NHER 25909 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Earthworks of possible medieval moat

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Summary

A possible medieval moat is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and visualised lidar data; it has also been visited on the ground. It is surrounded by the earthworks of drainage ditches, and although the ditches defining the moat appear slightly wider than these, it is possible that they too are merely drainage features. The earthworks are largely visible on recent aerial photography (taken in 2022) and probably still survive.

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Location

Map sheet TF91NW
Civil Parish BEESTON WITH BITTERING, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

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22 May 1990. NAU air photography.
Earthworks. Moated site in pasture.
Copy given to A. Rogerson 22 May 1990 for site investigation
D. Edwards (NAU), 22 May 1990.

Earthworks are not substantial, ditches to maximum 1m in depth, with moated area not immediately identifiable.
Site used for motorcycle scrambling, this causing some erosion.
(S1).
H. Paterson (A & E), 13 October 1992.

October 2023. Wendling Beck and Fransham Aerial Investigation and Mapping (AIM) Project.
The possible medieval moat described above is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs (S2-S3) and visualised lidar data (S4). The ditches of the moat are only marginally wider than the drainage ditches (not mapped by the project) which surround it. It is possible that the ‘moat’ is merely a coincidence of drainage ditches forming a rectangular shape. As well as being visible on the visualised lidar data, which is itself fairly recent (2017), the earthworks are also largely visible on recent aerial photography (taken in 2022) and probably still survive.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 4 October 2023.

  • --- Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). TF 9116A,B.
  • --- Secondary File: Secondary File.
  • <S1> Unpublished Document: Paterson, H.. Site visit notes.
  • <S2> Vertical Aerial Photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photography from the Historic England Archive. RAF/106G/UK/401 RS 4043-4044 18-JUN-1945.
  • <S3> Vertical Aerial Photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photography from the Historic England Archive. RAF/3G/TUD/UK/51 V 5215-5216 31-JAN-1946.
  • <S4> LIDAR Airborne Survey: Environment Agency. Environment Agency LIDAR Data. National LIDAR Programme TF91NW DTM 1m 17 to 24-NOV-2017.
  • <S5> Vertical Aerial Photograph: Bluesky International Ltd and Getmapping Plc. unknown. Aerial Photography for Great Britain (APGB) Orthophotographs. https://www.apgb.co.uk. Bluesky International Ltd APGB Imagery TF9315 17-JUL-2022.

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Record last edited

Oct 4 2023 2:56PM

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