NHER 26607 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Roman or medieval saltern mounds

August 2001. Norfolk NMP.
There are a minimum of twelve distinct mounds within the group. The anomalies are situated along the northern side of the course of Boathouse Creek, to the landward side of an 18th century seabank (TF63SE-9). The anomalies are largely rounded, amorphous and curvilinear in shape, and most appear to be situated within meanders in the saltmarsh channels. The largest, western mound (TF 6679 3003) is formed by a light coloured, horseshoe shaped anomaly, with overall dimensions of over 100m by 100m, which is likely to represent successive episodes of waste dumping around the meander of the channel. There is a similar, but slightly smaller horseshoe shaped feature at TF 6711 3020. Within the centre of the site is an elongated mounded (TF 6701 3001) with a length of approximately 150m. A single dark anomaly within the lighter area may be the site of a filtration unit. The mounds to the east are less regular in shape. One mound is linear and is positioned along the side of the canalised channel. The southernmost mound (TF 6707 2990) is sub rectangular and also appears to have a darker anomaly set within it. A single narrow channel to the north of the group appears to have been canalised and straightened in association with the sub rectangular mound to the southeast.

These features have the hallmarks of waste mounds associated with sand washing for salt extraction. The channels may have acted as the supply of water for washing the mould. These sites could conceivably be any date from the Roman period onwards (Roman period pottery was recovered during the excavation of two similar mounds, 500m to the west (NHER 1562 and NHER 1563). Three of the eastern sites are depicted as earthworks on the 1902-7 revision Ordnance Survey map (S1). The first edition Ordnance Survey (S2) depicts eight mounds in this area.

The eastern five mounds are likely to represent some of these features, although there are no traces of the western three mounds. It is likely that the two lengths of bank enclosing the southern side of the site were out of use prior to the 1790’s. This would suggest that these banks may have been constructed in the early eighteenth century or earlier, and they may in fact be medieval in date. This in turn would suggest that the salterns are also of some antiquity.
M. Brennand (NMP), 7 August 2001.