NHER 39140 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Cropmarks of undated ditches

December 2004. Norfolk NMP.
A group of undated linear ditch cropmarks, which may represent part of a field system, is visible on aerial photographs to the north of Roundabout Hill, East Runton (S1). An Iron Age harness fitting nearby could indicate an Iron Age date for the features, but there is no obvious association (NHER 36090). However morphologically the field system would fit with the pattern and orientation of other systems in the area interpreted as being Iron Age to Romano-British in date (NHER 38808).

The site is centred on TG 2025 4188. The northern most linear appears to be forming an L-shape, which may be defining the corner of an enclosed area or field. The linears are all quite fragmentary but are all generally aligned in a coaxial manner to one another. Two parallel ditches are visible running from approximately TG 2022 4190 to TG 2025 4186. It is possible that this feature represents a trackway associated with the fields.

Some of the cropmarks in this area were not mapped as they had a similar appearance to features, which turned out to be geological in origin from reference to other aerial photographs. However the cropmarks mapped were showing in a similar manner to cropmarks in the same field known to relate to relatively recently removed field boundaries, so it seems likely that these are also ditched boundaries. These cropmarks ditches are all opposed to the post medieval field boundaries cropmarks, indicating that they are not of comparable date. An Iron Age harness fitting was found to the immediate west of this site (NHER 36090), although this may be entirely unrelated to the cropmarks.
See (S1).
S. Massey (NMP) 21 December 2004.