NHER 69456 (Monument record) - Later Iron Age and undated pits and post-medieval field boundaries

October 2021. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of potential impact of prosed development.
This study concluded the site was unlikely to contain archaeological remains of sufficient importance to prevent or constrain development.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 4 September 2025.

May 2022. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site.
This survey revealed nothing of obvious archaeological interest.
Although a number of extensive linear anomalies were identified the majority correspond with former field boundaries depicted on the Northwold tithe map (S2) and two others are likely to represent lost elements of the same field system. Other, similarly-aligned linear and rectilinear anomalies in the central part of the site are recorded as being of undetermined origin but are most likely the result of recent agricultural activity.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 4 September 2025.

September-October 2022. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of large proposed development site.
Despite the excavation of 103 trenches archaeologically-significant remains were limited to three pits and two ditches.
Of greatest interest was a pit containing a small amount of later Iron Age pottery. A sample taken from the fill of this feature was found to contain two charred wheat grains (both abraded and probably windblown) and abundant charcoal fragments. The other two pits were both undated. One had a dark, charcoal-rich fill, a sample from which produced a small amount of heavily burnt bone, in addition to numerous small fragments of charcoal. Due to the size of the fragments it wasn’t possible to determine whether the bone was animal or human (though it was most likely the former).
The ditches were adjoining north-north-east to south-south-west and west-north-west to east-south-east aligned features that both corresponded with former field boundaries depicted on (S1). These produced two residual prehistoric flint flakes and a range of post-medieval or later finds, including ceramic building material, glass and clay tobacco pipe. These recent objects were no retained.
No unstratified finds were recovered.
See report (S4) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 4 September 2025.