Excavations in Thetford, North of the River, 1989-90

Aby Phil Andrews and Kenneth Penn Three major excavations and other work in Thetford reveal settlement north of the river by AD1000, within a semi-circular defensive enclosure which probably pre-dates that south of the river, but was initially little more than a bridgehead. Occupation peaked in the 11th and 12th centuries, with a shift of people to the north bank, followed by medieval decline. The bones represent a range of domestic animals, dominated by sheep kept for wool, cattle for meat and dairy products, and then pigs. Some stray Middle Saxon finds may hint at re-use of the Iron Age fort as an exchange/market centre.