Between January and March 2009, Archaeological Solutions Ltd (AS) undertook an excavation at Earsham Quarry, Pheasants' Walk, Earsham, Norfolk (NGR TM 315 891) prior to the proposed extension of the quarry site for the extraction of sand and gravel. The excavations revealed archaeological activity spanning four phases. Phase 1 (late Neolithic/ early Bronze Age) activity comprised just two pits, both of which contained pottery. Phase 2 (early Iron Age) activity comprised a cluster of pits in the southern half of the site, within the bounds of an unphased, but probably contemporary enclosure. The cluster of pits contained two definite, and two possible cremations, as well as the footprint of a possible structure. Phase 3 (early Saxon) activity was focused exclusively in the north of the site and comprised a cemetery of at least six inhumations surrounding a penannular ditch, at the centre of which was a possible cremation. Phase 4 (post-medieval/ modern) activity comprised field boundaries and drains which truncated the entire site. These excavations followed a 'strip, map and sample' excavation which was carried out on land immediately to the west of the site in October and November 2006. This previous phase of work revealed Bronze Age cremation cemetery within the bounds of a ploughed out ring ditch, an extant Bronze Age ring ditch, a cluster of Iron Age pits, nine late Saxon inhumation burials which had inserted into the Bronze Age ring ditch, and which are thought to represent a small cemetery and early modern pits and field ditches, corresponding to boundaries shown on the 1816 Enclosure Map. The proximity of this activity to the site discussed below makes it clear that they should be considered as one and the same site, however, for the purposes of the Interim Site Narrative, only the results of the latest phase of excavation will be considered.
P. Stone (Thu,) studied this question.