NHER 10107 (Monument record) - ?Roman, post-medieval and undated ditches at Barrows Land (once suggested as the site of a possible Bronze Age barrow or circular enclosure)

1951.
Marked on an 18th century farm map. [1] .

16 December 1953.
Visited by R. R. Clarke (NCM) - nothing visible.
Copy of NCM card (S1).

1974.
In this approximate area circular patches seen from train at different times by E. Rose and C. J. S. Green (NAU).

4 September 1980.
Field under stubble, slight rise in southeast corner but A. Lawson (NAU) does not think this is a ploughed out barrow.
Compiled by E. Rose (NAU).

14 June 1982.
Cropmark enclosure cut by railway, with central spot, seen from train by A. Lawson - probably in same field but further north (ie on TG 20 SW) but exact location unclear.
E. Rose (NAU), 16 June 1982.

March 2009. Norfolk NMP.
No definite sign of this enclosure and/or ring ditch can be seen on the aerial photographs at this location. Numerous cropmarks of geological origin are visible on aerial photographs within this field (S2). The only ‘enclosure’-like feature visible that would appear to be cut by the railway line, as described in the above entry, is a lodged area of crop, measuring approximately 40m by 25m and centred on TG 2136 0004. Within the centre of this is a circular feature visible as a remaining higher area of cropmark within the lodging. Similar amorphous-shaped areas of lodged cropmark are visible within the field, these may relate to underlying geological or pedological deposits. However the feature that is cut by the railway line appears to be an infilled pit or similar feature. It has well-defined edges, which partly exhibit ditch-like cropmarks, perhaps giving rise to the identification of an enclosure at this location. The pit-like feature within the centre may relate to an area of differential fill within the main pit.
One possible cropmark of archaeological origin was mapped within this field; a ditch segment within the southeastern part of the site (S2).
S. Horlock (NMP), 24 March 2009.

February-March 2021. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of part of large proposed development area (Area 3).
This survey identified no responses of definite archaeological significance.
A roughly east-to-west aligned linear anomaly crossing the central part of the site it likely to represent a former field boundary. Although this doesn’t correspond with any of the boundaries depicted on the available 19th-century maps, its orientation and the fact it doesn’t continue into the field to the west strongly suggest it represents a former element of the later post-medieval field system. A number of short perpendicular and parallel linear anomalies at its western end may represent ditches defining a pair of small associated enclosures.
Several scattered linear anomalies may also represent ditches, although the weak nature of the responses and their much more fragmentary nature means this identification is far from conclusive. Two isolated, reasonably strong discrete anomalies may also represent remains of interest.
An extensive group of large, irregular bands of magnetic enhancement in the northern half of the site are of probable geological origin and were presumably also the cause of the amorphous cropmarks noted above.
There is no evidence for surviving sub-surface remains associated with the single linear cropmark mapped at the southern end of the site. The survey also identified nothing that could be associated with the possible circular feature noted at the eastern edge of the site.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 7 July 2021.

February-June 2023. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of part of large proposed development area
The 22 trenches excavated revealed little in the way of significant remains, with only a small number of scattered ditches recorded. Potentially early features included an east-to-west aligned ditch containing Late Iron Age/Roman pottery and a west-north-west to east-south-east aligned ditch that produced two Roman pottery sherds. The nature of these remains is uncertain as neither ditch was found to continue into the adjacent trenches.
The most securely dated feature was a west-north-west to east-south-east aligned ditch that corresponded with a former field boundary depicted on the Swardeston tithe map (S4). This produced single post-medieval and post-medieval/modern pottery sherds; post-medieval brick and tile fragments and several iron nails. An additional fragment of post-medieval brick was recovered from another ditch immediately to the south.
Two undated ditches were also recorded.
There was no evidence for surviving remains associated with the north-east to south-west aligned linear cropmark mapped in the south-east corner of the site.
See report (S5) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 22 January 2025.