NHER 29753 (Monument record) - Cropmarks of a possible Late Bronze Age rectilinear enclosure and trackway

29 July 1986. NAU aerial photography.
Cropmarks of trackway and fields, the trackway continuing line of NHER 6979 context 3.

January 2005. Norfolk NMP.
Cropmarks of a rectilinear enclosure and trackway of possible Late Bronze Age date are visible on aerial photographs (S1-9). These cropmarks were previously partly recorded under NHER 6979 (context 3). Their central grid reference has been amended to TG 3347 3145 from TG 3335 3135. The field system cropmarks originally recorded under this number are now recorded as part of NHER 27237.

A ditch-defined trackway extends for 500m on a curving southwest to northeast alignment between TG 3329 3124 and TG 3358 3165. The trackway ditches are up to 8m apart narrowing to 6m at its northeastern end. A third ditch is present within the trackway along the same alignment for 138m between TG 3345 3142 and TG 3352 3154.

A rectilinear enclosure is centred on TG 3354 3163 at the northeast end of the trackway. Three sides of the enclosure are visible, with the trackway ditch forming its southeast side. It has external dimensions of 64m by at least 55m with a 1m wide ditch. Gaps in the ditch on the northeast, northwest and southeast sides may mark the location of entrances, but given the fragmentary nature of the cropmarks this cannot be certain. A linear ditch cropmark on a northwest to southeast alignment within the enclosure may represent an internal division. Two northwest to southeast aligned ditches are present on the southeast side of the trackway at TG 3359 3164 and may be contemporary with it. Although several other ditches are aligned perpendicular to the trackway to its northwest and southeast, these do not appear to be directly associated with it. They are more likely to form part of a larger field system (NHER 27237).

The ditch marking the northeast side of the enclosure appears to have been excavated during an investigation of a group of Late Bronze Age features in 1968 (NHER 6979 context 2). A 7.6m long section of the ditch was excavated and 34 sherds of Late Bronze Age pottery were recovered (S10). Consequently it is likely that the enclosure and its associated trackway are also both of Late Bronze Age date. The initial interpretation of the other excavated Bronze Age features (NHER 6979 context 2) as a cremation cemetery was questioned in the report (S10). It is possible that they were ritual or domestic features associated with further activity inside the enclosure. However, it is also possible that the trackway and enclosure are of a later date and the Bronze Age pottery was only residual within the excavated section of ditch.
(S1-10)
J. Albone (NMP), 26 January 2005