NHER 43407 (Monument record) - Cropmarks of ditches and field boundaries

March 2006. Norfolk NMP.
Cropmarks of undated and medieavl to post medieval ditches and field boundaries are visible on aerial photographs (S1). These cropmarks are centred on TF 7096 3600. A total of fifteen linear ditch cropmarks are present in this group. They lie on a range of different alignments and appear to represent several phases of activity. Two parallel ditches are present on a roughly northwest to southeast alignment in the southern part of the group. These ditches extend across the full width of the modern field. The southernmost of these to ditches corresponds to a field boundary marked on the 1840 Sedgeford tithe map (S2). Although the other ditch is not marked on the map, it is likely that both of these ditches are post medieval field boundaries. Neither of these two ditches are shown on a 1631 estate map of Sedgeford (S3). Of the remaining cropmarks only one ditch in the northern part of the group appears to correspond to the field boundaries marked on the 1631 map. It formed part of the southern boundary to a field called ‘Grasse Croft’ and extends for 175m between TF 7196 3622 and TF 7113 3619. It is likely that this is a medieval to early post medieval field boundary. None of the other ditch cropmarks correspond to boundaries on the 1631 estate map (S3) or later maps. It is likely that some are field boundaries, but their date is unknown.
J. Albone (NMP), 17 March 2006.