NHER 42234 (Monument) - Cropmarks of undated linear ditches

December 2005. Norfolk NMP.
Linear ditches are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs (S1)-(S3), centred at TG 4588 1511. Their function is unknown, but given their low-lying position, close to Rollesby Broad (NHER 13509), they seem likely to have acted as drainage ditches and/or field boundaries. They cut across and presumably pre-date boundaries and tracks depicted on historic maps, such as Faden’s Map of 1797 (S4) and Rollesby Enclosure Map of 1816 (S5). At the same time, their varied orientation suggests that they are not all of the same date. Some closely spaced, parallel elements, such as those to the northeast and southwest of TG 4594 1497, may represent trackways. It should be noted that while most of the mapped features are likely to be of archaeological origin, a proportion might be the product of more recent agricultural activity.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 19 December 2005.