Fourth Interim Report

by Melanie van Twest, with contributions from Andrea Cox, Neil Faulkner, Janet Hammond and Rik Hoggett

Boneyard/Reeddam: The Saxon Settlement and Cemetery
The main focs of SHARP in Boneyard/Reeddam has enlarged greatly upon the original 1996 open area, and is revealing a complex sequence of both human and natural effects on this piece of landscape. The 1996 trench (Area 1) was believed to be, at the end of 1998, almost completely explored to the natural and in 1999 the intention was to 'finish off' this area whilst concentrating mainly on newer investigations.

Events in 1999 have changed this situation dramatically. The most significant discovery was the remains of a small, probably square building , comprising three sides formed of thirteen post holes (the fourth side having been lost to a later ditch feature running across the entire site) in the south west corner of Area 1. A gap in the line of postholes was found on the eastern side, presumably for an entrance. On the uphill (southern) side two drainage gullies were identified, the larger perhaps for rain wash down the hill, the smaller (closer to the postholes) probably for run off from the roof. A convenient thunder storm during the excavation demonstrated their possible purpose very effectively. The building underlies seven burials found previously and it therefore predates the cemetery, making it middle Saxon or earlier. An Iron Age date cannot be precluded, since nearby, just beyond the presumed trucated north side of the building, half a 'Belgic'-type pot was found in a primary ditch deposit.

Area 2, the Reeddam trench opened in 1997, was under excavation again in 1999 after a hiatus in 1998 due to a high water table. Excavation was made possible with the assistance of a large pump kindly loaned by Anglian Water. The dense layer of burials found in 1997 continued to be the focus of work. Unlike Area 1, the inhumations are very tightly packed, with large amounts of disturbed bone in consequence. In a relatively small trench (10x5m) 45 burials hae thus far come to light, compared with 73 in Area 1 (20x15m). Another point of difference is the high proportion of juvenile burials in Reeddam: 31% compared with 7%.

Boneyard in 1999.

In 1999, two Reeddam skeletons excavated in 1997 were examined in detail for the first time. These were two adult males, buried side by side approximately 0.2m apart. Both exhibited evidence of severe wound trauma caused by a sharp weapon, which in one case had cut away part of the jaw, shearing through tooth roota and bone alike. The complete lack of healing shows that the wounds were the cause of death. The similarity of the injuries and proximity of the burials suggest that both men died in the same incident and were interred simultaneously. One other Reeddam skeleton appears to have been decapitated. At present we can only speulate about wider interpretations both of these burials and of the Reeddam assemlage as a whole, though the possibility arises that two separate phases of internment may be represented by Areas 1 and 2 respectively.

Crucial to our understanding of the relationship between the dry hillside of Boneyard and the wet valley floor of Reeddam is Area 4, investigation of which commenced in 1999. Progress was slow due to the complexity of stratigraphy at the base of a steep slope much disturbed by past riverine erosion, soil creep, bioturbation and human intervention to terrace and utilise the ground. Natural flood deposits and colluvium appear to be interwoven with as yet ill-defined human occupation evidence, including probably boundary ditches, pits, postholes, cobbling, midden-debris and a hearth. Despite the difficulties, archaeological layers seem better preserved at the base of the slope than at the top, where they have been subject to greater erosion and, though progress is likely to remain slow, the investigation of Area 4 in the future should produce a much fuller stratigraphic sequence than that available elsewhere.

West Hall: The Medieval Village Centre
The other main excavation site is that of West Hall Paddock. With the church, it is the focus of our investigation into the later medieval period at Sedgeford. Area A, the only one of three 1996 test pits to show significant archaeology, was backfilled to a quarter or its original size at the end of 1998, and the aim was to finish the remaining area in 1999. At the beginning of the season, Area A comprised a medieval boundary system on the west, and a sequence of sand and peat on the east. The boundary system consists of a substantial chalk wall, which geophysical survey has shown runs most of the way south to the river. To the west is a series of rammed chalk and flint surfaces forming a path - at least 15 layers repaired and used over a significant - apparently giving access to the south door of the church. On the far side of the path is a backfilled ditch and a later line of probable fence-posts. These remains represent a complex sequence of at least five main periods, some of several phases. It is believed that this boundary system was the meeting of the manorial lands of the Priory Manor and that of the local gentry, the de Sedgefords, whose manor-house may have been located in the adjacent 'Dovecote Piece'.

In 1999 the remaining section of wall and pathway were removed, revealing a dense flint and mortar surface laid over dumped sand and silt deposits. The discovery of a posthole and a human burial within one of two cuts into this material suggests that it may represent a floor, perhaps that of a small chapel associated with an early manor complex. The burial which may be Saxo-Norman in date, was a woman of about 35 who suffered from two (almost certainly related) disabling conditions - a malformed right leg and severe scoliosis (spinal curvature). The context of the burial raises the possibility that she was a woman of religion or of high status. Excavation of the second grave-cut in 2000 may shed further light on her identity.

Beneath the underlying sand and silt deposits was a layer of peat representing a time when the area was marshy. This sealed two Roman layers cut by a small drainage channel containing further peat and large, apparently dressed, flints. Currently therefore, the sequence in West Hall Paddock appears to be as follows. First, there was a Roman phase, during which period the water-table (and possibly the river level) gradually rose until the area was abandoned. Then, possibly after the Norman Conquest, it was reclaimed by depositing large amounts of sand and silt, probably to permit use as the site for a small building, perhaps a chapel, incorporating at least two burials. Lattery, probably from the high medieval period onwards, a substantial boundary system was established to emphasise the division between two manor complexes and provide access between them to the parish church from the south side of the river.

Investigations at West Hall remain pivotal to our understanding of the shift of settlement focus from Boneyard/Reeddam to the present centre. The peat and Roman deposits explored this yearhave added to its importance, and in 2000 other parts of Area A will be re-opened to allow these to be more fully sampled.

St. Mary the Virgin: The Medieval Parish Church
Whereas the area of the Boneyard/Reedam excavation to the south of the river represents the location of the early medieval settlement, the church of St. Mary the Virgin, to the north of the river, became the focal centre of Sedgeford in the later medieval period and has remained so ever since. The pursuit of evidence to elucidate this apparent shift in the settlement focus remains one of the primary research objectives within the SHARP project as a whole and forms an intrinsic part of the research at the church, particularly with regard to its foundation date.

The 1999 season saw the conclusion of the first phase of recording the building's fabric, begun in 1996, and the substantial quantity of data gathered are currently being prepared for publication. Over the years many different approaches to the task of recording have been investigated - archaeological, architectural, photographic and art-historical - all of which have been combined with study of the existing historical documents to produce a picture of the development of the building from its earliest phases through to the present day.

To date, the floor plan and exterior of the building have been recorded at a scale of 1:50 and the interior studied in great detail, using a combination of measured sketches, scale drawings, photographs and written descriptions to record its features. Through this work over four hundred and fifty individual building elements have been identified and interrelated to create a detailed picture of the building's structural history. In addition, to complement the work on the building itself, a contour survey of the surrounding graveyard has also been conducted and the inscriptions of the extant gravestones systematically recorded, with a view to creating a computer database (see the 1996 Interim Report).

Once the initial analysis of the church itself is completed, an attempt must be made to place the building in its proper context. We know that the church was once a Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of Norwich Cathedral and undoubtedly a closer analysis of the links between the two institutions will shed more light upon the history of the building and the development of the village. On a broader scale, a comparison between the development of Sedgeford church and Dean and Chapter's other Peculiars would also be of benefit, perhaps allowing signs of stylistic diffusion or the work of a single architect to become apparent. Ultimately, one must not lose sight of the fact that although St. Mary the Virgin is the only church in the parish of Sedgeford and has been thoroughly studied, it is only one of many within the wider ecclesiastical system and that the search for answers must be broadened beyond the individual building if the role of the church within the village is to be fully understood.

Other Work: West Hall Farm and Eaton
SHARP is a long-term project with concern for the whole parish heritage. A number of additional activities were therefore undertaken in 1999, some development driven, some contributions to the wider aim of understanding the development of settlement and land use in other parts of the parish.

Prior to the redevelopment of West Hall Farm, located north of the river and east of the church, an investigation was undertaken involving dcumentary research, oral history (the recollections of Mr Ted Rix since the 1930s), hedgerow survey, standing building surveys of redundant structures, and trial trenching to locate buildings recorded on old maps and documents. Some further work is planned, but our main conclusion at present is that little evidence for the pre-nineteenth cntury uses of the farm has survived.

The deserted medieval hamlet of Eaton, two miles west of Sedgeford village, was the focus of non-invasive research in 1999, mainly by resistivity survey and structured pH testing. Two areas of both high resistivity and high acidity were identified in a yard adjoining a large barn, one of which corresponds with an area of hard-standing close to the barn doors. The resistivity also revealed a ditch, possibly associated with yard drainage. In addition, work was carried out in the area of Kyme Bridge, a medieval river crossing-point, where evidence was found for causeways on either side of the presumed bridge location.

Conclusion
SHARP continues to develop its activities with the intention of building comprehensive knowledge of all periods of settlement and land use within the parish. Current research close to the modern village seems to show Iron Age and middle late Saxon occupation south of the river, with Roman and Post-Conquest medieval settlement to the north - though further investigation will no doubt show this to be too simplistic. Although SHARP is a volunteer project whose main activity is a six week summer season, post-excavation work is continuing, and the first four years of excavation are due to be published within the next couple of years. This report will cover evidence found in 1958 and in 1996-99, and will include a full discussion of changing methodologies together with provisional interpretations and conclusions. We hope to follow up with further reports at approximately four year intervals, each of which will draw upon earlier work in developing interpretations and understanding the site. In addition, a full edited site archive is planned for publication in CD-Rom format.