NHER 16290 (Monument record) - Shrunken medieval village of Ashwicken

21 June 1974 and 4 October 1978. NAU air photographs.
Linear earthworks north of All Saints' Church, Ashwicken.
D. Edwards (NAU) 18 June 1980.

Consist of a large rectangular enclosure with smaller one attached, underlying old field boundaries.
E. Rose (NAU) 11 July 1980.

1982.
Greatly extended from prints taken by Aerial Archaeology Foundation 4.

June 1977.
Many earthworks but very difficult to distinguish from overlying drainage.
Marks of old roads on west, and cutting off bend in modern road by Ashwicken Hall.
Ashwicken deserted medieval village?
E. Rose (NAU) 24 November 1982.

March 1992. Context 2 Surface find at [1].
1 Thetford-type jar rim
Information from [2].
Identified by A. Rogerson (NLA), 8 April 1992.

February 1994. Metal detecting find.
Medieval jetton at [3].
See list in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 31 March 1994.

Earthworks destroyed and land ploughed at some date between 1992 and 1997.
Information from [4].
E. Rose (NLA) 20 August 1997.

February 2008. Norfolk NMP
Earthworks and cropmarks of enclosures and ditches relating to the medieval settlement of Ashwicken are visible on aerial photographs (S1-S6). A rectilinear enclosure is present in the eastern part of the group. Its southern part is subdivided into a trapezoidal enclosure measuring 81m by 56m. The northern part of the enclosure, which is incomplete, measures at least 100m long by 80m wide. The ditch forming the eastern side of the enclosure may be a hollow way marking the former course of the adjacent road. Further to the south is an earthwork of a rectangular building platform. It is cut by a modern track but measures 66m by 26m overall. Earthworks of parallel ditches are present to the west of the platform in the area to the north of All Saints’ Church (NHER 3416). It is likely that these earthworks relate to tofts and crofts forming part of the shrunken settlement of Ashwicken. Earthworks and cropmarks of other ditches and incomplete enclosures are present across the rest of the site. Some possibly also relate to the former settlement and field boundaries of medieval to post medieval date. Other ditches appear to have served a drainage function and are likely to be of post medieval date. Not all of the drainage ditches were mapped as part of the Norfolk National Mapping Programme.
J. Albone (NMP), 12 February 2008.
Revised 27 February 2008.