NHER 50949 (Monument record) - Possible cropmarks of undated rectilinear enclosures and fragmentary field boundaries

March 2008. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of possible fragmentary ditches and rectilinear enclosures of unknown date are visible on aerial photographs (S1-S6) 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. It is possible that these ditches represent a phase of pre-Roman activity, although this is not certain and they may be post-Roman in date. Not all of these possible ditches suggested by the cropmarks were detected during the excavations of the site dating up to February 2008 (further excavations have since taken place, the full details of which are not currently available). This may indicate that the cropmarks relate to ephemeral and shallow features that have been truncated by either the plough or stripping of the site, or that some of the cropmarks mapped are non-archaeological in origin, perhaps being caused by agricultural or geological factors.

The site consists of an extremely fragmentary group of linear ditches, the majority of which are aligned broadly NW-SE or NE-SW. A possible rectilinear enclosure may be located at TF 6327 1089. This appears to be a rectilinear enclosed area measuring approximately 25m across, within the corner of which a small rectilinear area, 10m across, may have been defined. The morphology of these ditches is reminiscent of other fragmentary enclosure and field boundary groups interpreted as being late prehistoric in date. Although never few have any definite dating. No definite pre-Roman sherds were recovered from this area during the 2003 evaluation. A number of possible Iron Age sherds that were recorded were felt more likely to be Early Saxon in date, due to their close association with abraded Roman pottery and the close vicinity of the site to an Early Anglo-Saxon cemetery, although an Iron Age date was not ruled out. The presence of struck flints within the fills of some ditches was also felt to be residual material (S7). Evidence of potboilers were recovered from pits at the site, suggestive of Neolithic to Bronze Age activity at the site. Further excavations at the site, the full details of which are not yet available, may have produced a clearer picture of the extent to which Police House Field was used in the pre-Roman period.

The final phasing and dating of features excavated since 2003 are not currently available. However preliminary analysis of more recently excavated features in the southwestern quadrant of Police House Field, including ditches associated with the rectilinear enclosure, may indicate the some of the cropmarks relate to ditches potentially late in the sequence – information from [1]. Although this is not certain and a pre-Roman date cannot be ruled out at present.

Despite this area of cropmark and excavation correspondence, only a small proportion of the possible cropmark features were identified within the trenches dug up to February 2008. This may indicate that the cropmarks relate to ephemeral and shallow features that have been truncated by either the plough or stripping of the site, or that some of the cropmarks mapped are non-archaeological in origin, perhaps being caused by agricultural or geological factors.
S. Massey (NMP), 05 March 2008.