NHER 43540 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Cropmarks of two ring ditches

April 2006. Norfolk NMP.
Cropmars of two ring ditches of possible Bronze Age date are visible on aerial photographs (S1). These cropmarks are located at TM 3095 8815. The largest of the two ring ditches is centred on TM 3094 8814. It has a sub-circular plan with a narrow ditch and an external diameter of 20m. It is possible that it could relate to a round barrow of possible Bronze Age date. Located 30m to its northeast is a smaller ring ditch, centred on TM 3097 8817. This ring ditch also has a sub-circular plan with a narrow ditch and a 6m external diameter. The diameter of this ring ditch is possibly too small for it to be a Bronze Age round barrow. Small ring ditches, with diameters of less than 10m are sometimes associated with Early Anglo-Saxon graves and this example could be of that date.

This pair of ring ditches are located on the terrace of the River Waveney at approximately 16m OD. Their relationship to each other, in both size and position, is similar to another pair of ring ditches cropmarks located 370m to the southwest (NHER 43611). Other ring ditch cropmarks are located in this area as part of a dispersed barrow cemetery (NHER 435 38-9, 43610-2). The majority of these are likely to relate to Bronze Age round barrows, but two with small diameters of 8m and 10m are also present.
J. Albone (NMP), 12 April 2006