NHER 36480 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Cropmark of ring ditch

THE CROPMARKS DESCRIBED BELOW, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE RING DITCH 'AT TG 2190 3580' (CORRECTED TO TG 2186 3581), ARE NOW RECORDED AS NHER 38503 (LINEAR DITCHES), NHER 38501 (A SEMI-CIRCULAR HENGIFORM FEATURE) AND NHER 38500 (A RING DITCH). THE MAJORITY OF THE LINEAR AND RECTILINEAR DITCHES AND ENCLOSURES DESCRIBED BELOW CONFORM TO THE PATTERN OF POST-MEDIEVAL FIELDS DEPICTED ON HISTORIC ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPS AND CONSEQUENTLY HAVE NOT BEEN MAPPED.

28 June 1996. NLA air photography.
Ring ditch visible at NGR TG 2190 3580.
To the southeast of this is a linear feature, which appears to be part of a rectilinear enclosure.
A second ring ditch is located at TG 2178 3614.
At the centre of the site is a large semicircular feature (almost like half a henge). The ditch is wide and has rounded, buylbous ends.
The whole of the site is crossed by a network of rectilinear and linear elements which appear to make up a system of fields and co-joined enclosures. These are potentially Late Iron Age-Roman in date.
S. Massey (NLA), 9 October 2001.

March 2004, Norfolk NMP
The cropmarks described below, with the exception of the ring ditch 'at TG 2190 3580' (corrected to TG 2186 3581), are now recorded as NHER 38503 (linear ditches), NHER 38501 (a semi-circular hengiform feature) and NHER 38500 (a ring ditch). The majority of the linear and rectilinear ditches and enclosures described below conform to the pattern of post-medieval fields depicted on historic Ordnance Survey maps (S1-2) and consequently has not been mapped. NMP mapping has led to the alteration of the central grid reference of the site from TG 2190 3580 to TG 2186 3581.

The ring ditch described above is visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs (S3), centred at TG 2186 3581. Given its location in an area of known prehistoric ceremonial and funerary activity, it seems most likely that the ring ditch represents the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow.

The ring ditch is slightly sub-circular in plan, and its north-east, south-west and east sides are slightly flattened suggesting that the ditch was originally excavated in segments. It measures 18m in diameter and has a narrow causeway on its north-west side. The ditch varies in width but appears to widen towards the causeway. A large pit, possibly a grave, is faintly visible within the ring ditch, towards its south-east side. The ring ditch appears to be respected by post-medieval field boundaries to its south and east (S2-3), suggesting that it still survived as an earthwork when these were established.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 16 March 2004