NHER 67554 (Monument record) - Early Saxon burials and other, prehistoric and post-medieval to modern remains

August-September 2004. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site (Trenches 6, 24, 26, 33, 111-119, 121-126, 129-130, 132-136, 139-142).
The 32 trenches excavated at this location revealed various linear and discrete features, although these were all poorly dated.
Probable pits or varying size and shape were recorded in many of the trenches, including a number with charcoal-rich fills and, in some cases, possible evidence for in-situ burning. The majority of these features were only visible following the removal of the subsoil layer and it is suggested that most were probably prehistoric in date, although finds were largely limited to a small number of worked flints. The one exception was a feature at the western end of the site that was found to contain a single sherd of Middle to Late Iron Age pottery. A sample from the fill of this feature produced only charcoal fragments and a hawthorn fruit stone.
The ditches uncovered displayed a variety of alignments but were all of uncertain date, with virtually no finds recovered. Some were potentially associated with relatively recent phases of activity, including a substantial north-north east to south-south-west ditch with a flat base in the north-easternmost part of the site.
Unstratified finds recovered include a number of additional prehistoric worked flints, an Iron Age terret, a single Roman pottery sherd and several post-medieval metal objects.
See report (S1) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2).
The Iron Age terret is described in detail and figured in report (S3).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2011.197).
These trenches previously recorded under NHER 40711.
P. Watkins (HES), 24 October 2023.

October-November 2013. Excavation.
Excavation of footprint of new dementia care centre in north-east corner of site.
This work identified a reasonable number of archaeologically significant remains, including several ditches and a diffuse scatter of discrete features. The finds recovered from the excavated features included small numbers of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age and Bronze Age pottery sherds and an assemblage of prehistoric worked flints, many of which were probably associated with Early Neolithic activity. A small number of post-medieval finds were the only clear evidence for more recent activity on the site. Although the majority of the excavated features produced little or no dating evidence it is thought reasonably likely that most of these remains were associated with Neolithic or Bronze Age phases of activity.
Five sub-circular pits were much larger and deeper than the other excavated discrete features, being up to 6.35m wide and 2.4m deep, with steep, occasionally vertical sides. One of these features produced the largest single assemblage of prehistoric finds, comprising sherds of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Beaker pottery, Bronze Age sherds and more than 20 worked flints. The worked flints add to the impression of this assemblage being a somewhat mixed accumulation, with a leaf arrowhead and several other pieces of possible Early Neolithic date present. Two of the other substantial pits produced single sherds of Bronze Age pottery. The possibility must be considered that these 'pits' were actually naturally-formed solution features.
The smaller discrete features were scattered across the site and were of varying size and shape. Some were relatively isolated, whilst other occurred in apparent pairs and amorphous clusters. The most convincingly-dated was a small sub-circular pit that produced an assemblage of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Beaker pottery sherds. Small amounts of Beaker and Bronze Age pottery were recovered from two adjacent features of comparable size. Similar pottery sherds were recovered from two other pits elsewhere on the site and a number of others produced small assemblages of worked flints.
The linear features included a pair of substantial north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditches exposed in the easternmost part of the site. These ditches were up to 2.5m wide and 1.1m deep. The only finds recovered were a small assemblage of Middle Bronze Age pottery sherds, raising the possibility that these were prehistoric features. A similarly substantial ditch identified in the western part of the site had a perpendicular alignment and may have been at least broadly contemporary, perhaps joining with one of the parallel ditches to form two sides of a large enclosure. This western ditch produced a single fragment of post-medieval building material, but this could easily have been intrusive.
The only other linear feature identified was an undated, north-to-south aligned, irregular and intermittent gully or truncated ditch that crossed the central part of the site.
See assessment report (S4) for further details. Final report awaited.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.211).
Previously recorded under NHER 40711.
P. Watkins (HES), 3 November 2016. Amended 19 May 2019 and 19 October 2023.

February-April 2017. Strip, Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of northernmost part of site, prior to construction of additional residential dwellings.
Several ditches were exposed, along with numerous discrete features, although a significant proportion of the latter were deemed to be of natural origin. Dating evidence was again limited and largely restricted to small assemblages of prehistoric pottery and worked flints, with little evidence for significant subsequent activity.
Features of probable prehistoric date included a large pit that contained several Early Neolithic pottery sherds, along with a potentially contemporary flint core and several small flakes likely to have been struck from it. Although the discoidal form of the core is more typical associated with later, Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age industries the small size of the flakes makes an earlier date more likely. The remainder of the worked flint recovered is also of probable Early Neolithic date, including a blade core, core trimming flakes and two horseshoe scrapers. Although a number of these pieces came from stratified contexts the quantities were very small and in most cases insufficient to securely date the associated features. A single sherd of Early Neolithic pottery recovered from the subsoil is though thought to have probably come from the pit that contained the blade core.
Evidence for later prehistoric activity was limited to several grog-tempered pottery sherds of probable Early Bronze Age date (at least one likely to be from a Collared Urn), all of which came from a single small pit. A sample from the fill of this feature produced only a small amount of charcoal and a single barley grain.
There was little evidence for significant subsequent activity on the site, with the small number of other dated features all probably either post-medieval or modern. These recent remains included two pits, one containing finds of late post-medieval/modern date and the other modern plastic. A north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditch at the western end of the site was also a modern feature, being associated with the remains of a hedgerow that had been extant in the latter half of the 20th century.
The remaining ditches were all of uncertain date, including several north-north-east to south-south-west aligned features at the eastern end of the site and two fragmentary west-north-west to east-south-east features to the west. The most substantial of the former is though a probable continuation of one of the potentially Middle Bronze Age features recorded during the 2013 excavation.
It is suggested that most of the undated probable pits scattered across the site were prehistoric, although this is based largely on their general appearance and the fact these remains were all only visible following the removal of the subsoil layer (thought to represent a medieval plough soil). The more notable features include three sub-circular, shallow pits with charcoal-rich fills and heat-reddened fills/margins indicative of in-situ burning. Although it is suggested these were potentially the result prehistoric land clearance their appearance is similar to that of features seen elsewhere in the Norfolk environs that are now though to be associated with small-scale Saxon and medieval charcoal production. This is supported by the fact a sample from one of these pits was found to contain abundant oak charcoal but little else in the way of charred plant macrofossils (a typical characteristic of these post-Roman remains).
A sub-rectangular feature was similar in appearance to the Early Saxon Grubenhäuser (sunken-feature buildings) revealed during earlier work at the site to the west (NHER 40711), but the complete lack of artefactual material suggests this was probably coincidental. A sample from this feature produced only charcoal and charred root-stem fragments.
The larger discrete features included two deep, steep-sided and apparently clay-lined pits interpreted as possible watering holes. Three other large discrete features (all in excess of 1.50m deep) are also regarded as probable pits, although these at least could have been natural solution features.
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
A documentary archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2025.171).
P. Watkins (HES), 24 October 2023. Amended 31 August 2025.

April 2020. Excavation.
Excavation by forensic archaeologist of human remains uncovered during construction work at southern end of site (at c. TG 1845 0916).
The bones were poorly preserved and a number had been displaced by the machine bucket. It was though possible to determine that they were likely to represent an articulated inhumation lying on its left side in an extended or perhaps slightly flexed position, with the head at the western end of the grave.
As it wasn't possible to conclusively demonstrate that the remains were of archaeological rather than forensic interest a programme of analytical work was agreed. The remains were subsequently shown to be those of a young adult female (c. 17-19 years old), with one of the bones producing an Early Saxon radiocarbon date of 426-588 cal AD at 95.4% probability (Beta-564740; 1540 ± 30 BP). This was consistent with the small number of potential grave goods recovered, which comprised as fragment of probable late Roman vessel glass and an Early Saxon iron buckle of possible late 6th- to 7th-century date (possible fragments of handmade pottery recovered during the excavation were found to be pieces of concreted sand).
Information from draft report on subsequent watching brief (see below).
P. Watkins (HES), 19 October 2023.

May 2020. Watching Brief.
Maintained during remaining groundworks undertaken at southern end of site following discovery of human remains. Unfortunately work in the majority of the plots had been completed prior to the commencement of this watching brief. As a result monitoring was focused on the excavation of footing trenches within the final two plots, which lay in the south-eastern quarter of the development.
No archaeologically-significant features or deposits were recorded.
During the course of the work a human bone was handed to the monitoring archaeologist by the building contractor, which had apparently been recovered from spoil in the vicinity of the previously recorded burial. Significantly this was found to be from an adult male, demonstrating that at least one other burial had been disturbed. It is unclear whether there had been any additional burials, although the previous archaeological work in the vicinity (particularly the 2004 trial trenching) would appear to preclude the presence of any form of substantial cemetery. It is likely that this small group of burials (perhaps representing a family group) were associated with the Early Saxon settlement previously uncovered approximately 250m to the south-west (NHER 40711).
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2020.119).
P. Watkins (HES), 19 October 2023. Amended 24 August 2025.

April-May 2022. Excavation.
Excavation of area at western end of site, prior to construction of additional residential dwellings.
Numerous discrete features were exposed, along with several ditches. As elsewhere on the site dating evidence was sparse and largely limited to assemblages of prehistoric worked flint and pottery, with little evidence for significant subsequent activity at this location. The worked flints were mostly recovered from pits although the quantities present in individual features were all small. Multiple periods of activity are likely to be represented but only a small number of closely datable pieces are present (a number of which were associated with dissimilar material). Several pieces are potentially Early Neolithic but no features of this date were identified during this phase of work.
The bulk of the prehistoric pottery recovered is thought to be Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age, with a small number of sherds assigned a slightly later Early to Middle Iron Age date. A particularly notable discovery was a substantially complete Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age vessel found in an upright position at the margin of a large feature thought to have been natural solution feature ('sinkhole').
The remainder of the assemblage was much more fragmentary and recovered from a variety of discrete features, the majority in the northern half of the excavation area. The two largest individual groups (27 sherds and 11 sherds) came from a pair of adjacent small pits with more limited quantities (in most cases between one and five sherds) recovered from various other pits, most of which lay within two distinct clusters. All of the sherds thought to be slightly later in date were recovered from one of the two main pit groups. One of the pits in this group was also notable for the presence of numerous stone pebbles that all displayed evidence for having been heated to high temperatures. Samples were taken from the fills of a number of the Late Bronze Age to Iron Age features but the plant macrofossil were generally fairly limited. Identifiable remains did though include a small number of hulled barley and wheat grains, hazelnut shell fragments and charcoal (one fragment potentially heather). A single fragment of potentially human cremated bone was also recovered from one of the pair of small pits, raising the possibility that it had contained redeposited pyre material. One of the potentially Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pits also contained two small fragments of Mayen lava quern, although was potentially instructive (such material being rarely recovered from prehistoric contexts).
The ditches recorded included several adjacent north-north-east to south-south-west aligned features at the eastern end of the excavation area, two of which potentially represented the flanking ditches associated with some form of trackway. These were undated (a post-medieval/modern furniture tack recovered by one being seen as intrusive), although it should be noted that their alignment is identical to features uncovered to the north-east that were regarded as potentially Middle Bronze Age. One of these ditches intersected with an extensive north-west to south-east aligned, somewhat sinuous ditch that turned to the north close to the western end of the site – suggesting it probably defined some form of large field or enclosure. Finds were limited to three sherds of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery and two undatable hand-forged iron nails, suggesting a prehistoric date is at least possible for this feature. No obvious stratigraphic relationship could be discerned between this feature and the possible trackway ditch.
The only features that could be tentatively assigned a later date were three pits that all contained objects of post-medieval to modern date.
As elsewhere on the site a significant number of the discrete features produced no dating evidence of any kind and it is likely that many were of natural origin. These included a further 18 features interpreted as probable sinkholes.
See assessment report (S5) for further details. Final reports awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 25 October 2023.