with cores and flakes of probable Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age and several cruder pieces of possible later Bronze Age or Iron Age date.
The majority of the ditches recorded were north-north-east to south-south-west and west-north-west to east-south-east aligned features that clearly corresponded with former field boundaries depicted on 19th-century maps (the majority of which had also been identified by the preceding geophysical survey). A number of ditches in the westernmost part of the site aligned slightly more north-east to south-west and south-west to north-east are though likely to have represented elements of a much earlier, Iron Age to Roman field system. Only seven sherds of Iron Age pottery were recovered, four of which came from an otherwise undated north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditch. The remaining handmade sherds came from a nearby perpendicular ditch that also contained almost 100 sherds of Roman pottery (along with several fragments of tile identified, potentially erroneously, as post-medieval). Small quantities of Roman pottery were also recovered from another ditch and a pit in this part of the site. At least two of these potentially early ditches corresponded with geophysical anomalies.
The ditches that were likely to be of much more recent date produced a number of late post-medieval finds, including a single pottery sherd, brick fragments and a piece of bottle glass.
Although possible pits and post-holes were recorded in many of the trenches there were mostly undated and unremarkable features. The most notable exception was an apparently isolated pit in the eastern half of the site that was found to contain fragments of calcinated bone. This material potentially represented a cremation deposit although none of the bone could be conclusively identified as either human or animal. A sample from the fill of this feature was found to contain only sparse charcoal and two charred tubers (although the latter are of a type often encountered in cremation deposits).
It is suggested that two adjacent ditches in one trench might represent elements of a ring-ditch, although this is highly unlikely as the southernmost feature appears to coincide with an extensive, straight linear geophysical anomaly that almost certainly represents a post-medieval feature.
Two pits were filled with material that suggested a modern date and a north-east to south-west aligned linear geophysical anomalies identified in the central part of the site was found to correspond with a modern service.
See report (S5) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2018.98).
P. Watkins (HES), 19 March 2023.

January-February 2019. Excavation.
A final phase of archaeological mitigation prior to the development of this site saw the excavation of two areas, both of which targeted what were deemed to be the most significant remains revealed by the preceding trial trenching.
The main, larger area (Area 2) was centred at TG 0026 1275 and placed to allow further investigation of the Iron Age to Roman features revealed at this location. A number of pits and ditches of probable Roman date were recorded, although by far the most significant feature was a well-preserved pottery kiln.
Almost 300 Roman pottery sherds were recovered, with the assemblage generally suggestive of activity between the late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD. There are though some jars with necked and cordoned forms that can be related to Late Iron Age Gallo-Belgic examples found elsewhere and therefore indicate that the site was occupied by the early post-Conquest period. Whether activity had commenced prior to this date is unclear as only a small number of potentially Iron Age handmade sherds were recovered and these were all associated with later material. The conservative nature of Late Iron Age pottery in the region means the presence of these sherds is not inconsistent with a post-Conquest date for the first sustained occupation of the site.
The Roman features included ditches forming the corners of two rectilinear fields or enclosures, separated by a gap of approximately 35m. The southern enclosure showed evidence of having been recut on at least one occasion and appeared to have had a staggered entrance in its eastern side. Both enclosures were convincingly dated to this period of activity, with the southern side of the northern enclosure being the ditch that had produced the large assemblage of Roman pottery during the earlier work. A north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditch running across the gap between the two enclosures also had a probable entrance gap and provided clear evidence for the reworking of this field system, cutting across the northern enclosure ditch. A number of additional north-north-east to south-south-west and west-north-west to east-south-east aligned ditches were also likely to be Roman although there exact relationships to the main enclosures were uncertain. It was within the area bounded by these more ephemeral features to the east of the more substantial enclosures that the kiln was identified. This consisted of a circular, clay-lined pit with heat-affected margins and two adjacent, rectangular fired clay pedestals. Two adjoining shallow features were almost certainly pits associated with opposing stoke-holes. A range of kiln furniture was recovered from in and around this feature, including support blocks, kiln bars, pedestals and spacers. Although a reasonably large assemblage of pottery was recovered from the kiln its composition was broadly similar to that of those from the other features, with no obvious wasters identified. Two sherds in a sandy fabric with mottled, reduced surfaces do though have spall marks on their exterior and so could represent products of this kiln (although this level of damage wouldn’t necessarily have prevented these vessels from entering the market as seconds).
Other features of probable Roman date included a small number of scattered pits and a large, shallow hollow close to the eastern side of the southern enclosure, adjacent to the probable entrance.
Samples taken from the features of probable Roman date produced only small assemblages of charred plant macrofossils, although cereal grains were noted in several deposits, some of which could be tentatively identified as barley.
The one later feature revealed in this excavation area was a north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditch of post-medieval date.
The second, smaller area (Area 1) was positioned to target the features tentatively interpreted as a ring-ditch. However, as noted above it was highly unlikely that these remains represented such a feature and therefore unsurprising that the southern feature proved to be an extensive ditch of post-medieval date. No other features of note were recorded in this excavation area.
See report (S6) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2019.225).
P. Watkins (HES), 19 March 2023.