NHER 57468 (Monument record) - Earthworks of a possible deserted medieval settlement south of St Peter's Church, Shropham

November 2012. Norfolk NMP.
Earthworks of a probable deserted medieval settlement are visible on aerial photographs (S1-S7) to the south of St Peter's Church, Shropham. The best view of the site shows clear plot divisions indicating settlement (S2).
The site is centred on TL 9860 9264 and consists of a number of earthwork ditches, mostly now levelled, which divide the site into several possible boundaries, or possible tofts. It may be possible to make out earthwork banks that may represent house platforms, two of the most convincing of which are divided by a boundary ditch at TL 9873 9260, measuring a maximum of approximately 20m x23m.
An earthwork bank which appears to enclose a small area, only 5m by 6m, is visible just to the north, centred on TL 9873 9260, and it is possible that this represents an individual structure.
At least two ponds are visible on the site, at TL 9855 9269 and TL 9890 9285.
Fragments of the earthworks are still partially visible as recently as 2006 (S7).
Further possible earthwork ditches and fragmented banks are visible in the field to the west, centred on TL 9830 9272, on certain photographs (S2-S3), but these are less clear and have been mapped largely due to their proximity to the site to the east. However, the western part of the site is clearly under the plough by 1976 (S6).
Late Saxon to Medieval pottery, Thetford and Grimston ware has been recovered from the centre of the site south of the church (NHER 18407).
A wealth of multi-period metalwork finds have been recovered from the southern field of the site (NHER 17722), and further medieval and post medieval pottery has been recovered from the north-east corner of the site (NHER 20899).
E. Ford (NMP), 8 November 2012.

January-June 2018. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks adjacent to Red Lodge on the Hargham Road.
This work recorded a wide feature interpreted as a hollow way that appears to correspond with the cropmark feature mapped between TL 9895 9292 and TL 9873 9280. This feature can also be seen to coincide with a trackway that ran between Church Farm and the Hargham Road until the latter half of the 20th century. This track presumably followed the route of a much earlier feature (it appears that Church Farm did not exist prior to the 19th century).
See NHER 64441 and report (S8) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 30 August 2018.