NHER 1298 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Beloe's Camps

Metal detecting, fieldwalking and associated finds previously recorded under this number are now recorded as NHER 38094.

Alleged 'Ancient British' camp, probably of recent date. Cropmarks of rectangles.
See full details, drawings, photographs (S1) in file.
E. Rose (NLA), 11 January 1991

September 2002. Norfolk NMP.
The overall area of this site has previously been interpreted as a pre-Roman encampment. Whether this is the case or not is unclear. However, within this area a series of ditches are visible as cropmarks on ADAS photographs from 1975 and 1970 (S2)-(S4). These cropmarks possibly form a series of enclosures. The date and origin of which is unknown. However, it is possible that they are actually more modern drainage features and around the outside of the field that these cropmarks are located in there is a fairly substantial drainage ditch which is shown on both the current Ordnance Survey map (S5) and on the 1st (S6) and 2nd (S7) editions. Where the drainage ditch crosses between this field and the one to the north the ditch can be seen to continue a short distance to the west as a slight earthwork. (This has been plotted and is also marked on the 2nd edition OS map). This area of land is shown, together with the field to the north, as dry land sticking out into the saltmarsh on Faden’s 1797 Map of Norfolk (S8) and Bryant’s 1826 Map of Norfolk (S9). It is marked as the Low Holmes on a map from 1722 (S10) and one from 1609 (S11), and the area to the north is referred to as the High Holmes. This suggests that these areas of land were areas of useable land within the salt marsh at these times (and probably earlier). Also at the north end of the northern field there is a cropmark of a bank evident (NHER 38278). There is a possible continuation of this bank along the eastern side of the field. It can be seen to the east on the other side of the drain These may well be connected to sea defence/land reclamation from this time or earlier (these cropmarks are also visible on HSL aerial photographs from 1969 (S12)). The sea defence banks recorded as NHER 26761, are also clearly connected to this site (see record for NHER 26761). On the second edition Ordnance Survey map the section of this bank that cuts between the High Holmes and Low Holmes is marked as ‘British Encampment’, presumably relating to that interpretation of this area. It is not possible to tell from the aerial photography consulted the origin of these two areas of land, however, it seems likely that they are connected to early land reclamation in the area.

In addition to the series of cropmark enclosures already mentioned, there is one ditch cropmark, located to the west of the others, which seems to form an enclosure within the corner of the south west area of the Low Holmes. It would appear to be a compartment within the area (further compartments of which can be seen on the 1609 map). There is also the possibility that there are further linear cropmarks just visible here, however, these are fairly indistinct and as a result have not been plotted.
H. Clare (NMP), 16 September 2002.