Archaeological Test Pit Excavations in Wiveton, Norfolk, in 2006 and 2008 Catherine Collins 2 Archaeological Test Pit Excavations in Wiveton, Norfolk, in 2006 and 2008 Catherine Collins 2018 Access Cambridge Archaeology Department of Archaeology University of Cambridge Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QG 01223 761519 [email protected] http://www.access.arch.cam.ac.uk/ (Front cover image: WIV/08, test pit 2, taken at Wiveton Barn © ACA) 3 4 Contents 1 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................ 9 2 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 10 2.1 ACCESS CAMBRIDGE ARCHAEOLOGY ................................................................................................ 10 2.2 THE HIGHER EDUCATION FIELD ACADEMY (HEFA) ......................................................................... 10 2.3 TEST PIT EXCAVATION AND RURAL SETTLEMENT STUDIES ................................................................. 11 3 AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND DESIRED OUTCOMES ......................................................................... 12 3.1 AIMS .................................................................................................................................................. 12 3.2 OBJECTIVES ....................................................................................................................................... 12 3.3 OUTCOMES ........................................................................................................................................ 12 4 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................... 13 5 LOCATION .............................................................................................................................................. 14 5.1 THE VILLAGE TODAY ......................................................................................................................... 14 5.2 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 16 6 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ............................................................ 17 6.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................... 17 6.2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND..................................................................................................... 24 6.2.1 Prehistoric .....................................................................................................24 6.2.2 Romano-British .............................................................................................25 6.2.3 Anglo-Saxon .................................................................................................26 6.2.4 Medieval .......................................................................................................26 6.2.5 Post medieval and later.................................................................................27 6.2.6 Undated ........................................................................................................28 7 RESULTS OF THE TEST PIT EXCAVATIONS IN WIVETON ........................................................ 29 7.1 THE 2006 EXCAVATIONS ................................................................................................................... 30 7.2 THE 2008 EXCAVATIONS ................................................................................................................... 46 8 DISCUSSION .......................................................................................................................................... 60 8.1 PREHISTORIC ..................................................................................................................................... 60 8.2 ROMANO-BRITISH ............................................................................................................................. 62 8.3 ANGLO SAXON .................................................................................................................................. 63 8.4 MEDIEVAL ......................................................................................................................................... 63 8.5 POST MEDIEVAL AND LATER ............................................................................................................. 66 9 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................ 68 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................. 69 11 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 70 12 APPENDICES ..................................................................................................................................... 72 12.1 POTTERY REPORTS – PAUL BLINKHORN ............................................................................................. 72 12.1.1 2006 Pottery Results .....................................................................................75 12.1.2 2008 Pottery Report ......................................................................................80 12.2 WIVETON 2006 AND 2008 FAUNAL REMAINS – RICHARD THOMAS .................................................... 84 12.3 OTHER FINDS – CATHERINE COLLINS ................................................................................................. 89 12.3.1 2006 test pit finds ..........................................................................................89 12.3.2 2008 test pit finds ..........................................................................................96 12.4 MAPS ............................................................................................................................................... 106 5 List of Figures Figure 1: Map of England with close up insert of East Anglia and the village of Wiveton highlighted in red ................................................................................................................14 Figure 2: The extent of Wiveton Parish © Crown Copyright/database right 2018. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service, 1: 40,000 .........................................................................15 Figure 3: Extent of the conservation area in Wiveton © Crown Copyright/database right 2018. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service, 1: 10,000 ...................................................16 Figure 4: The 1586 map of Blakeney Haven. Reproduced from Wright 1999 .....................19 Figure 5: The likely extent of the original tidal estuary of the River Glaven between Wiveton and Cley © Crown Copyright/database right 2018. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service, 1: 10,000 ...............................................................................................................21 Figure 6: Modern aerial view of Wiveton on the left and Cley on the right with the narrow channel of the River Glaven in the centre © Copyright Google Maps 2018 .......................21 Figure 7: Part of the 1586 map of Blakeney Haven, taken from Wright (2001) ...................23 Figure 8: 1890’s Map of Wiveton © Crown Copyright/database right 2018. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service, 1: 10,000 .........................................................................24 Figure 9: The locations of the two years of test pitting in Wiveton (NB test pits not to scale) © Crown Copyright/database right 2018. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service, 1: 10,000 ................................................................................................................................29 Figure 10: Location map of the Wiveton test pits from 2006 (NB test pits not to scale) © Crown Copyright/database right 2018. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service, 1: 10,000 ..30 Figure 11: Location map of WIV/06/1 .................................................................................31 Figure 12: Location map of WIV/06/2 .................................................................................32 Figure 13: Location map of WIV/06/3 .................................................................................33 Figure 14: Location map of WIV/06/4 .................................................................................34 Figure 15: Location map of WIV/06/5 .................................................................................35 Figure 16: Location map of WIV/06/6 .................................................................................36 Figure 17: Location map of WIV/06/7 .................................................................................37 Figure 18: Close up of the floor and oval feature in WIV/07/7 © ACA .................................37 Figure 19: The probable medieval stained glass excavated from WIV/07/7, context three © ACA ...................................................................................................................................38 Figure 20: Location map of WIV/06/8 .................................................................................39