NHER 30626 (Monument record) - Multi-period site

A series of cropmarks originally believed to be the remains of a possible medieval to post-medieval enclosure and field system. Excavation in 2010 revealed evidence for Middle Bronze Age activity including a field system (NHER 56831) and later enclosure (NHER 56832) with possible reoccupation (NHER 56833) in the pre-Roman period, possibly the Late Iron Age.

5 May 1982. Ordnance Survey air photography.
Cropmarks noted by B. Cushion (NLA) and shown to E. Rose May 1994.
Oblong ditched enclosure, apparently with inner bank, aligned north-to-south.
Possibly a moat.
Photocopy in file.
B. Cushion and E. Rose, 1 June 1994.

19 June 1996. NLA air photography.
NGR amended from original of TG 4742 1522.
In addition to the large oblong enclosure, a series of interlinked rectilinear enclosures can be seen co-joined to the S of the main ditched/moated site.
Several pit-like features and linears can be identified within the interior of both these areas.
These features possibly continue to the W of the site, although they are not as clear.
S. Massey (NLA), 14 August 2001.

March 2005. Norfolk NMP.
The enclosure or possible moat described above is visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs (S1-6), centred at TG 4743 1521. The ditch defining the enclosure does not appear substantial enough to indicate a moat; instead, the site seems to have been enclosed by a bank with both an external and internal ditch. It does, however, have the appearance of a medieval to post-medieval site, as it survived partially as an earthwork until at least 1964 (S1-2) and it shares its orientation with the post-medieval field boundary which cuts through the site from north to south. The function of the enclosure is not clear. It is not depicted on any of the consulted historic maps, and the area appears to have survived unenclosed as part of Ormesby Common into the first half of the 19th century (S7-8). Internal divisions within it suggest that it might have been a domestic site such as a farmstead. Alternatively, it might have had some other specialised function, perhaps even associated with peat extraction from Ormesby Broad, which lies immediately to its north. A smaller enclosure (NHER 18153) on the northern bank of the Broad may have been a contemporary site. Many of the linear ditches visible in the area surrounding the site are also likely to be contemporary boundary ditches, perhaps for fields, and drainage features. Parallel ditches leading away from the south-east and south-west corners of the enclosure are likely to define trackways. The eastern trackway may join to another possible trackway mapped further to the east (NHER 27261).
The enclosure measures 132m north-to-south by 126m east-to-west. The fact that many of the north-to-south linear features lie parallel to modern tramlines means that they should be treated with caution as their archaeological origin is not certain. Similarly, although a number of pit-like features are visible within the enclosure, generally these have not been mapped as it is not possible to distinguish them from marks of geological origin.
(S1-8).
S. Tremlett (NMP), 1 March 2005.

January-February 2010. Excavation.
Excavation of this area ahead of proposals by the Broads Authority to create a series of silt lagoons, revealed evidence for a substantial Middle Bronze Age enclosure (NHER 56832) with further evidence for an earlier field system (NHER 56831). A number of ditches were found to contain no datable material and the lack of Roman and medieval artefacts could suggest that these features may relate to an Iron Age reoccupation of the site (See NHER 56833).
See published article (S9) and assessment report (S10) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S11) and (S12)
D. Holburn (HES), 13 September 2011.