NHER 49594 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Possible medieval to post medieval date peat or turf extraction

June 2007. Norfolk NMP.
The earthworks of a series of banks and drainage ditches which may be the result of medieval to post medieval date peat or turf extraction are visible on aerial photographs to the west of Strumpshaw Common (S1). These features have been recorded and not mapped. The site is centred on TG 3422 0547.

The site consists of a series of parallel banks or baulks running along the length of the site. The land in-between these banks is slightly sunken suggesting that these earthworks are associated with the removal of turf or shallow surface peat layers during the post medieval period or perhaps even medieval peat extraction. The layout of the drains and banks/baulks suggests that the area has been divided into strips, approximately 20m across, and this may indicate that extraction had taken place along the lines of ‘doles’; narrow strips of common land that were allotted to a particular individual (S2).
S. Massey (NMP) 29 June 2007.