NHER 9584 (Monument record) - Neolithic pits, and Early Saxon pit, late medieval building remains and ditches, and post medieval ditches

1881-1882. Ordnance Survey Parish Survey.
Ordnance Survey staff identified a fragment of mansonry northwest of The Carr during their parish survey in prepration for the first 6 inch to one mile OS map (S8). R. R. Clarke (S8) later described these remains as a rectangular structure which is thought to extend east and west, ending in a hexagonal bay on the east. The east wall of the bay was faced with flint with brick quoins and stood approximately 3 feet high and was 8 feet long. The thickness of the wall could not be determined as it had been disturbed by an ash tree. The south wall was 7 feet 6 inches long and 1 foot 6 inches thick while the north wall was only indicated by rubble on the surface.The southeast face of the 'bay' was 4 feet long and the east face at the end of the south wall was 2 feet 2 inches long. The western extent of the building could not be determined.
As these were the only above ground ruins identified during the survey, they were believed to be the ruins of the parish church (see NHER 9795) and marked as such on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map (S4).
See (S8) for further details.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 3 June 2009.

1906.
Rev. H. J. D. Astley, at the instigation of Walter Rye, asserted that the ruins at The Carr were the remains of a Roman quay (S5). He also published a photograph of a sketch made by Tom Martin in 1737. He suggested that Markshall church (see NHER 9795) was located on the gravel bluff 370 yards to the north, but R. R. Clarke (S8) later noted that no traces of a building were found at this location.
See article (S5) published in (S6) and journal article (S8) for further details.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 3 June 2009.

July-August 1949. Excavation.
Excavation by G. Larwood for Norfolk Research Committee of late medieval farmhouse.
Around 1500 AD. Building 14m (47 feet) by 5m (17 feet 6 inches) of flint and bricks running east to west. Two rooms, hearth with millstones. Reused Roman material. To north of main building are outbuildings included half timbered open fronted building, small room and ?well. Small finds included a few fragments of Roman pottery and 15th/16th century sherds. Also bricks, plaster, glass, animal bones.
The archive from this excavation has been deposited with the Norfolk Museum Service (NWHCM: 1949.183)
See journal article (S11) for full details.
See also summary in committee bulletin (S9) published in (S10).
Information from Norwich Castle Museum Record Card (S2)
H. Hamilton (NLA), 3 June 2009.

1956/1957. St. Joseph aerial photographs.
Possible traces of medieval village. See NHER 52326 for further discussion of these cropmarks.
Information from Norwich Castle Museum Record Card (S2).
H. Hamilton (NLA), 3 June 2009. Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 27 November 2024.

January 1980. Air Photo Interpretation.
NAU aerial photographs taken 14 June 1974 to 2 July 1974.
Cropmarks of linear features.
See NHER 52326 for further discussion of these cropmarks.
D. A. Edwards (NAU), 29 January 1980. mended H. Hamilton (HES), 27 November 2024.

6 March 1991. Specification / brief for this site issued by Norfolk Landscape Archaeology.
This was the second brief to be prepared after the implementation in Norfolk of Planning Policy Guidance Note 16.
D. Gurney (HES), 12 May 2014.

April 1991. Excavation.
Strip map and same excavation by NAU on site of borrow pit.

A group of 14 small pits was identified within a small area near the highest area of the site. Several of these contained Beaker pottery, and environmental sampling from one pit in the centre of the group recorded charred cereal fragments and hazelnut shell. This central pit also contained 141 pieces of worked flint, including 11 scrapers, an oblique arrowhead, cores, and retouched flakes along with 14 sherds from a Grooved Ware jar with incised chevron decoration. A second group of 8 small pits was located in the southwest corner of the site. Three of these contained struck flint and part of a laurel leaf point. The presence of Grooved Warea nd an oblique arrowhead indicate that the majority of the assemblage likely dates to the Later Neolithic, but the laurel leaf also indicates earlier Neolithic activity.
One small pit in the northwestern edge of the site contained a dark fill with a virtually6 complete pottery vessel in the centre, similar to those recovered from Morning Thorpe Anglo-Saxon cemetery. It has therefore been tentatively interpreted as a grave. A single drilled Roman coin, tyupical of early Anglo-Saxon cemeteries, was found in the ploughsoil.
The remainder of the excavated features are believed to be of medieval or post-medieval date. Three east-west parallel ditches containing animal bone, Thetford ware, and medieval pottery were recorded in the southern part of the site. A series of post holes and pits, including one possible cess pit, were recorded on either side of the southern ditch.
Two additional east-west ditches ran across the central section of the site. These were dated to the post-medieval period due to the presence of fibrous wood in their fill. They also contained small amounts of animal bone and Grimston Ware. Two clusters of small shallow post holes were also recorded in the central and western portion of the site: a group of six believed to be of recent date and a group of 14 post-holes which may have formed part of a circular structure.
A shallow, heavily truncated, undated ditch ran north-south across the site for a distance of almost 100m and several pits remain undated.
No evidence was recovered for the presence of a deserted village as had been postulated in the late-19th and early 20th century.
The lack of Roman finds in a location so close to Venta Icenorum Roman Town (NHER 9786) was also noted.
A single incised Roman lead plaque was recovered from the topsoil.
See published report (S14) and unpublished report (S12) for further details.
The results of this work are also summarised in (S13).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.466).
E. Rose (NAU), 6 November 1991. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 5 March 2015 and 27 May 2019.

1991-1992. Watching brief. Norwich Southern Bypass. Sites 62-64.
Found metal-detecting and in fieldwork.
2 Prehistoric blades and 1 end scraper
1 Roman coin and 1 nail
12 sherds Late Saxon Thetford ware
1 Late Saxon harness fitting
1 medieval key
14 medieval pottery sherds
See unpublished document (S15) for further details.
See also published summary of watching brief (S14).
E. Rose (NLA), July 1992.

T. Ashwin (NAU) clarifies 1991 report by saying the area of the house was hidden by scrub. Anonymous report 1996 that the wall is still standing and the whole outline of the building can be seen in a ploughed field.
E. Rose (NLA), 13 January 1997.

April 2010. Norfolk NMP.
Pits excavated in the northern part of the site (S14), within the area of cropmarks now recorded as part of NHER 53475, could not be identified with any confidence on the consulted aerial photographs.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 13 April 2010.

March 2009. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks previously recorded under this number are now likely to relate to those under NHER 52326, an area of enclosures and boundaries of late Saxon to post medieval date at Markshall, see record for details.
S. Horlock (NMP), 24 March 2009.