NHER 45193 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Cropmarks of a possible late prehistoric enclosure and associated boundaries

October 2006. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of a possible late prehistoric enclosure, trackways and associated boundaries are visible on aerial photographs to the north of Browston Hall (S1-S5). The site is centred on TG 5008 0219. These cropmarks are located within an extremely complex area of cropmarks dating from the late prehistoric onwards and it is possible that other cropmarks not included within this site are of the same date, see NHER 17226 for parent record. It is also possible that some of the ditches grouped under this site are not late prehistoric or Iron Age in date. Excavation would be needed to date and phase complicated and multi-phase areas such as this. To the south of this site is a larger, dispersed group of fragmentary field boundaries following a similar alignment (NHER 45188). These have been interpreted as part of an Iron Age to Roman date field system and it is possible that some elements of the two sites are contemporary.

An oblong enclosure is located at TG 5007 0222, measuring 41m by 31m. There are two breaks in the ditch, although it is not clear whether this is an original feature or product of the cropmark conditions. A possible annex may be attached to the northeast side of the enclosure and a ditch is also conjoined to the northwest. To the north of the site is a trackway or curving double ditched boundary, 11m wide (S5). Another possible trackway is visible to the southwest at TG 4996 0219 (S5) following the general NW-SE alignment of the site. The rest of the site consists of fragmentary ditches that appear to follow this same alignment, or are perpendicular to it, and these are possible associated field boundaries. A broader section of trackway is located to the immediate southwest of the site (NHER 45179). This trackway is defined by a causewayed ditch and may be part of a series of possible prehistoric trackways to the south, see NHER 43544 and 45178 for details.

The majority of the cropmarks, including the main enclosure, trackway and many of the associated ditches, are only visible in 1988 (S5). A large part of the site is masked by geological and pedological features on many of the oblique aerial photographs. The site also has a number of geological cropmarks visible in particular on (S3) and therefore some of the more irregular-shaped ditches mapped may also be geological in origin. However only features that looked convincing in 1988 were mapped due to this possible confusion with geological cropmarks.
S. Massey (NMP), 23 October 2006.

March 2023. Assessment of the Character and Significance of East Anglian Field Systems project.
The site described above was included in the dataset analysed for the Historic England-funded Assessment of East Anglian Field Systems project. See the project report (S6) for further details.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk County Council Environment Team), 22 March 2023.