NHER 5053 (Monument record) - Site of Bronze Age round barrow

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Summary

A contour survey of this Bronze Age round barrow suggested that part of the mound still survived. This was excavated, but no remains of the mound were recorded. Two ditches around the barrow were excavated. The second ditch may have been dug to enlarge the mound during a second phase of use. Prehistoric worked flints and pieces of Neolithic, Early Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Late Saxon and medieval pottery were found. No sign of the barrow can now be seen. It was one of a group of round barrows (NHER 5051, 5052, 5054, 5055, 5056 and 5057) that form a Bronze Age barrow cemetery near Hopton House.

Protected Status/Designation

Location

Map sheet TL89NE
Civil Parish LITTLE CRESSINGHAM, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Barrow just south of Hopton House.

?1930s?
Noted as under plough.
R.R. Clarke (NCM).

November to December 1977.
Contour survey showed surviving to height of 50cm.

Excavation.
No mound remained, apparent mound due to differential weathering of bedrock where protected by former barrow. Two ditches, the second apparently due to enlarging of mound. Struck flints, Early Bronze Age and Iron Age pottery found. Molluscan fauna. NHER 3540 survey reported to have produced medieval and later metalwork, bow of Roman Aucissa brooch; gold foil ?ring money segment and foot of Early Saxon cruciform. However, latter was identified as really being that from NHER 11799 by C. Scull, and thus provenance of other objects is suspect.
A.J. Lawson (NAU), 1983.

See (S1) for details of excavation.
E. Rose (NAU).

(S2) also records Neolithic, Beaker, Roman, Late Saxon and medieval pottery; pot boilers, prehistoric pottery, chalk object found during excavation.
E. Rose (NAU), 7 July 1986.

October 2003. Visit.
Ploughed flat, nothing seen since at least 1990.
H. Paterson (A&E). 19 February 2004.

(S3) describes slight traces of Saxon activity in the area around Hopton Farm.
See (S3).
M. Dennis (NLA), 4 May 2006.

  • --- Aerial Photograph: TL8698A (St. Joseph ZA 23 undated), TL8598A.
  • --- Article in Monograph: Lawson, A. J. 1986. The Excavation of a Round Barrow Site at Little Cressingham, 1977. Barrow Excavations in Norfolk, 1950-82. East Anglian Archaeology. Lawson, A. J. et al.. No 29 pp 5-19.
  • --- Article in Serial: Healy, F. 1984. Recent Finds of Neolithic Bowl Pottery in Norfolk. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXXIX Pt I pp 65-82.
  • --- Designation: [unknown]. Ancient Monuments Form. SAM Record. DNF241.
  • --- Designation: Corbishley, M.. 1983. AM107.
  • --- Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1977. Burial site dig starts. 25 November.
  • --- Photograph: HP 28, CHD.ZT.
  • --- Publication: Grinsell. 1933. Ancient Burial Mounds. p.19, 112,201.
  • --- Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Bronze Age. Cressingham (Little).
  • --- Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
  • --- Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TL 89 NE 5 [3].
  • --- Secondary File: Secondary File.
  • --- Slide: Various. Slide.
  • --- Unpublished Document: Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England. Ancient Monuments Record Form.
  • <S1> Unpublished Document: Lawson, A.. 1977. Little Cressingham Round Barrow..
  • <S2> Monograph: Lawson, A. J., Martin, E., Priddy, D. and Taylor, A. 1981. The Barrows of East Anglia. East Anglian Archaeology. No 12.
  • <S3> Article in Serial: Davison, A. 1994. The Field Archaeology of Bodney and the Stanta Extension. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLII Pt I pp 57-79. p 63.
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • POT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • RING MONEY (CURRENCY) (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • POT (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)
  • POT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • FOIL (Undated)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Undated)
  • BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BROOCH (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • POT BOILER (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Record last edited

Jul 18 2023 7:48AM

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