NHER 68499 (Monument record) - Late Bronze Age, medieval to post-medieval and undated remains

May 2017. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of potential impact of proposed development.
A site visit undertaken as part of this study identified nothing of archaeological or historical significance.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 September 2024.

July 2017. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The ten trenches excavated revealed a range of linear and discrete features. Unfortunately the majority produced few finds, although there was evidence for at least some limited prehistoric activity on the site.
Potentially prehistoric features included an isolated pit towards the northern end of the site with charcoal rich fills that contained a substantial amount of burnt flint. A sample taken from this material produced charcoal but little else in the way of plant macrofossils. A single handmade pottery sherd of possible Neolithic date was recovered from this sample.
A concentration of pits was identified in the central part of the site, with diffuse clusters of more than five features present in two adjacent trenches. The majority of these pits were though undated, fairly unremarkable features with relatively sterile fills. The most notable exception was a small circular pit that contained several sherds of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery. A sample taken from the fill of this feature produced only a small quantity of charcoal.
The majority of the ditches recorded also produced no dating evidence. The exceptions included a north-to-south aligned feature crossing the central part of the site that contained a single sherd of Roman pottery (although was in poor condition and most likely residual).
Two narrow east-to-west aligned linear features at the southern end of the site produced a small assemblage of much more recent finds, including a post-medieval pottery sherd, a fragment of post-medieval/modern glass and undiagnostic ceramic building material fragments. Modern ceramic building material was also present in an east-to-west aligned ditch in the central part of the site. An undated east-to-west aligned ditch in the northernmost part of the site can also be identified as probably post-medieval as it corresponds with a former field boundary depicted on the Great Plumstead tithe map. All that can be said about the other ditches is that their alignments suggest that were probably associated with at least one earlier phase of activity.
No unstratified finds were recovered.
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 September 2024.

June 2018. Excavation.
Final phase of archaeological mitigation prior to development, with the excavated area positioned to target the concentration of potentially prehistoric remains identified by the preceding trial trenching. This work uncovered pits and possible post-hole structures of probable Bronze Age date, along with numerous more poorly-dated discrete features and several later ditches.
Potentially the earliest feature uncovered was a probable tree-throw hollow that contained a small group of Early Neolithic worked flints likely to represent in situ knapped debris. A sample taken from the fill of this feature contained a number of charred cereal grains and fragments of hazel nutshell. Although several other features produced worked flints of a similar date this material was most likely residual.
Nine features produced prehistoric Post-Deverel-Rimbury pottery of likely Late Bronze Age date and it is thought that many of the other discrete features recorded were of a similar age. The largest assemblage of Late Bronze Age pottery (26 sherds) came one of four features interpreted as post-holes associated with a simple sub-square structure. The main fill of this feature also contained a large quantity of burnt flints, heat-altered stones and fragments of fired clay – clearly representing deliberately deposited midden-type material. Charred material recovered from this deposit produced a Late Bronze Age radiocarbon date of 1195-978 cal BC at 95.4% probability (Beta-521399; 2890 +/- 30 BP). Two other groups of features are also interpreted as probable four-post structures of Late Bronze Age date, although between them they produced only a single pottery sherd. It should also be noted that the post-holes associated with each possible structure were of varying size and depth. A possible fence line was represented by a north-west to south-east aligned linear arrangement of four post-holes, one of which produced a single Late Bronze Age pottery sherd. Other features of probable Late Bronze Age date included two amorphous clusters of pits and post-holes and several discrete pits. The most notable of the more isolated pits contained layers of redeposited burnt material and a large assemblage of fired clay. Withy impressions are visible on several of the pieces of fired clay and it is possible that this material represent the superstructure from an oven or kiln. Although no pottery was recovered from this feature a Late Bronze Age radiocarbon date of 1211-1020 cal BC at 95.4% probability (Beta-521398; 2920 +/- 30 BP) was obtained for charred material from its fill. The majority of the samples taken from the features of likely Late Bronze Age date produced uniform but limited assemblages of charred plant macrofossils. There is evidence for activities associated with high-temperature combustion and two features also produced small quantities of cereal processing waste (material that was often used as tinder or fuel). Although it is thought likely that the four-post structures were granaries this couldn't be confirmed.
The ditches recorded appear to have represented three successive phases of land division. The earliest features were potentially medieval, datable finds being limited to a small amount of early medieval pottery. The later ditches were all probably associated with post-medieval phases of activity. A number of post-medieval finds were recovered from these features, including pieces of clay tobacco pipe, brick and tile fragments and an iron horseshoe.
Unstratified finds included a medieval brick, post-medieval brick and tile fragments, a fragment of post-medieval bottle glass, a post-medieval coin and a small assemblage of other metal objects, comprising a post-medieval button and musket ball and undated lead waste.
See reports (S3) and (S4) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2018.158).
P. Watkins (HES), 11 October 2024.