NHER 22883 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Probable Neolithic mortuary enclosure

16 July 1986. NAU air photography: Flight 179.
Positive crop marks.
Ditches of long, cigar-shaped enclosure.
Possible long barrow site. No apparent entrances into enclosure area, which is aligned approximately northnorthwest to southsoutheast.
D. Edwards (NAU), 21 August 1986.

January 1988. Field ploughed and harrowed, good visibility, but no sign of any feature.
J. Wymer (NAU).

February 2003. Norfolk NMP.
An elongated oblong enclosure is visible on NLA oblique aerial photographs from 1986 (S1). The enclosure is centred on TG 1231 4110 and measures 72m by 10m. The monument's long axis is aligned westnorthwest to eastsoutheast. The western end appears to be more angular than the eastern end, which seems to be quite curved; one is straight and the other convex. Although a 3m gap/causeway in the eastern end is visible, a tramline obscuring the cropmark response at this point may cause this. The northern boundary appears quite broken in places, but again this seems to be related to agricultural and geological interference. One causeway does appear to be sufficiently well defined to be an original feature. It is on the northern side and runs from TG 1229 4111 to TG 1230 4111, measuring 3m across. The enclosure has several linear and curvilinear features within it, although by comparison with the rest of the field, these mainly appear to be geological.

This feature has previously been interpreted as a long barrow site of Neolithic date. It does seem likely that the site is Neolithic in date, however, it dimensions and shape are more akin to that of a long mortuary enclosure of the same tradition. The very elongated rectilinear enclosures of this tradition have also been interpreted as being precursors to the cursus tradition (S2). It is possible that the ditches are the remains of a ploughed-out long barrow, however, the elongated shape suggests a mortuary enclosure of the type that do not appear to have had internal mounds.
S. Massey (NMP), 17 February 2005.