Subsidiary Find 9: Linear Earthwork.
Forestry Compartment Downham 5057.

Norfolk SMR - tba
Parish - Thetford.
Located - TL 8439 8449 to TL 8449 8434.
Height OD - c.10 metres.

This is a low lying earthwork, situated in a clear felled area that had not yet been restocked. It is a linear bank, running alongside but not parallel with fire ride 13. The bank is only slight in places, and is under 50 cm in height. There is no obvious ditch. The bank is 110 metres long. It is situated in Thetford Warren close to the bottom of a dry valley, perhaps it is a remaining section of a longer boundary of uncertain date. The survey was conducted on the 23rd June 1998.

Postscript (2000) the bank has since been destroyed by restocking operations.

8: Prehistoric Pottery in Thetford Warren.

Forestry Comp Downham 5040.

Norfolk SMR - 32344
Parish - Thetford
Sample Fraction - reconnaissance.
Centre on TL 848 847
Water - 400 metres to the Little Ouse River.
Height OD - 15 to 25 metres.

During 1995 I made a flint collection on this site, and presented the finds to the NLA for recording, who subsequently allocated it the site number 32344. The 1995 finds included a Late Neolithic chisel arrowhead, a laurel leaf, a flake knife, a rod or fabricator, a borer, and eight scrapers, including a button-type. The site appears to offer some potential, being located on a terrace close to the river. As I have improved my collection skills since the initial flint assemblage, I decided to give this site another reconnaissance, to check for ceram­ics before it is engulfed by vegetation.

The reconnaissance was concentrated to the west of the public path, where the flint finds were most fruitful in 1995. The search was conducted between the 21st and 25th September 1998. Vegetation prevented a qualitative survey, and all find spots are approximates only.
6 sherds of prehistoric ?Bronze Age pottery.
2 sherds of Roman pottery.
1 sherd of Medieval pottery
1 sherd of undated pottery.
1 ?unfinished flint microlith.
1 flint blade.
2 flint bladelets.

The ceramic finds would suggest possible cultivation of this area during the Bronze Age, Roman and Medieval periods. The number of prehistoric sherds, despite their poor abraded con­dition, could indicate settlement. The previous flint finds certainly suggest a Neolithic interest on this site. Peter Robins examined the new flint finds for the NLA, and concluded that there was also a strong indication of Mesolithic activity.

Subsidiary Find 7: A 19th Century Bank and a Late Mesolithic Microlith.

Forestry Comp Downham 5040.

Norfolk SMR - 33608.
Parish - Thetford
Boundary bank curves around from TL 8511 8450 to TL 8474 8421. It is shown on mod­ern 1:10 000 OS as a dark line.
Microlith find spot - TL 8504 8455.
Height OD - 10 to 20 metres.

This represents a survey of a linear earthwork, that originally curved around for 700 me­tres, enclosing an area of gravel terrace and valley bottom peat fen adjacent to the Little Ouse River. It is shown on O.S as a dark line, running around an area named 'New Plantation'. The boundary is not shown on the 1805 Thetford Enclosure Map (held at the West Suffolk CRO), but is shown as an area of plantation on the 1906 O.S 1:2500 map. Subsequently, the boundary bank does appear to date to the 19th century, and is simply a woodland boundary bank.

Forestry operations are damaging the bank. In recent years, a 130 metre long section has been totally destroyed where it crossed a part of compartment 5040 that has been re­stocked, leaving only a sand-mark. This despite the restocked area not being destumped. A further 11 gaps have been made in the bank: 3 for paths, and 8 for access during past forestry operations. Although this earthwork is of minimal archaeological value, the survey does show how unrecorded earthworks can be damaged, even in non-destump areas of the forest.

A microlith was recovered from the sand-mark, where the 130 metre long section of bank had been removed, at TL 8504 8455. Peter Robins provides a description of this find below.

Microlith: Obliquely blunted with ancillary RHS dorsal retouch. Unusually thick near to the point, which is incomplete. Retouch extends to the full length of each lateral edge, with slightly more invasive scars running up to the crest of the projection on the dorsal face. It is not clear whether the tip of the point is broken or has been left unfinished. Mesolithic (probably Later Meso).

Subsidiary Find 6: A Small Earthwork Enclosure.
Forestry Compartment Downham 5013.

Norfolk SMR - 33607.
Parish - Thetford.
Centre on TL 8510 8587.

This is a small D-shaped enclosure bank, with a possible narrow entrance in its north-east corner, and a small pit incorporated into the south-east bank. t enclosures an area of less than 20 metres by 18 metres. Banks are all under 40 cm in height. Vegetation around the small pit is lush.

The enclosure is situated in Thetford Warren, 225 metres away from the Little Ouse River, and adjacent to a public-right-of-way. The earthwork probably represents an undated sheep pound or enclosure.

Forest-walk 37
Forestry Compartment Santon Warren 3083

Norfolk SMR - ?5655
Survey Area - 5.92 ha.
Sample Fraction - 2.75 %
Centre on TL 8372 8765 C.
Soil - tba.
Relief - Slopes of river valley and dry valley. Facing east and south.
Water - Little Ouse River 250 metres.
Height OD - 14 to 25 metres OD.
Parish - (Santon) Lynford C.P.

3 sherds of pottery
1 flint axehead
1 flint plano-convex knife
16 retouched or utilised flint flakes
102 unmodified flint flakes
2 flint waste cores
16 burnt flints

No post-medieval / modern finds.

74 stints were walked across this non-destump compartment on 22/23 January 2000. Survey conditions were good to average, and the viewing width was set at 110 cm.

The percentage of flake utilisation is very low here, perhaps suggesting that flint was knapped here more often than it was used. A slight cluster of burnt flints was detected at TL 8376 8753 A.

Lithic Sample Size = 122
Sample Area = 1628 M²
Lithic Density for Forest-walk 37 = 7.49 per are² > High Density.
Burnt flint density = 0.98 per are²

Forest-walk 36
Forestry Compartment High Lodge 5050

Norfolk SMR - tba
Survey Area - 3.52 ha.
Sample Fraction - 2.75 %
Centre on TL 8451 8454 C.
Soil - tba.
Relief - south facing dry valley slope
Water - Little Ouse River 400 metres.
Height OD - 15 to 25 metres OD.
Parish - Thetford.

1 informal scraper.
3 utilised flakes.
20 unmodified flint flakes.
4 flint waste cores.
14 burnt flints.

No post-medieval / modern finds.

44 stints were walked across this non-destump compartment in December 1999. Survey conditions were good to average, and the viewing width was set at 110 cm.

Lithic Sample Size = 27
Sample Area = 968 M²
Lithic Density for Forest-walk 36 = 2.79 per are² > Medium Density.
Burnt flint density = 1.45 per are².

Forest-walk 35
Forestry Compartment Kings 4180

Suffolk SMR - WRW 026
Parish - Wordwell. Date - 18/09/99
Survey Area - 3.04 ha. Sample Fraction - 2.75 %
Centre on TL 8286 7489 C.
Soil - tba.
Relief - flat.
Water - tba.
Height OD - tba metres OD.

2 sherds of ?Roman pottery
3 sherds of ?Medieval pottery
3 retouched flint flakes
31 unmodified flint flakes
No burnt flints

A little slate, tile and brick fragment found.

Thirty eight stints were walked on this destumped compartment. Viewing was set at 110 cm. The presence of Roman manure scattered ceramics on most of the forest-walks in Kings Forest suggests that settlement probably existed somewhere in the vicinity.

Mixture of grey and black flint, some slight blue/grey patination. Difficult to seperate from natural grey flint. Suggestions of reworking and poor quality assemblage suggests probable mainly Later Bronze Age (?) - Notes by Colin Pendleton, Suffolk C.C.

Lithic Sample Size = 34. Sample Area = 836 M²
Lithic Density for Forest-walk 34 = 4.07 per are² > Medium Density. Burnt flint density = nil.