NHER 49263 (Monument record) - Cropmarks of medieval to post medieval field boundaries and croft

March 2007. Norfolk NMP
Cropmarks of rectilinear field boundary ditches of medieval to post medieval date are visible on aerial photographs (S1). These cropmarks are centred on TG 3854 1849. A group of mainly west to east aligned field boundary ditch cropmarks are present in a field between School Road, Pound Road and Norwich Road at Ludham. The alignment of these fields is similar to that shown on the 1842 Ludham tithe map (S2) and it is likely that these fields are of medieval to early post medieval date. One of the field boundaries crosses a ring ditch cropmark associated with a Bronze Age round barrow (NHER 49262). The continuous line of the ditch across the ring ditch suggests that the barrow mound had been levelled by the time the field boundary was laid out. Other field boundaries slightly to the north appear to respect a second ring ditch cropmark indicating that in that case the barrow mound probably survived as an earthwork and was incorporated into the later field boundary. A group of small rectilinear enclosures present in the northwest corner of the modern field correspond to the location of a building on the tithe map and Bryant’s 1826 county map (S3). It is likely that the enclosures relate to a post medieval croft or toft.
J. Albone (NMP), 21 March 2007.

November 2013. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site in north-east corner of field.
This work identified sub-surface features associated with three of the previously identified east-to-west aligned linear cropmarks. These included the southern boundary of the large enclosure identified to the south of School Road, although unfortunately no dating evidence was recovered. A ditch associated with one of the parallel boundaries present to the south was also excavated. This feature produced finds of post-medieval date and it was shown that this boundary had in fact survived as a landscape features into the second half of the 20th century.
It is notable that all of the cropmarks investigated were found to have surviving sub-surface remains, suggesting the other features in this group are likely to be similarly well preserved.
See report (S4) and NHER 61907 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 31 October 2016.