NHER 1590 (Monument record) - Course of a former medieval to post medieval road called Brancastergate and Somersway

Road shown here on 1824 map.
R. R. Clarke (NCM)

Clarke probably meant (S1) which not only shows the road, but where is crosses the present northwest to southeast road there are marked four plantations called Magpies.
E. Rose (NLA), 22 May 2000.

March 2006. Norfolk NMP.
Cropmarks of a road, of probable medieval to post medieval date, are visible on aerial photographs (S2). The central grid reference for this section of road has been amended from TF 7407 3888 to TF 7392 3886. Cropmarks relating to the road are intermittently visible for 1.26km on a southwest to northeast alignment between TF 7352 3832 and
TF 7426 3932. The northeastern section of the road appears as a negative cropmark, probably caused by a compacted or metalled road surface. Further to the southwest it is visible as a positive cropmark, indicating that the road may have existed as a hollow way.

This road is marked on Bryant’s 1826 Map of Norfolk (S1). However the group of four triangular plantations at the crossroads with the surviving Ringstead to Docking road is called ‘Mince Pies’ on this map, not ‘Magpies’ as stated above. The road is also shown on Faden’s 1797 Map of Norfolk (S3). At that time it extended from Sedgeford in the southwest towards Brancaster in the northeast. An estate map of Sedgeford dating to 1630 shows this road labelled as 'Brancastergate' and 'Somersway' (S4). The road towards Sedgeford survives as a public footpath but is not visible as cropmarks. Its southwestern part seems to exist as a farm track to the east of East Hall Farm. The section of road recorded here had disappeared by the time of the first edition 25 inch to the mile Ordnance Survey map in the 1880s (S5). It is likely that this road is of medieval or post medieval date, but an earlier origin can not be ruled out. This road, and the surviving Ringstead to Docking road, appear to cut a group of rectilinear enclosures of possible Roman date (NHER 43315).
(J. Albone (NMP), 01 March 2006.

July 2025. Northwest Norfolk Aerial Investigation and Mapping (AI&M) Project (volunteer strand).
The medieval to post medieval road described above is visible as an earthwork on visualised lidar data (S6). It extends for a greater distance than previously recorded, and the Monument Polygon for the site has been amended to reflect this. As the lidar survey was flown relatively recently (2018) it is probable that the earthworks still survive. Sections surviving within woodland – at the southern end of Blackhern Plantation (at TF 7362 3845) and between Ling Plantation and Brickhole Plantation (at TF 7428 3935) – appear to survive particularly well. These segments also coincide with boundaries depicted on the Ordnance Survey 2nd edition 25 inch map (S7) and presumably remained in some sort of use for a longer period.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 1 July 2025.