NHER 8126 (Monument record) - Site of St Faith's Fairstead and multi-period finds

NOTE - No additional finds are to be added to this record [1].

St Faith's Fairstead. Fair for selling cattle. Originally many small fields, now a single 50 acre field. At TG 217 149 were three acres called The Lond used for stalls.
Information from [2], 1952.

December 1980. Metal detecting.
Post medieval handle or tag-end.
Silver penny of Edward VI.
S. Margeson (NCM), 17 November 1981.

1981. Metal detecting.
Medieval jetton.
Penny of Edward IV.
Farthing of Edward II.
Lead weight of James I.
Sixpence of Elizabeth I.
Late medieval copper alloy dress hook, (S1).
S. Margeson (NCM), 29 August 1981.

July 1982. Metal detecting.
Post medieval gold seal matrix with hexagonal face and facetted handle. 18th century.
S. Margeson (NCM), September 1982.

1984. Metal detecting.
Early Saxon copper alloy wrist clasp.
S. Margeson (NCM), 17 August 1984.

1989. Metal detecting.
Early post medieval discoidal decorated ?fastener.
Post medieval square weight.
Silver groat of Phillip and Mary (1554-1558).
W. Milligan (NCM), 31 January 1990.

1991. Metal detecting.
Post medieval thick lead disc with projecting lug. Possible trial piece or weight.
Identified by S. Margeson (NCM), 13 March 1991.
W. Milligan (NCM), March 1991.

1992. Metal detecting.
2 medieval coins.
Medieval horse harness stud.
See lists in file.
W. Milligan (NCM), 26 October 1992.

2003. Stray find.
1 Early Neolithic (or possibly Upper Palaeolithic/Early Mesolithic) flint flake from blade core.
Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2007.409).
Identified by P. Robins (NCM), see description in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 12 November 2003. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 2 September 2014.

March 2006.
Charter for the fair was granted in 1100 and it continued to be held annually until the mid-19th century. Cattle from all over Britain were brought to it.
See (S2).
D. Robertson (NLA), 22 March 2006.

October 2006. Systematic Fieldwalking and Metal-detecting Survey.
Field survey on proposed line of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Fields 35 and 36).
This survey of the easternmost parts of these two fields recovered a reasonably large assemblage of medieval to post-medieval metal objects, including many types of artefact that are typical of what might be encountered at a fair site.
See report (S3) and NHERs 49745 and 49746 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 May 2019.

Before 28 November 2006. Metal detecting.
Three medieval and three post medieval coins, one medieval and two post medieval tokens.
Medieval and post-medieval metal objects, including post-medieval silver ?dress hook fragment.
See lists in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 1 February 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 13 May 2020.

2007. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of site on proposed line of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Phase 1).
Single trench excavated at eastern end of southern field, where the greatest concentration of medieval to post-medieval artefacts had been recovered during the 2006 field survey.
The only feature exposed was a ditch that had probably been associated with a late post-medieval field boundary.
See report (S4) and NHER 63381 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 May 2019.

April 2012-April 2013. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey on proposed line of Norwich Northern Distributor Road (Block 23).
Survey of block at eastern end of southern field.
The only evidence for archaeologically significant remains was a linear anomaly that almost certainly corresponded with the late post-medieval ditch identified during the earlier trial trenching.
See report (S5) and NHER 63381 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 May 2019.

Overall the results of the work undertaken prior to the construction of the Norwich Northern Distributor Road suggest that there probably wasn't any surviving sub-surface remains associated with the fair, at least at its eastern limits. It is entirely possible that archaeologically significant features are present elsewhere in these fields.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 May 2019.

NOTE - No additional finds are to be added to this record [1].