Late Saxon to Early Medieval Saltern at Lynnsport 3: Land South of Front Way, King’s Lynn, Norfolk: PXA and UPD

From the 12th to the 18th of September 2019 Oxford Archaeology East undertook an archaeological excavation at land south of Front Way (Lynnsport 3), King’s Lynn, Norfolk. This project took place within a wider context of research into the salt-making industry of Gaywood, King’s Lynn, which is being undertaken by OA East through a series of investigations for the Lynnsport development. This phase of woks comprised an excavation into a single saltern mound (Saltern 9) which had previously been identified during evaluation work at the site.
The saltern mound consisted of layers of waste material resulting from the filtration of salt rich coastal muds which produced concentrated brine that was subsequently boiled to produce salt. This method is known to have been employed during the Mid/Late Saxon to early medieval periods. Three clay-lined features were also revealed which directly relate to this salt-making process. These features and deposits provided a few sherds of pottery that suggest salt production took place at this site between the 11th and 12th centuries. The environmental samples taken from the saltern mound deposits provide evidence for the wider saltmarsh environment. This saltern adds to a growing corpus of Mid/Late Saxon and medieval saltern sites within the historical North Marsh of Gaywood, King’s Lynn.