NHER 44875 (Monument record) - Cropmarks of possible late prehistoric date

July 2006. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of a trackway and a possible fragmentary field system of unknown, but probable late prehistoric or Iron Age date, are visible on aerial photographs to the south of Burgh Road (S1-S6). The site is centred on TM 4742 9388. These cropmarks sit within a wider spread of multi-phase cropmarks, see NHER 44878 for details, the majority of which are probably field boundaries of varying age. The ditches grouped under this site have been distinguished from NHER 44878 due to their shared alignment and are therefore assumed to be of similar date.

A trackway is clearly visible running from TM 4719 9402 to TM 4727 9391 (S3, S6). The ditches are 7m apart. The line of the trackway can be seen to continue intermittently for 160m to the southeast. The trackway appears to be become more irregular and braided, with several linears visible along the line of the track. It is possible that the trackway also branches off to the northeast at TM 4727 9391, as a pair of curvilinear ditches is visible for 70m. Several other double ditched sections are visible across the site, at TM 4738 9400, TM 4762 9394 and TM 4748 9383, and it is likely that these are also fragments of trackways.

The remainder of the features grouped under this site are ditches that are aligned parallel or perpendicular to the trackway, that is NW-SE or NE-SW. These short and often isolated ditch fragments are possibly the fragmentary remains of a field system associated with the trackway. The cropmarks appear to be more clearly defined and prevalent to the immediate west of the Roman settlement (NHER 16005), where the possible eastern edges of enclosed fields may be visible to the north of the trackway. This pattern may be reflecting the fact that any pre-Roman ditches to the east could be masked by Roman occupation deposits and layers.

To the north of the site is a sub-rectangular enclosure (NHER 44876), which may represent an enclosure of late prehistoric or Iron Age date and therefore could be contemporaneous with the trackway and fields. However there is no obvious relationship or shared alignment between the enclosure and these possible field boundaries, suggesting that they were not planned with reference to one another.
S. Massey (NMP), 24 July 2006.