NHER 36126 (Monument record) - Cropmarks of possible Roman field system

19 June 1995. NLA aerial photography.
Positive cropmarks appear to show a trackway/drove road with associated enclosures/field systems running down each side. Alternatively this could be modern drainage. In addition to these cropmarks, lines due to the underlying geology are showing through, and confusing the information slightly.
H. Clare (NLA), 19 April 2001.

July 2001. Norfolk NMP.
(Site extended).
A fragmentary 270m length of north to south aligned linear feature (TF 6616 3328 to TF 6613 3300) may be the remains of a major boundary feature or a double-ditched track or droveway. There are a complex series of ditches leading off at right-angles from this feature, to the west and east. These are forming a series of narrow rectangular fields or enclosures, similar in form to site 21847 to the east. However at least two of the linear features appear to cut across the track or drove, and contemporaniety all of the features is unlikely. To the immediate east is a length of fragmentary curvi-linear feature (TF 6617 3301 to TF 6619 3307) which may have formed part of a sub-rounded enclosure (S3), possibly of an earlier date. Within the northern part of the site is an east to west aligned section of double-ditched feature (TF 6607 3350 to TF 6615 3349) which may have also formed part of a trackway or drove road (S1). Several single linear features appear to cross the double ditches and contemporaniety all of these features is also unlikely.
The underlying geology in the immediate area is complex and may be misleading as to what is natural and what is anthropogenic in origin. Certainly if these features represent elements of a system of Late Iron Age to Romano period land division then they are the westernmost discernible element of a field system that extends over much of the sands to the east. Metal detecting and field walking finds over this field suggest early Roman period activity, and one suspects under different crop conditions a more complex and dense pattern of cropmarks would be visible. Many of the linear features share alignment with field boundaries depicted on the 2nd edition Ordnance Survey (S4). These may have originally been part of the Roman period field system but at least one of them appears to overlie one of the enclosures and many of the ditches may be considerably more recent in date.
M. Brennand (NMP), 26 July 2001.