Test Pit 37

Test Pit 37. The Depperhaugh

Property description and location

The Depperhaugh is a substantial country house dating to the 1860's, now in use as a residential care home. The parkland to the north of the property is depicted by Skynner and labelled as Chapel Mead. This field is also shown on the Tithe map (named in the apportionment as 'Chapel Meadow' and owned by Sir Edward Kerrison). The Tithe maps also shows a range of farm buildings just to the north of the Depperhaugh site, with a house (possibly the existing Coach House) to the east and the plot is named in the apportionment as 'Homestead' and owned by Mrs Worth. The 1st Edition OS clearly shows the Depperhaugh replacing the farm complex and there is little subsequent change to the present day. The land to the rear of the property is shown as open gardens on the 1st Edition OS, with a series of garden paths.

Test Pit description

Pit 37

The test pit was c.20m to the rear of the main building within a large rough lawn. Ground-levels across the lawn descended slightly to the south and undulated slightly. A c.0.35m thick topsoil, Context 1, was seen to overlies the natural clay subsoil.

Test Pit finds summary

A small fragment of MCW (L12th-14th century) was identified with fragments of late post-medieval plant pots, glass and ceramic building material.

Test Pit Discussion

The relatively clean topsoil, apart from plant pot material, corresponds to the recent history of the site as a garden to the rear of a country house. There was no evidence for any post-medieval activity relating to the preceding farm complex to the north. The single medieval sherd has probably arrived onsite via later agricultural practices although, the site's position just to the north of the former 'Old Park' of the Bishops of Norwich, coupled with the former name 'Chapel Meadow' of the parkland and ponds and ownership by the Maynard and Kerrison families, suggests that the Depperhaugh area may have been a part of, or associated with, the medieval bishops estates.

Table of Finds

Spit No Context No Sieved? Display/ Keep? Pottery Post Med/ modern Medieval CBM Fired Clay Mortar/ Plaster Clay Pipe Glass Flint Slate Plastic Iron Nails Iron Other Other Metalwork Animal Bone Oyster Shell Land Snail Comments
2 1 100% Yes Yes
3 1 100% Yes Yes Yes Yes
4 1 100% 1 of 2 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Details of Pottery Finds

Spit No Context No Display/ Keep? Post Med/ modern Medieval Details
2 1 Yes Unglazed redware, post-medieval
3 1 Yes Post-medieval plant pot
4 1 1 of 2 Yes Yes 1 tiny frag MCW (L12th-14th C), Post-medieval plant pot