NHER 50945 (Monument record) - Cropmarks of probable Roman date enclosures and field boundaries

March 2008. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of enclosures and boundary ditches of probable Roman date are visible on aerial photographs (S1-S5) within the Police House Field cropmark site (NHER 50591). This site forms the northern part of the late Iron Age to Roman settlement at Watlington (NHER 39458) and has been excavated as part of NHER 39457. At least some of these cropmarks match up with excavated Roman features. The cropmarks of a trackway and/or boundary ditches recorded under 50947 and the boundary or trackway recorded under NHER 50946 may form part of the same phase.

One of the cropmark ditches within the northwestern part of the site may line up with feature [018], an undated shallow ditch or gully, from Trench 23 from the 2003 evaluations (S6). A cropmark ditch running parallel to the south, may form a continuation of gully [024], which was undated, but felt to be contemporaneous with another gully to the north [024] that contained Roman pottery (1st – 3rd century) (S6). The slight discrepancy between the alignment of the cropmark and the excavated ditch section may be due to the rectification of the oblique aerial photograph. However further excavations at the site, the full details of which are not yet available, indicate that both the enclosure and associated fields and boundaries are broadly Roman in date. Once the post-excavation analysis and phasing of the site is complete, then further interpretation of the cropmarks could take place.

The enclosure is centred on TF 6358 1101,although only the western part is visible due to a combination of geological cropmarks and the location of the Police House. The enclosure appears to be rectilinear or polygonal in shape, measuring 91.5m by at least 50m.The relationship between this enclosure and the probable Roman trackway and boundary ditch (NHER 50947) to the southwest is not certain. The trackway appears to head towards the enclosure, but no definite link between the two components can be demonstrated by the aerial photographs. In fact the possible entrance to the enclosure, which faces west, would appear to completely ignore the potential trackway route coming in from to the southwest.
S. Massey (NMP), 05 March 2008.