NHER 50763 (Monument record) - Cropmark field boundaries of unknown date

December 2007. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks and possible earthworks of a series of fragmentary field boundaries and trackways of unknown, but possibly late prehistoric or Iron Age to Roman date, are visible on aerial photographs to the northeast of Sparham Common and Sparham Pools (S1-S3). The site is centred on TG 0774 1818. The southwestern edge of the site has now been destroyed by aggregate extraction. Excavations in 2000-1 carried out to the south in advance of the extraction work revealed ditches following a similar alignment to those visible on the aerial photographs. These were undated, but were felt to be of possible prehistoric date (S4-5). Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age finds have been recovered from within the area of the cropmarks (NHER 3018). Roman and Saxon date finds have also been within the wider area of the site, such as NHER 35809 and 36229. Similarly aligned field boundaries recorded to the southeast (NHER 50644) have been tentatively interpreted as being Iron Age to Roman in date, although there was no associated artefactual evidence.

The site consists of a series of fragmentary ditches, the vast majority of which are aligned NW-SE or NE-SW. Several of the linears appear to be defined by double ditches and these are likely to represent the remains of trackways running along the edge of the fields. A number of shallow linear earthworks and vegetational marks following the same pattern as the cropmark ditches may be visible within the rough vegetation of the former Sparham Common in 1946 (S1). Although the archaeological nature of these features is not certain and it is possible that they have been created by more recent activity on the common. The location of these possible earthworks has now been quarried away and has become Sparham Pools.
S. Massey (NMP), 19 December 2007.