NHER 10442 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Medieval pound, boundary ditches and enclosures

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Summary

A rectangular enclosure and a mound are visible as earthworks in Pound Meadow on aerial photographs. The mound has been interpreted variously as a pound or flattened barrow, and the site may be that of Old Seething Hall. It seems more likely that the Hall was located at NHER 10443 to the southeast and that the enclosure is made up of field boundary ditches and the 'mound' was a livestock pound.

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Location

Map sheet TM39NW
Civil Parish SEETHING, SOUTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Map

1933.
Rectangular earthwork in Pound Meadow noted by R. R. Clarke (NCM).
Pound? Or site of hall? (marked by OS at NHER 10443).
In east side at TM 3215 9798 (Context 1) a mound incorporated. 15cm (6in) high, 14 paces diameter. Ditch 15cm (6in) deep, 92cm (3ft) wide. Probably earlier.
Called a barrow when discovered by [1].
(S1) - 'flattened disc barrow within the south and east banks of the vallum'.
R. R. Clarke (NCM).

No certain barrow identified. Part of medieval earthworks?
A. Lawson (NAU) 1976.

All shown clearly on Norfolk and Norwich Aero Club air photographs now in NAU files. In fact only south and east ditches of earthworks, no ditches on west and north though R. R. Clarke (NCM) drew these on his map.
Look like simple field boundary ditches - both continue further east and south.
Context 1 is shown as circular ditch cut away on east by eastern linear ditch; slightly raised inside; could well be a barrow, but could equally be a tree-planting mound - is whole thing part of park layout to north?
E. Rose (NAU) 29 March 1983.

Dimensions on map altered from overlay 1984.

November 1996. Earthwork Survey.
Survey at 1:1000.
Indicates a pound as the most likely explanation for the 'ring ditch'.
Mapped with NHER 10443.
See report (S2) for further details. This site is amongst those included in (S1) and the survey is also noted in (S4).
B. Cushion (NLA) November 1996. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 21 March 2017.

July 2007. Norfolk NMP.
The earthworks described above are visible on the consulted aerial photographs, but nothing can be added to the plan and interpretation published by Cushion and Davison (S1) and consequently they have not been mapped by the NMP. It is, however, worth noting that linear 'earthworks' resembling ridge and furrow are visible on oblique aerial photographs of the site taken in 1984 (S4). As these features have not been noted on the ground, and they are not visible on other aerial photographs consulted, they seem more likely to be the product of recent agricultural activity than genuine agricultural features, and they too have not been mapped.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 29 July 2007.

  • --- Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Bronze Age. Seething.
  • --- Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Medieval. Seething.
  • --- Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
  • --- Secondary File: Secondary File.
  • <S1> Monograph: Cushion, B. and Davison, A. 2003. Earthworks of Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. No 104. pp 120-3; Fig 81.
  • <S2> Unpublished Report: Cushion, B. 1996. Seething SMR 10442 & 10443. Earthwork Survey Report.
  • <S3> Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 1997. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1996. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLII Pt IV pp 547-564. p 558.
  • <S4> Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1984. NHER TM 3197A-B (NLA 150/AWY24-5) 27-APR-1984.

Object Types (0)

Related NHER Records (0)

Record last edited

Mar 21 2017 12:13PM

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