Archaeological Excavation: Land off Chequers Road, Long Stratton, Norfolk. Final Archive Report

Open area excavation of 5164 sq m extent, targeted on archaeological remains identified by preceding geophysical survey and evaluation. A few small pits or posthole-sized features containing small amounts of worked flint and pottery indicate that the site was used occasionally during the Early Neolithic and the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age - presumably by transient hunters or herders. An extensive but undated linear ditch might have been of Roman or Anglo-Saxon date, although there was no evidence for associated land use. An enclosed medieval settlement, bounded by a substantial ditch, was established on sloping ground to the east of a minor tributary of the River Tas. It is possible that the nearby stream defined the western edge of the enclosure. The settlement was founded in the early/mid-12th century and was occupied continuously until the 13th/14th century. The enclosed area was sub-divided in various ways by sequences of ditches, a substantial fence of closely spaced posts and a possible hedge, probably for the management of livestock. Other significant features within the excavated part of the enclosure included a waterhole/sump, extensive dumps of flint (perhaps ground consolidation in advance of construction) and the slight remains of one or more possible clay-floored buildings. The medieval finds assemblage includes a significant amount of pottery, together with animal bone, quern fragments and other objects of a domestic nature. The settlement probably declined and passed out of use during the 14th century. A few pits demonstrated limited activity within the enclosed area in the 15th-17th century, although by then the enclosure ditch had been mostly backfilled. At that time the site formed part of Tharston High Common. Following the enclosure of the common in the early 19th century, the site was given over to agriculture and a field system was laid out that survived until the mid/late 20th century. By the end of the 20th century cultivation had ceased and the land was allowed to become overgrown with trees and scrub.