Hall Farm, Fersfield Bressingham, Norfolk ENF 125574
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION REPORT SCCAS REPORT No. 2011/003 Hall Farm, Fersfield Bressingham, Norfolk ENF 125574 D. Gill © January 2011 www.suffolkcc.gov.uk/e-and-t/archaeology Lucy Robinson, County Director of Environment and Transport Endeavour House, Russel Road, Ipswich, IP1 2BX. HER Information Planning Application No: 2010/1585 Date of Fieldwork: December 2010 Grid Reference: TM 0637 8279 Funding Body: Hallsworth (South Norfolk) Ltd Curatorial Officer: James Albone (Norfolk County Council’s Historic Environment Service) Project Officer: David Gill Oasis Reference: suffolkc1-90457 Digital report submitted to Archaeological Data Service: http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/library/greylit Contents Summary Page 1. Introduction 1 2. Geology, topography and past use 1 3. Methodology 4 4. Results 4 5. Finds evidence 11 6. Discussion 13 7. Recommendations 14 8. Archive deposition 15 9. References 15 Appendix 1. Context list 17 Appendix 2. Bulk Finds list 21 Appendix 3. Licence for the removal of human remains 23 List of Figures 1. Location map 2 2. Trench location plan 3 3. Plan of Trench 1 with sections 5 4. Plan of Trench 2 and 5 with sections 7 5. Plan of Trench 3 with sections 9 6 Plan of Trench 4 with sections 10 7 Contour map showing location of the burial at the valley head 14 List of Tables 1. Finds quantities 11 Summary An evaluation covering a total of 148sqm was excavated at Hall Farm, Fersfield, close to the site of the medieval church and the former Fersfield Hall. The archaeological work uncovered a single Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age burial consisting of a crouched inhumation accompanied by a ‘Beaker-style’ pot which suggested a date c. 2600-1800BC for the grave. In addition to the burial a low density of features, including a dew pond and a pit, which represented the relatively recent activity of the workings of Hall Farm was also found. 1. Introduction An archaeological evaluation was carried out at Hall Farm, Fersfield. The evaluation was completed in accordance with a Brief issued by James Albone, (Norfolk County Council’s Historic Environment Service) and is intended to fulfil a condition on planning application 2010/1585, to construct a duck-rearing shed on the site. The fieldwork was undertaken by members of SCCAS Field Team on 14-15th December 2010 and was funded by the landowners Hallsworth (South Norfolk) Ltd. The aim of the evaluation was to determine whether archaeological deposits exist in this area and to establish their date, extent, depth and quality of preservation in order that the full archaeological implications for the site’s development could be ascertained. The report is intended to provide data to inform an appropriate archaeological mitigation strategy for the site’s development. 2. Geology, topography and past use The site lies c.150m to the west of the village at TM 0637 8279. The aspect is flat and relatively low lying at 36-37 m OD. The location of the site is at the head of a valley and it is surrounded by a ridge of low hills (55m contour). Drainage ditches cross the area channel water into a tributary of the Hundred River, to the west of the site, which flows south into Bressingham and Lopham Fens. The site is currently meadow and laid to grass. The village of Fersfield is mentioned in Domesday but is now part of the civil parish of Bressingham and Fersfield. The layout of the settlement is linear and runs between the church and Fersfield Hall to the south and Fersfield Common 1.5km to the north. Several timber-framed houses dating to the medieval and early post-medieval period are situated along ‘The Street’ and surrounding common, and the site of a medieval tithe barn (NHER 10905) is recorded 170m to the north-east of the site. The development area is situated 150m from what is thought to be the early core of the village as embodied by the medieval parish church of St Andrew’s (NHER 10910) and the remains of a moated site (NHER 10904) occupied by the former Fersfield Hall (NHER 39431) (Fig. 1). The fabric of the church indicates that the construction of this building has its origins at the beginning of the 14th century, although the font bowl is Norman. Fersfield Hall is a 17th century timber-framed construction which has been concealed behind a 19th 1 A Norfolk A SUFFOLK B Essex 0 25 km 0 10 km 6 605 6 6 6 6 Warehouses 6 Fersfield Lodge Fersfield 07 06 06 07 05 Lodge 08 1.22m RH Drain Willowbank Farm 1.22m RH Pond Def 200 700 200 1.22m 700 200 52.7m Drain 200 RH Drain 700 CB Pond Drain Drain Def Co Const, CP and ED Bdy 1.22m RH 48934 Blackberry Drain 1.22m RH Pond Barn Pond Def Drain Pond Pond Track Def Old Common Farm Pond Pond Common B Farm Old Common Farm Drain Drain 32824 Pond Pond 2 400 51.5m 84 Drain Thornberries 1.22m RH Common Farm Holmliegh Drain Def Drain Pond 51.5m Well Drain Thwaite Green N Pump Harvest Cottage Farm House Drain Drain Drain The Willows Hotel Harvest Barn Drain Track Ponds Well Thwaites Strenneth Track Pond Pond Drain Fersfield Common Drain Def Pond 47.2m 1.22m RH Drain Drain Drain Walnut Tree Cottage Pond Sunrise Pond Co Const, CP and ED Bdy Def 46.6m Fersfield Common Pond Co Const, CP and ED Bdy The Cottage Pond Drain 1.22m RH Chestnut Cottage BATES LANE Def Drain Well Windy Ridge Drain GP 45.1m Drain Shangri-la Pond Co Const, CP and ED Bdy 1.22m Tk H Issues Track 1.22m RH Pond Lopham Grove Drain Drain Drain Willow Pond Bank Drain Drain Pond Drain Drain Drain Pond Drain Drain Drain Drain Pond Co Const, CP and ED Bdy Pond Shop Farm Well Poplar Tree 1.22m RH Farm Stone Lane 48.2m Fersfield Well Farm House Common Fersfield Common Drain 58.8m LB GP 43.3m STONE LANE Pond Drain Drain Drain Poultry Pond Farm 2 900 Drain Well Wood Lane Lopham Grove 83 Pond Farm 45.7m Pond Pond Pond 48.8m THE STREET 1.22m Tk H BATES LANE STONE LANE Track 47.2m Avondale Drain Drain 40.8m WOOD LANE 58.5m Drain Drain Drain 53.9m Def The Bungalow 45.7m Drain Church Walnut Tree Barn Farm Crown Farm Drain 1.22m RH FB Pond Well Pond Drain Drain Drain Drain Pond Farm Well Drain Pond Pond Drain Pond Drain 42.2m GP Drain Drain Little Co Const, CP and ED Bdy Wood GP 57.6m Pond 58.5m CD Def Drain Deal Farm Pond Drain 39.0m The Street Pond Drain Drain Pond 1.22m RH 2 400 Pond 52.4m Wood Lodge Drain 83 Drain 58.2m Drain GP The Old Chapel Pump Pond FB House The Old School Drain Pond School House 25 24 Drain LB Drain 1 Clay Hall Pond 1.22m RH Drain Drain Thatched Drain Cottage Pond 6 Well Drain 40.8m Drain Drain Drain Pond Drain Drain Co Const, CP and ED Bdy Pond DrainThe Forge Pond Drain Drain Pond The Magpie Pond Pond Drain Tank Well Drain The Rosary Woods Def Farm Drain Pond Drain Drain Pond Ducks Farm NORDLE CORNER GP The Limes Drain Pond Drain Croft Acre 42.1m NORDLE CORNER NORDLE CORNER The Cottage Drain Fers Cottage Def Drain Rose Cottage 42.4m Protea Cottage 55.2m 23563The Old Hall Fersfield 2 900 Pond The Old 82 Rectory THE STREET Pond 10904 St Andrew's Church Hall Farm Drain Cottages 21 Drain Drain 10910 23 Track Pond Drain 1.22m RH Pond Drain GP 39431 Track 52.7m Track Pond Pond Drain Pond Drain Drain Algar House Pond Pond Pond Pond Lodge Farm 39.6m Drain Drain Pond 41262 Drain 19 Drain Hall Farm LADY'S LANE HALL LANE Drain Fersfield Drain Drain Hall Lane Co Const, CP and ED Bdy 51.5m Pond Drain Cornfield Pond 2 400 Hall Willow 82 Farm Drain Drain GP 44.5m Duke's Plantation Drain 51.5m Def Folly Cottage LADY'S LANE LADY'S Drain 53.9m Drain Drain Drain Pond Hill Farm House Drain Pond Drain FOLLY LANE Drain Folly Farm 57.0m Tank Hill Farm Pond 48.8m Drain Pond 43.3m Track Pond Telephone Exchange Drain Drain Drain Flint Barn Drain Drain Def Fenner's Farm Pond 2 900 GP Drain Pond Drain 2 81 1 Farmor Wood GP Track Well Highland Drain High House Mill House 31578 37.2m Drain Drain Drain 1.22m RH Brindle Lodge 39.3m Drain Hill Rise Alexandra Walnut Tree Cottage Cottage FOLLY LANE FERSFIELD ROAD 55.8m Pond Def Drain Drain 42.1m 1.22m RH Cotswold House Drain Works 42.7m Drain Well 1.37m RH Ashes Farm Pond Drain Drain Def Drain 29.6m 32.0m Pond Def 41.8m Muirside (Track) Inglewood Well Wilney Green House Drain PARK LANE Bridleways Drain Ash Vale Wilney Place Drain Drain 43.6m Fir Trees 1.22m RH Hundred River Pond Poplar Farm Pond Drain Drain Drain Drain Well Valley Farm 34.7m Walnut Tree Farm Drain Ye Olde Byre Drain Chiverton Meadowlands Playing Field Dee-Jays Pond Drain Camelot Balscadden 13 Uplands Jomyder Co Const, CP and ED Bdy Darsdale 50.3m Martina GP Oaklea Maardlin Annle Drain 6 Walnut Cottage Pond 5 Tennis FB Pond Pond Court War FB Drain Meml Drain Pond Track Forge End Hall Pond Well Burrowood Pond Moat The Elms Drain House 1 The Highlands Greenfields Anvil Fersfield Road Wood Farm House Pond Oakdene High Jay Dee Thatchers Briars 41.1m Barn Street Sunnymeade The CR Moorings Meth Bressingham PO Ch Primary Drain Dadreen School Cylynda Thatchers Windy Oak Mandalay Pond Ashcroft Well Owl House Elmroyd Pond Willow Retreat Drain Drain Well 2 400 Heather Valley Rectory Grange Drain Pond Berkeley Cottage Waveney 81 1km View Drain Drain 0 Track The Bungalow Pond Drain Drain Well Pine Tree TM © Crown Copyright.