NHER 8893 (Monument record) - Medieval to post medieval enclosures, fields and perhaps settlement

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Summary

A series of enclosures together with additional boundaries, all of probable medieval to post medieval date, are visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs. Pottery of predominantly late medieval/early post medieval date has also been recovered. The site almost certainly represents both small and large-scale enclosure adjacent to the village of Kimberley, with some of the enclosures possibly representing settlement. The site forms part of more widespread evidence of Kimberley’s shifting pattern of settlement and enclosure in the medieval to post medieval period (NHER 54660).

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Location

Map sheet TG00SE
Civil Parish HARDINGHAM, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK
Civil Parish KIMBERLEY, SOUTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Map

The cropmarks of parallel linear banks and ditches and a sub-rectangular double-ditched enclosure, previously recorded below, are now recorded as NHER 54658.

One of two areas of cropmarks of banks and ditches seen by on aerial photographs in 1963, but called drainage ditches by NARG earthworks group on account of long east to west depression boggy at west end. Possibly a group, but some of the rectangles by the road are quite distinct and could be house platforms.
Visited by E. Rose (NAU) 7 December 1978.

30 May 1990. Context 2 at TG 0669 0358.
Found in fieldwalking in sugar beet.
Medieval sherds, mostly late medieval/early post medieval ware.
Identified by W. Milligan (NCM) 31 May 1990.

October 2011. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of parallel linear banks and ditches and a sub-rectangular double-ditched enclosure, previously recorded above, are now recorded as NHER 54658.
The cropmarks of banks and ditches described above are part of a much more extensive group of enclosures and boundaries visible as earthworks, soilmarks and cropmarks on aerial photographs (S1)-(S7), between TG 0576 0334 and TG 0667 0369. While at the northeastern end of the site, in the valley bottom and close to the railway, many of the features visible undoubtedly relate to recent drainage (as suggested above), those features mapped here by the NMP stand out due to their substantial nature and coherent plan, fronting onto Station Road. Their form, coherence, and rather sinuous plan is repeated in the outline of additional enclosures further to the southwest. To the north of these, away from the road, more large-scale boundaries, presumably defining fields or similar, are evident. Amongst these is a possible prehistoric barrow and/or post-mill site (NHER 54662). Overall, the site almost certainly represents both small and large-scale enclosure adjacent to the village of Kimberley in the medieval to post medieval period, with some of the more complex enclosures (as at TG 0666 0357) possibly representing settlement. It forms one element in more widespread evidence of Kimberley’s shifting pattern of settlement and enclosure during this period (NHER 54660). Elements at the southwestern end of the site, in the parish of Hardingham, correlate with property boundaries depicted on the Ordnance Survey 2nd edition 25 inch map (S7), indicating that if they are not of post medieval origin, they certainly remained in use until that date. These and other features appearing to be of similarly late date have for the most part not been mapped by NMP.
Approximately six individual enclosures can be identified, all broadly trapezoidal in plan, ranging in size from 67m by 46m to 196m by 112m.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 11 October 2011.

  • --- Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Miscellaneous. Kimberley.
  • --- Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
  • <S1> Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 3G/TUD/UK/52 5244-6 31-JAN-1946 (NMR).
  • <S2> Vertical Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1973. OS/73240 207-8 07-JUN-1973 (NMR).
  • <S3> Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1984. NHER TG 0704T-U (NLA 138/ATU17-18) 05-FEB-1984.
  • <S4> Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1988. NHER TG 0603H-P (NLA 211/DGA1-7) 10-OCT-1988.
  • <S5> Vertical Aerial Photograph: Google Earth. ? - present. Google Earth Orthophotographs. https://earth.google.com/web. XX-XXX-1999 Accessed 11-OCT-2011.
  • <S6> Vertical Aerial Photograph: Google Earth. ? - present. Google Earth Orthophotographs. https://earth.google.com/web. XX-XXX-2006 Accessed 06-OCT-2011.
  • <S7> Map: Ordnance Survey. 1902-7. Ordnance Survey second edition 25 inch (1902-7) map. 25 inches to 1 mile.
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Record last edited

Apr 8 2025 10:49AM

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