NHER 45068 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Site of probable ring ditch of unknown date

September 2006. Norfolk NMP.
A probable ring ditch is visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs (S1), centred at TG 4004 1859. Probable prehistoric activity is evident in the area (see NHER 45072), and the site could represent a former round barrow. Its location, close to the summit of a low hill, supports this interpretation. At the same time, the ring ditch could relate to the passive or active defence of Ludham Airfield (NHER 8456) during World War Two. Some of the airfield’s dispersals are of a similar size and shape to the ring ditch, and it was surrounded by a number of defences, such as the gun emplacement (NHER 45064) 65m to the northwest, which might also produce circular cropmarks. The ring ditch could therefore represent a relatively short-lived element of the airfield. A third possibility is that the ring ditch is of non-archaeological origin, and is perhaps merely a reflection of recent agricultural activity. It is notable that a very similar, though smaller, ring ditch (NHER 45069) is visible 1.25km to the northeast.

The ring ditch is roughly circular in plan and measures approximately 21m in diameter. The break in the ditch circuit on its southern side is likely to be the product of the cropmark being masked, but the northern break could represent a genuine entrance. A small pit-like feature is visible within the ring ditch, lying just to the southeast of its centre.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 25 September 2006.