NHER 38572 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Iron Age to Roman farmstead

Cropmarks at this site were previously recorded as NHER 8222.

1976.
Cropmark, D-shaped, drawn on (S5) as St Joseph's aerial photograph is wrongly plotted and is in any case natural. But whole of these two fields are covered with cropmarks of enclosures and roads suggesting a deserted medieval village.
E. Rose (NAU).

1979.
Further NAU photography reveals a trackway and ring ditch in this area.
D.A. Edwards (NLA), 11 February 1981.

April 2004. Norfolk NMP
Cropmarks of an Iron Age to Roman farmstead and other undated ditches are visible on aerial photographs (S1)-(S3). The farmstead comprises of trackways, rectilinear and curvilinear enclosures and ring ditches of two possible round houses. The trackway is intermittent and extends between TG39592622 and TG39642645. Two rectilinear enclosures adjoin its west side with further incomplete enclosures and ditches to its east and northeast (S1)-(S2). Two penannular ring ditches, possibly Iron Age round houses, are present within these enclosures (S1) and (S3). They both have a diameter of 16m. They are located at TG39692628 and TG39652638 and have south and north facing entrances respectively. This interpretation is not certain as ring ditches of Bronze Age round barrows (NHER 8221, 38542 and 38543) in the vicinity makes it possible that these may also be features of that type and date. Other sections of trackway between TG39732632 and TG39892629 and TG39632634 and TG39772636 are also present at the site. A short funnel-shaped trackway between two curvilinear enclosures at TG39652628 suggests that parts of the site were used for managing livestock. The ditches and enclosures of probable Iron Age to Roman date cross over one another indicating several phases in the devolpment of this farmstead. Pottery and other finds of Roman date have been recorded from this field (NHER 8222).
Undated ditches cross the site on different alignments to the enclosures relating to the farmstead. It is possible that some of these may be of medieval date. A possible ditch-defined trackway or road between TG39522633 to TG39842646 appears to start just to the north of the probable manorial enclosure (NHER 8258) and may represent a medieval route, established after the adjacent priory was founded, which was later replaced by the modern road.
Cropmarks of ditches of post-medieval field boundaries shown on the first edition 25 inch Ordnance Survey map (S4) were also visible but were not plotted. Geological cropmarks of a former channel cross the site partly obscuring archaeological features. A natural circular feature with a 60m diameter was also visible at TG39742630 (S1)-(S2).
See also adjacent and related cropmarks NHER 8258, 38573 and 38574.
J. Albone (NMP), 1 April 2004.