NHER 69786 (Monument record) - Late Iron Age to early Roman, post-medieval and undated remains

December 2022. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site.
This survey identified nothing of definite archaeological interest. Although a series of quite distinct east-north-east and west-south-west and north-north-west to south-south-east linear anomalies were recorded these all appear to coincide with former field boundaries depicted on the Swaffham Tithe map of 1840 (the relevant section of which is reproduced in (S1)). Responses of undetermined origin that may represent archaeologically-significant remains include north-west to south-east and north-east to south-west aligned linear anomalies in the north-east part of the site. A group of curvilinear anomalies in the southern part of the site may also represent ditches, although their form suggests they are most likely natural in origin. Two strong discrete anomalies in the central part of the site may represent pit-type features, while two large discrete anomalies may represent undocumented former extraction pits.
The remaining anomalies are all likely to be either natural in origin or the result of relatively recent activity.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 1 April 2024.

January 2023. Desk-based Assessment.
Heritage Assessment of proposed development site.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 1 April 2026.

June 2024. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site.
The 24 trenches excavated revealed numerous ditches and a small number of other features. The majority of the ditches were of likely post-medieval date but there was also some limited evidence for activity at this location around the late 1st century AD, with pottery of Late Iron Age to early Roman date recovered from a number of pits and ditches in the north-east part of the site. The small Late Iron Age pottery assemblage is predominantly grog and/or sand tempered, entirely wheel made and likely to date exclusively to the 1st century AD. Although only a small number of sherds are identifiable as post-Conquest transitional wares (mostly grog-tempered 'proto greyware') there was potentially considerable chronologically overlap between these and both the other Late Iron Age pottery and the small assemblage of fully Romanised pottery recovered, which appears to date exclusively to the early part of the period (mid 1st to mid 2nd century AD). It is though notable that the none of the features produced a mix of Late Iron Age and Roman pottery, suggesting the remains uncovered represented multiple phases of activity. The bulk of the Late Iron Age pottery was recovered from a single pit that also contained fragments of animal bone and fired clay. A sample taken from the fill of this feature produced charcoal but little else in the way of charred plant macrofossils. The majority of the Roman sherds were also recovered from a single pit, a sample from which proved to be more productive - being found to contain a small but reasonably diverse range of charred grains and seeds. The remainder of the Late Iron Age to Roman pottery sherds were recovered from ditches, including some that were probable residual in post-medieval features. The ditches likely to be associated with this early phase of activity included two north-west to south-east aligned ditches that both corresponded with geophysical anomalies.
The majority of the ditches recorded across the site were though east-north-east and west-south-west and north-north-west to south-south-east features that mostly correspond with anomalies identified by the preceding geophysical survey and clearly relate to former field boundaries depicted on the Swaffham Tithe map of 1840 (see above). A number of post-medieval brick and tile fragments were recovered from these features. Other similarly-aligned ditches likely represent earlier elements of the same field system.
A trench placed to coincide with the two large geophysical anomalies recorded in the north-east part of the site confirmed that they were indeed likely to represent infilled former extraction pits. Finds recovered from these features included a small number of Roman, late medieval/post-medieval, post-medieval and post-medieval/modern pottery sherds, iron nails and several fragments of undatable ceramic building material. The pottery suggests that at least one of these pits had likely been dug (or at least infilled) during the 19th-century.
Undated remains were limited to a small number of ditches and a single small pit.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 1 April 2026.