NHER 27609 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Cropmarks of a possible late prehistoric enclosure complex and undated linear ditches

September 2005. Norfolk NMP.
Cropmarks of a possible late prehistoric enclosure complex and undated linear ditches are visible on aerial photographs (S1) and (S2). These cropmarks are centred on TG 5069 1313.
A group of five conjoined enclosures are present in a roughly L shaped arrangement in the centre of the group. A sub-square enclosure is located at the western end of the enclosure complex at TG 5068 1315. Although incomplete this enclosure appears to have straight west, south and north sides, with a curved eastern side and measures up to 37m across. Two gaps present in the ditch on the eastern side of the enclosure may be entrances. An irregular pentagonal enclosure is centred on TG 5074 1310. It has straight south, southwest and southeast sides joined by curved northwest and northeast sides. It measures up to 68m by 42m in plan. Ditches that cut this enclosure on a southwest to northeast alignment are probably of an unknown later date. The pentagonal enclosure and the sub-square enclosure are linked by two enclosures on a northwest to southeast axis. The southwest side of these enclosures is formed by a continuation of the southeast side of the pentagonal enclosure. The southwestern enclosure is roughly rectangular in plan and measures 41m by 29m. The other enclosure is roughly triangular in plan and lies adjacent to the eastern side of the sub-square enclosure. Adjoining the northeast side of the pentagonal enclosure is a small trapezoidal enclosure measuring 34m by 18m. The continuation of the ditches from the south and southeast sides of the pentagonal enclosure suggests that other enclosures may also be present. However, these are not clearly visible within the cropmark remains.
The enclosure complex is surrounded by isolated linear ditch cropmarks on a variety of different alignments. Linear ditches in the northwest of the group around TG 5054 1318 may be field boundaries associated with a Roman field system and farmstead that lies on the same alignment further to the south (NHER 27512). However, the majority of the ditches surrounding the enclosure complex are of unknown date.
J. Albone (NMP), 2 September 2005