NHER 1078 (Monument record) - Cropmarks and finds relating to the settlement of Fring

Slight scatter of sherds, Thetford ware, medieval, and post medieval, to south and west of church in arable fields.
A. Rogerson (NLA).

1976, 1989. NAU air photography.
Cropmark of enclosure and ?track here.
See (S1) and (S2).

1990/1991. Metal detected finds.
Three 3rd/4th century coins.
See list in file.
Identified by D. Gurney (NLA), 30 May 1991.
Roman brooch, stud and illegible coin (hole for suspension), Early Saxon use?
Two Late Saxon hooked tags.
Medieval 14th century seal matrix.
Elizabeth I penny and Charles I farthing token.
Post medieval repousse plate and buckle.
Full details and (S3) in file.
W. Milligan (NCM), 24 October 1997.

Treasure report amended by F. Hitchcock and J. Robinson (British Museum), 30 August 2006.
See (S4).
E. Darch (NLA), 30 August 2006.

September 2006. Norfolk NMP.
Cropmarks of enclosures and a road of probable late Saxon to post medieval date are visible on aerial photographs (S5-S8). Three enclosures are present in the northern part of this group of cropmarks. The westernmost of these has an incomplete sub-trapezoidal curvilinear plan with external dimensions of 28m by 28m. Located 30m to its east is a pentagonal rectilinear enclosure cropmark. It has external dimensions of 40m by 33m and has a single entrance on its south side. Linear ditch cropmarks on a similar alignment to this enclosure are present to its north and south suggesting that it formed part of a larger complex which is only partly visible as cropmarks. To the east of the rectilinear enclosure is another larger rectilinear enclosure. It is cut on its northeast side by a post medieval road and measures at least 62m by 41m externally. This enclosure is subdivided into three separate sections by linear ditches. The southern part is the most complete and has a hexagonal plan with internal measurements of 40m by 28m.

To the southeast of the large enclosure cropmark are parallel ditch cropmarks defining a former road. They extend for 136m on a roughly southeast to northwest alignment before making a right-angled turn to the northeast and continuing for a further 26m. Between the cropmarks of the road and the large enclosure is a rectangular positive cropmark measuring nearly 6m by 3m in plan. It is likely that these cropmarks relate to the foundation trenches of a small structure or building. They could represent either the foundation trenches of a timber structure or the robbed-out wall trenches of a masonry building. The simple rectangular plan of this structure or building makes it impossible to date. Isolated sections of linear and curvilinear ditch cropmark are present in the southern part of the group.

It is likely that all of these cropmarks relate to the settlement of Fring. Artefacts of Saxon to post medieval date have been found in the vicinity and it is probable that the enclosures and road also date to this broad period. The modern road that cuts the northeast side of the enclosures and runs past the church is not marked on Faden’s 1797 Map of Norfolk (S9). It is likely that this road was laid out in about 1807 when the park around Fring Hall established and the village was replanned as a consequence. The road visible as cropmarks does not appear to be marked on this map and it is likely that it went out of use at an earlier date. A document in the NRO dated 1782 relates to the stoppage of highways at Fring and could relate to this road (S10).
J. Albone (NMP), 20 September 2006