NHER 54568 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Earthworks of medieval agricultural boundaries

January 2011. Norfolk NMP.
The earthworks of a series of banks, which are likely to relate to medieval agricultural boundaries and routeways, are visible on the aerial photographs (S1-S4) within Shadwell Park (NHER 29366). The site is centred on TL 9304 8303 and is located to the south of a medieval moated site (NHER 6088) and another area of medieval land divisions (NHER 54565).The site consists of a series of parallel banks and ditches, which are likely to relate to medieval strip fields or lynchets arranged along the valley side. Two of these banks define one of the approach roads to the hall and it is therefore hard to be certain whether these form part of the medieval landscape or are in fact entirely post medieval and park-related. Given the shared alignment and form with the other banks, it seems likely that pre-park features have been retained within the later park layout. The fact that the line of this routeway appears to continue past the location of the eighteenth century house (NHER 6090) would also suggest that this is an earlier feature. To the south of the site is an extremely broad and gently sloping bank-like feature, up to 15m wide and following the same alignment as the other banks to the north. While it is possible that this is a natural ridge or undulation, no similar natural features have been identified within the area and given its apparent relationship with other earthworks, it was assumed to be a man-made earthwork.
The main area of banks within the eastern part of the site appear to still survive as earthworks within grass in the late 1980s (S3-S4). The western part of the site has been converted to agriculture by this date; however some of the earthworks do not appear to have been plough-levelled, but are presumably being affected. Traces of these earthworks can still be detected in places in 2005 (S5), although some sections may have been levelled.
S. Horlock (NMP), 20 January 2011.