NHER 8812 (Monument record) - Prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval remains

1959. Fieldwalking. [1].
In Nun's Field at [2]:
Thin spread of medieval sherds.
Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1959.418).
Compiled by E. B. Green (NCM). Information from record card (S1).
This discovery is also noted in (S2).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 25 August 2024.

2007. Systematic Fieldwalking and Metal-detecting Survey.
Systematic survey of whole field.
Forty-four struck flints were recovered and several fragments of burnt flint. A small number of these flints are possibly Early Neolithic and two piercers are probably Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age in date. The remainder of the assemblage can only be broadly dated as Late Neolithic to Bronze Age. Other finds recovered included a small number of medieval, post-medieval and post-medieval/modern pottery sherds; fragments of post-medieval clay tobacco pipe, a possible fragment of Roman vessel glass, a small Roman or late copper alloy punch or chisel and a post-medieval button. Various iron nails, an iron heel and two unidentified iron objects were also found.
See report (S3) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2016.50).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 22 November 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 17 May 2019.

November-December 2007. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of narrow strip for new haulage road along northern and eastern margins of site (Phase 1).
The most notable of these features was a prehistoric pit in the north-west corner of the site that contained more than 40 Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery sherds and a small number of potentially contemporary worked flints (although the assemblage was undiagnostic and only broadly datable as Late Neolithic to Iron Age). A small amount of similar pottery was also recovered from a north-north-west to south-south-east aligned ditch in the north-east corner of the site.
The only other datable features were two east-to-west aligned ditches that both correspond with former field boundaries depicted on the Carbrooke tithe map (S4). One produced a fragment of late post-medieval/modern brick and a piece of animal bone.
The features of uncertain date include two adjacent north-west to south-east aligned ditches in the north-east part of the site and a number of possible pits.
See interim report (S5) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 26 August 2024.

March-April 2008. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of rectangular area in north-east corner of site, ahead of mineral extraction (Phase 2).
A number of scattered discrete features were recorded, the most notable of which was a pit containing five sherds of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery. No other finds were recovered from these features and it is possible that several were of natural origin.
The single ditch identified was a continuation of one of the post-medieval feature observed immediately to the east in 2007.
See interim report (S5) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 26 August 2024.

September-October 2008. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of rectangular area in south-east corner of site, ahead of mineral extraction (Phase 3).
Only a single pit and a ditch were recorded. The pit contained eight Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery sherds and several worked flint. The ditch was a continuation of the southernmost of the two post-medieval features recorded immediately to the east in 2007.
See interim report (S5) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 26 August 2024.

2009-2015.
During this period a large rectangular area measuring 60m by 200m was apparently excavated without the knowledge of the archaeological contractor and as a result no archaeological work took place. This area was approximately four times the size of the areas examined during the previous two phases of fieldwork.
P. Watkins (HES), 18 June 2017.

October 2016. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of a long, fairly narrow strip immediately to the west of the previously excavated area (Phase 4).
A number of scattered discrete features were recorded, along with two ditches.
The probable pits identified included a feature close to the northern edge of the site that contained sherds of Middle/Late Bronze Age pottery and a small assemblage of what were probably contemporary flints (the majority from the same core reduction episode). A sample from the fill of this feature was found to contain pieces of charred hazel nutshell and fragments of charcoal/charred wood. A single sherd of similar pottery was recovered from an otherwise undated pit to the south. No finds were recovered from any of the other discrete features.
The two ditches were continuations of the post-medieval features previously recorded to the east. One contained fragments of post-medieval ceramic building material.
Unstratified finds included a single prehistoric worked flint, a piece of post-medieval clay tobacco pipe and a small number of metal objects, including post-medieval buttons and a buckle and undated unidentified iron objects, iron nails and a piece of lead waste.
See interim report (S5) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 26 August 2024.

2018. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of two areas to west of previously investigated areas (Phases 5 and 6).
A number of discrete features were recorded, along with further sections of the two post-medieval ditches identified to the east.
Remains of possible Early Neolithic date were encountered, along with a pit or hollow that contained more than 100 sherds of medieval pottery.
Details awaited. Above information from report on subsequent phase of work (S6).
P. Watkins (HES), 26 August 2024.

November 2019. Strip Map and Sample Excavation.
Excavation of two additional areas to west of previously investigated areas – a rectangular block adjacent to the northern edge of the site and a narrow 'L'-shaped strip to the south (Phase 7).
A number of scattered discrete features and several ditches were recorded. There was again some limited evidence for prehistoric activity on the site, with worked flints recovered from a number of features, including two otherwise undated pits. This assemblage includes a number of crude pieces of likely Bronze Age or Iron Age date.
Two sherds of Late Iron Age pottery was also recovered from one of three adjacent post-holes.
Later remains included two pits and a hollow of medieval date, close to where a large medieval feature had been recorded during the preceding phase of work. These features produced almost 200 additional medieval pottery sherds, along with pieces of lava quern, a whetstone, an unidentified iron object and fragments of animal bone. The medieval pottery assemblage consists of local and regional wares of broadly 13th-century date and is particularly notable for the presence of possible waster sherds in a non-typical Grimston-type fabric which occurs elsewhere in West Norfolk. This could be a late fabric made at Grimston itself but it is possible it was made elsewhere – perhaps even Carbrooke itself.
The more notable undated features included a short, curving ditch close to the medieval remains that may have been the remnant of a more extensive enclosure ditch.
An east-to-west ditch represented a continuation of the southernmost of the two post-medieval ditches recorded during the earlier work to the east.
Other features of uncertain date included several pits, post-holes and natural features.
See interim report (S6) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 26 August 2024.

An archive contained material associated with multiple phases of excavation at this site has now been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (the most recent two phases accessioned as 2020.108 and material from the earlier phases as NWHCM : 2017.358).
P. Watkins (HES), 26 August 2024 and 18 August 2025.