NHER 52131 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Cropmarks of possible Iron Age or Roman date field boundaries

November 2009. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of fragmentary fields and boundaries of unknown, but possible Iron Age to Roman date, are visible on aerial photographs (S1-S3) to the west of the Harford Park and Ride development excavation area (NHER 39268). These features may represent a phase of enclosure and fields broadly contemporary with NHER 52133 and 52145 to the east, which either pre-dating or post-dating the main phase of Roman settlement encountered during the excavations (NHER 39268) (S4-S5), the cropmarks of which have been recorded under NHER 9753. This site is centred on TG 2121 0396. The site consists of a series of fragmentary linear ditches, appearing to represent the remains of field boundaries aligned NE-SW and NW-SE. These fields may have originally formed part of the same system of fields as that recorded to the immediate southeast (NHER 52133), although given the fragmentary and dispersed nature of the features, the two groups of ditches have been recorded separately. This southeastern group of enclosures and ditches (52133) have been recorded as being of possible later Iron Age to early Roman date or late Roman in date, either pre-dating or post-dating the main phase of Roman settlement in this area, suggested by the Harford Park and Ride excavations to be early to mid second century in date (NHER 39268) (S4), the cropmarks of which have been recorded under NHER 9753. It is worth noting the relationship with trackway leading to the enclosure of NHER 9753, which appears to follow the predominant alignment of these fragmentary fields, which may indicate that the trackway formed an integral part of both phases of fields.
S. Horlock (NMP), 23 November 2009.