NHER 68276 (Monument record) - ?Prehistoric, post-medieval and undated remains

June 2022. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of potential impact of proposed development.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 April 2024.

November 2022. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site.
This survey revealed nothing of definite archaeological significance. The most notable responses are a 'U'-shaped arrangement of linear anomalies at the southern edge of the site. These may represent infilled ditches, although their fragmentary, weak nature means this is far from certain. A pair of parallel, faintly magnetic north-west to south-east aligned linear anomalies are also regarded as being of uncertain origin, although these are most likely the result of recent agricultural activity. A number of scattered discrete anomalies are probably geological in origin.
Numerous discrete ferrous 'spikes' are the result of ferrous material on or close to the surface (most likely modern debris).
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 April 2024.

February 2023. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The trenches excavated in the western half of the site revealed a number of poorly-dated features associated with some limited evidence for prehistoric activity, while those to the east uncovered only post-medieval ditches.
One of the possible pits recorded in the western half of the site contained sherds from a handmade vessel of possible prehistoric date (although a similarity to handmade vessels of early medieval date is also noted). Worked flints of Late Neolithic/Bronze Age date were also recovered from a probable natural feature and a ditch or discrete feature in this area, along with a number of burnt flints. The fills of both features appeared to contained burnt material, although a sample from one was found to contain only charcoal. A sample taken from another, undated pit also produced only charcoal fragments. It is suggested that the various narrow ditches recorded in the western half of the site were potentially prehistoric, although none produced any dating evidence. Their alignments are though notable distinct to those of the late post-medieval and modern field boundaries so they almost certainly represent elements of at least one earlier field system.
Three ditches were recorded in the eastern half of the site, two of which clearly correspond with former field boundaries depicted on the Swaffham tithe map (the relevant section of which is reproduced in (S1)). Finds recovered from these features included late post-medieval/modern pottery sherds and bottle glass, post-medieval iron objects and fragments of animal bone. The third ditch in this part of the site was an east-north-east to west-south-west aligned feature that contained a fragment of post-medieval clay tobacco pipe.
There was no evidence for sub-surface remains associated with potentially archaeological-significant linear anomalies identified by the preceding geophysical survey – these were all deemed to be the result of variations in the natural geology.
No unstratified finds were recovered during this work.
See report (S2) for further details.
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2023.78).
P. Watkins (HES), 19 April 2024.