NHER 31594 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Earthworks of undated enclosure

1995.
A series of low banks, (0.3m high) form very subdued enclosure boundaries on valley floor between River Stiffkey and a post medieval drain to east. One curving alignment but mostly straightish. Low mound at north end of field may be spoil or natural.
See (S1).
Enigmatic with regard to function as too low for containing water and strange to have banks at such a low level.
B. Cushion (NLA), October 1995.

October 2002. Norfolk NMP.
The banks identified during the earthwork survey were visible on aerial photographs (S2-S3). The earthworks are very ephemeral, due to their low height. Without the walk over survey recording they were banks, it would be hard to tell from the aerial photographs evidence whether they were banks or ditches. It seems likely that these features are part of the medieval and post-medieval earthworks, which flank the river along its course (NHER 31594 and NHER 30711). They may be part of agricultural practices utilising the river floodplains.
The main component of the site is an almost cruciform arrangement of low banks centred on TF 9497 4147. The N-S boundaries run from TF 9496 4144 to TF 9497 4149. These are 45m long and 5m apart. At the northern end the eastern bank continues to 9499 4149 creating a curvilinear funnel ending. A fragmentary curvilinear western bank is also visible. An N-S bank runs from TF 9495 4149 to TF 9499 4147. It is not clear what the purpose of these banks is due to their low height. Several other parallel banks are visible to the north and again these appear quite low. These run from TF 9498 4154 to TF 9501 4152. The linear of which is continued by a short stretch of ditch to the east of the drain. Another bank runs from 9499 4158 to TF 9502 4157 and another from TF 9501 4162 to TF 9503 4162. To the north of this is the oval raised bank identified by the survey, centred on TF 9502 4163, measuring 11m by 5m.
S. Massey (NMP), 14 October 2002.