NHER 49253 (Monument record) - Medieval to post medieval drainage features, possible salterns and building platforms

May 2008. Norfolk NMP.
The earthworks and vegetation marks of a series of medieval to post medieval drainage ditches and embankments are visible on aerial photographs on Belton Marshes (S1-S8). The majority of these features probably developed from natural drainage creeks that developed in this area as the estuary started to drain and silt up in the post-Roman period. A number of possible salterns and/or levees have also been identified. Two possible building platforms were also recorded.

The irregular and curvilinear channels appear to broadly consist of two types of channels that are consistent with the pattern identified to the north in the area surrounding Breydon Water (S9), where the naturally forming salt marsh creeks tended to be either closely packed sub-parallel channels or more widely spaced meandering creeks. The line of major sinuous channel can be seen running approximately north-south through the centre of the marshes, with substantial levees and banks on each side (S2-S5). It is likely that many of these drainage ditches represent reasonably early components in the drainage of the marshes and the vast majority appear to pre-date the more rectilinear drain layout depicted on the 1838 Belton Tithe Map (S10). By this date it would appear that more rectilinear dykes have superseded many of the irregular and curvilinear components.

A small number of areas of red earth or material visible on colour photography from 1988 (S8) have been identified as ‘extents of area’ (the outline of the feature has been polygonised on the NMP map layer), such as TG 4680 0199, TG 4677 0232 and TG 4656 0229. Although the archaeological significance of these deposits is uncertain, it is feasible that they relate to underlying red hills – the remains of waste material from salt production using briquetage. These sites are usually thought to date to the Iron Age to Roman period. Salt production sites of a Roman date have been identified along the Suffolk Coast from colour aerial photographs (S11). However the current evidence for these features being archaeological is limited. The location of these ‘red earth’ areas is also not necessarily where salt production sites of this period would be expected. All are located well below the 5m contour line, only one of which is located near to the edge of the marshes, where the Roman coastline would be expected to have been.

Salt production mounds, or rather salt production waste mounds, of possible late Saxon to medieval date have been tentatively identified within the area of this site. A dispersed linear spread of irregular shaped and elongated mounds of material are visible on aerial photographs in the area of TG 4664 0265. It is possible that these represent artificial mounds created through the salt production process. Although it is also feasible that these features are the remains of natural levees that have built up alongside former tidal creeks, the line of which may no longer visible on the aerial photographs. A group of potentially more convincing salterns to the southeast of this group have been recorded separately (NHER 49235-6).

At TG 4721 0296 is a small irregular shaped mound with a possible bank abutting it (S3), this may represent the remains of a building platform, potentially an augmented natural silt mound or small saltern.
S. Massey (NMP), 28 May 2008.

June-October 2011. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of works undertaken as part of the Broadland Flood Alleviation Project.
Although a new drainage dyke coincided with several of the features in this group an intermittent watching brief maintained during its excavation recorded no associated remains.
See report (S12) and NHERs 67586 and 67587 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 20 November 2023.

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 (S13) for further details.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk County Council Environment Team), 22 March 2023.