NHER 43770 (Monument record) - Undated and multiphase cropmarks between Back Lane and Hickling Broad

March 2005. Norfolk NMP.
A large group of undated and multiphase cropmarks is visible on aerial photographs on arable land in-between Back Lane and Hickling Broad, Potter Heigham (S1) to (S4). The site is centred on TG 4073 2087. The site consists of fragments of field systems and rectilinear enclosures, the majority of which are all aligned northeast to southwest and northwest to southeast. A large scatter of medieval to post medieval pottery has been recovered from within the vicinity of these cropmarks (NHER 30324). The cropmarks show no obvious relationship to either site and it seems likely that the majority of the cropmarks relate to pre-medieval activity and field systems. Any cropmarks in this area thought to relate to medieval and post medieval periods have been recorded under NHER 43770. This site is located on an area of loamy soils raised up slightly from the peat fen and Hickling Broad to the immediate north and it is therefore possible that some of the linears at northern and western margins of the site, such as at TG 4047 2102 and TG 4072 2119, could be related to drainage.

The main concentrations of features are centred on TG 4080 2081 (S2) to (S3) and TG 4062 2095 (S1), (S4). At the latter location the cropmarks possibly indicate a series of ditched boundaries running northeast to southwest, all approximately 35m apart. Several of these are defined by double ditches and are likely to be trackways, possibly running through a system of fields. The date of these field boundaries, trackways and enclosures is not known, although a predominantly Iron Age to Roman date could be suggested for most. However no material other than medieval to post medieval date pottery has been recovered from the site (NHER 30324). The Roman material originally recorded for NHER 8388 appears to have been misidentification of medieval material.

At TG 4064 2092 on (S3) the cropmarks are extremely complicated and only a small amount of features were mapped. Many curvilinear and circular cropmarks were visible, but were dismissed as geological or agricultural in origin. Some features attributed to land drains were also not mapped at several locations within the site. No obvious sign of the former mounds or any other features associated with the medieval pottery production site (NHER 8388) were identified.
S. Massey (NMP), 26 March 2005.