NHER 31955 (Monument record) - Earthworks of an osier bed, boundaries and a trackway of a probable post medieval date within Sporle Wood

1996. Field Observation.
Visit to Sporle Wood resulted in identification of earthworks including wood boundaries, water courses, wagon soaks? and osier beds.
Some burnt flint.
See report (S1) for sketch plan and further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2).
B. Cushion (NLA) July 1996. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 8 April 2015.

September 2023. Wendling Beck and Fransham Aerial Investigation and Mapping (AIM) Project.
Earthworks of a possible osier bed, trackway, former boundaries and a pond or extractive pit of a probable post medieval date, are seen as earthworks on recent (2017) visualised lidar data (S3). The majority of the mapped features visible on the recent (2017) visualised lidar data have also been previously recorded from an earthwork survey (S1). A possible post medieval trackway or boundary has been recorded in the south of the area (centred at approximately TF 8597 1157). The broad southern ditch was previously recorded by the earthwork survey (S1, area 6) with an additional bank and a further section of ditch recorded by the project from the visualised lidar data (S3). In the west of the area earthworks of an elongated pit and earthwork banks (centred at approximately TF 8582 1180) have been mapped which likely relate to the previously suggested possible pond or osier bed (S1, area 4) and a boundary bank. A possible post medieval to modern pond or extractive pit (S1, area 5) has been mapped at TF 8585 1174. Earthwork mounds can be seen in close proximity to the pit on S3 which may relate to spoil heaps associated with the pond or extractive pit. It is also possible that the mounds may relate to modern activity. Further to the features identified from the previous earthwork survey, a possible post medieval boundary bank and ditch, visible on S3, has been recorded in the north of the area (centred at approximately TF 8601 1191). Earthworks of a possible former water course, post medieval to modern drainage ditches, trackways, possible post medieval extraction pits and modern ponds are also visible on the visualised lidar data. These features have not been mapped as they are out of scope for the project. As the features are visible on the recent (2017) visualised lidar data (S3), it is likely that the features still survive as earthworks.
J. Powell (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 29 September 2023.