NHER 45078 (Monument record) - Possible area of peat or clay extraction

September 2006. Norfolk NMP.
A possible area of former extraction is visible as a cropmark and perhaps also as a slight earthwork on aerial photographs (S1), centred at TG 4390 1839. It could represent a former peat cutting, in which case it is presumably of medieval date. There is little peat, however, in this part of the Thurne Valley (see Williamson 1997 (S2), for example), whereas Martham possessed numerous clay pits in the post medieval period, as described in (S3). Small enclosures or possibly small areas of extraction are depicted at this approximate location on Faden’s Map of Norfolk (S4). At the same time, the mapped feature could be of more recent and/or mundane origin. The mark might reflect local drainage, for example, whether natural or related to land improvement. Similarly, it could be associated with the areas of recently disturbed ground visible at its east end. It is clear from more recent aerial photographs (S5) that the ground level has since been raised.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 26 September 2006.