SHARP - Reeddam II

The trench site was decided after analysis of evidence of field walking, previous excavations, aerial photography and historical documents. The planned outcome was to find evidence of Middle Saxon occupation that was contemporary with the Boneyard cemetery further to the east. Fieldwalking had revealed higher concentrations of pottery, animal bone and oyster shell to the south west of the cemetery in the field to the east of the Chalk Pit. The 1991 excavations which followed pipe laying disclosed a Middle Saxon clay oven just west of the chalk pit. The western limits of the cemetery are not believed to extend much beyond Jewell's trenches of 1957 & 58; the northern limits of any settlement south of the river Heacham are obscured by the medieval creation of the Reeddam; further to the west evaluation is curtailed by the medieval causeway (now the Snettisham Rd) and private property, and to the west-south-west by the disturbance of the chalk pit workings.
The Reeddam II trench from the south.	The Reeddam II trench from the north.
A 35m x 1.5m trench was planned in about 80m to the west of the Boneyard 'New Trench'. Proceeding south to north down hill from the farm road there is a steep slope for seven metres; a nearly horizontal 'terrace' for thirteen metres; a drop down a bank, across a ditch to the top of a shallow bank for seven metres, and into the Reeddam for eight metres. The total drop of the slope is 3.2 metres. The objectives were: 1. To search for evidence of Saxon settlement on the 'terrace'. 2. To section and hopefully date the ditch. 3. To take environmental samples of the ditch and Reeddam. 4. To discover the structure and age of the east/west farm road. The strimming of the head-high vegetation revealed a large tree stump at the southern end of the terrace in the planned trench and another on the west of the trench eight metres to its north (The result of a Poplar plantation harvested in 1996). The ditch and the Reeddam to its north were waterlogged. Heavy rainfall, a higher than average water table, and an inadequate water pump were continuing problems throughout the summers' excavation. To begin with 10-15cms of vegetation and topsoil were removed with shovel and mattock, revealing a colluvial layer from the road to the south to the top of the bank. To the north of the ditch of the Reeddam a black peaty layer was exposed and immediately was flooded. On this surface was found one very large horseshoe, and part of a very small horseshoe, the latter possibly medieval. A 1.5 metre sondage was excavated at the southern end of the trench to examine the construction of the road, but unfortunately, at one metre away from the visible hard standing (for safety reasons) very little was revealed of the side of the road in section except a broken layer of small rounded chalk stones 20-30 cms from the surface. (An intermittent layer of similar stones were later revealed in section, especially on the east side of the trench at the same depth, terminating abruptly at 11metres north, suggesting tumble from the hard standing moved down hill with the colluvium). At a depth of 1.5 metres the bottom of the colluvium had not been reached. There were no finds and the sondage was backfilled for safety reasons. Colluvium was then removed from around the tree stump to the top of the southern ditch bank by mattocking 5-10cms spits and trowelling back. It was very disturbed by the bioturbation of the tree roots from stump, and along the terrace especially by moles. The colluvial layer varied from 40-60cms and the finds were plastic, barbed wire, modern brick, one piece of Roman slipware, Ipswich and Thetford ware, a silver thimble, Victorian glass bottle, a spherical flint hammerstone, a broken sandstone whetstone, and animal bone and oyster shell. Beneath the 'terrace' colluvium was a layer of pale yellow silty sand which ran 6 metres to the north of the tree stump followed by a 5cm layer of grey brown silty sand terminated by the southernmost ditch cut. The last 3 metres of this layer was much darker, almost black, as if stained by organic matter and suggesting a higher level of the Reeddam before the ditch was constructed. High rainfall caused water to run from below the tree stump down the terrace at this level, so a 10cm wide 15cm deep drainage channel was dug along the east side of the trench, revealing in section the yellow layer diving beneath the grey/black layer to the ditch. This drainage was effective and trowelling revealed, 2 metres north of the stump, half of the head of a human femur, and one incisor (which may be pig). This is not part of a burial and there was much debate whether ploughing could move artefacts more than 100 maters, or perhaps if an animal had moved it hence. A small section of jet ring was also found nearby.
The southern sondage under excavation.	The ditch under excavation.
The final cleaning of the terrace surface revealed a pattern of medium to large flint with some chalk suggestive of hard standing; two almost circular arrangements of large flints, possibly packing for post holes, and a one metre rounded area without stones, also seen in section in the drainage gully. Animal bones in the section there strongly point to it being a rubbish pit. Several medium sized sherds of Ipswich ware were also found, as well as oyster shell. All of this suggests the discovery of a middle Saxon living floor. Unfortunately, the end of the season had been reached, so the terrace was drawn, terramed, and backfilled, to be reopened in 2002. Before the ditch was sectioned the drop from the north end of the 'terrace' was approx 50 cms to a waterlogged depression rising approx. 20 cms on the north side before gradually falling away approx. 30cms into the Reeddam deposits. However after difficulties with flooding, a substantial ditch was revealed, almost 6 metres wide and 1 metre deep, with a 2 metre possible revetment of medium and large flint stones on the south bank. There had been a substantial recut ( concave and moderate) in the middle of the ditch, sloping down northwards; on the low north bank a 2.5 metre area of small to medium packed chalk, possibly a causeway, was uncovered. The 'revetment' feature on the south bank sloped down 20cms northwards comprised 85% medium and large flints and 15% chalk. A few of the flints appeared 'semi dressed', and showed smooth wearing on one side. These may have been re-used Roman cobbles from the locality. Although Ipswich ware, oyster and animal bone were found among these stones, it was thought these were residual, as the feature partially covered layers of ditch fill south of the recut, and the ditch itself is thought to be early medieval, associated with the water management of the Reeddam. The 'packed' chalk feature covered an area 23.2 to 26.1 metres to the north of the trench on the very low north bank of the ditch. Approx. 20 cms below the modern ground surface, its construction seems to have destroyed evidence of the original northern ditch cut. A shallow depression had been cut to lay these medium and large chalkstones, and the ditch fill that followed the recut had covered them to depth of 10 cms. Finds among these stones were all modern: Highly glazed brown black and white pottery and tile, small glass jar top and clay pipe stems, as well as animal bone. Finally, a 1.5 metre square sondage was excavated at the north end of the trench through the Reeddam layers with the aim of finding the layer of marl identified in four of five test pits dug in the Reeddam north and east of the Boneyard in 1996, and to retrieve samples for wet sieving and environmental analysis. This pale grey clay layer was found 10cms thick 30cms below the surface black peat. Beneath the marl a 45cm layer of grey-leeched sandy peat covered 1 cm layer of bright orange 'iron pan' sand, in turn covering pale yellow sand at the limit of the excavation. This sand may be alluvial, and is similar to sand that is beneath the ditch. Both are so waterlogged + 'freely suspended', that they act as 'quick sand'. Environmental analysis of these layers is awaited, as are three layers from the ditch. There were no finds above the marl layer, which contained two fragments of Iron Age pot. In the layer below were 130g of daub, and a 1cm piece of leather, which awaits analysis. CONCLUSION Despite the wet conditions, a 13 metre x 1.5 metre area of probable Middle Saxon 'living floor' has been uncovered, comprising possible flint hard standing, post hole packing and a rubbish pit, which will repay further excavation in the 2002 season. The sectioned ditch was surprisingly large, big enough for shallow punts to be used in reed management. Unfortunately it's excavation in flooded conditions made it impossible to match finds with layers of ditch fill so that dating of its construction is still attributed provisionally to the thirteenth century, along with the elaboration of water systems documented in the Manorial rolls. The stone features on the banks must be later as they were built after, or contemporaneously with, the ditch recut. The discovery of probably alluvial sand beneath the ditch and the Reeddam sondage 12 metres to its north suggest a southerly course of the river Heacham, or one branch of it, before it was canalised to the north of the flood plain when the causeway dam, on the site of the Snettisham Road was built. The dating of the marl layer in the Reeddam remains conjectural.