NHER 43501 (Monument record) - The cropmarks of a probable prehistoric trackway

April 2006. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of a probable prehistoric trackway are visible on aerial photographs to either side of the Lowestoft Road (A12), Hopton-on-Sea (S1-S3). This trackway follows a sinuous course and to the north it appears to have been straightened and incorporated into a planned Roman field system, see NHER 43495 for details. The whole of the trackway appears to form the western boundary for the planned fields and enclosures. Another sinuous trackway is visible 500m to the north (NHER 43529) and it probable that the two trackways were originally part of the same system. This northern trackway has been proved by excavation to have been recut and potentially represented a long history of use. Finds of a Bronze Age and Iron Age date were recovered from the ditches, although this dating evidence was not considered conclusive, see NHER 43529 and 11788 for details. These cropmarks were originally recorded under NHER 11788, see this record for details of nearby finds and excavations.

The site is centred on TG 5215 0120. The trackway is visible in two main sections, which are cut by the Lowestoft Road, from TG 5198 0148 to TG 5216 0118 and from TG 5224 0088 to TG 5219 0109. Although this southern section is only visible as one sinuous linear ditch, rather than a double ditched. It is assumed that this is part of the same feature due to the comparable course. The width of the trackway varies from to 11m to 16m. The trackway is defined by two roughly parallel ditches, 1-2m in width. The northern, straighter section (recorded under NHER 43495) showed traces of associated banks running alongside the ditches. No evidence of this was visible along the southern sinuous section. The northern trackway (NHER 43529) also revealed evidence of an associated bank. This trackway also shows much evidence of the ditches being recut and altered over time. It is possible that this trackway is either older or survived as an active route over a longer period of time. It seems likely that these two trackways were originally linked. The potential point of convergence is obscured by modern A12 road to the south of Wyncroft houses at TG 5217 0121. The course of this southern trackway mirrors that of the northern, more substantial linear; both have an almost S-shaped route. A similar long-distance and sinuous trackway is visible approximately 1.6km to the west (NHER 43544).

The trackway runs across a slight plateau, with the land gently sloping down to the south-west towards the Fritton valley. The trackway appears to head towards a former river valley, which ran SW-NE across the area from Valley Farm to the coast. The course of the former channel is clearly visible on the aerial photographs. No definite sign of the trackway can be identified south of this former valley, although it is possible that it is masked by the modern course of the A12. However a third sinuous trackway is also visible 480m to the southwest (NHER 43530). Given the positioning and direction it seems more likely that the northern trackway originally curved round to the southeast and joined with this shorter section. The area in-between these two sections of trackway is covered by the Roman fields and/or enclosures and this may have obliterated any substantial traces of the ditches. However there are two sections of curvilinear ditch running from TG 5251 0059 to TG 5244 0069, which do not appear to fit into the Roman system particularly well and these are roughly aligned in-between the two sections of sinuous trackways. It is possible that these represent the former linked section of the track, see NHER 43530 for details. The northern section of the trackway appears to have been incorporated into the later system of fields and enclosures and the southern section abandoned.

Given the relationship of the trackways to the surrounding archaeological landscape it must be assumed that these trackways are pre-Roman in date. The Bronze Age and Iron Age material excavated from the fill of NHER 43529 would also indicate a prehistoric date. However it is possible that this material was residual in the fill of the ditches. A considerable amount of Bronze Age material has been recovered near to the trackway (NHER 11788). Additionally fieldwalking and excavations to the immediate west of the main northern trackway (NHER 43529) have revealed later Neolithic and Bronze Age activity, possibly indicating an area of open settlement. Although the nature of this is not clear as the assemblages were considered to be more representative of structured deposition rather than typical ‘domestic’ refuse (S4: p17). This part of Lothingland has also produced masses of cropmark evidence for Bronze Age barrows, in particular the major cemeteries to the south, see NHER 43526-7 for discussion. The course of this trackway appears to run in-between two round barrows (NHER 43515, 43557). The northern trackway (43529) also appears to run in-between a possible Bronze Age barrow group (NHER 43551) and runs past a number of potential Bronze Age barrows (NHER 43516, 43552-3). The trackway to the 1.6km to the west (NHER 43544) again appears to run in-between a major barrow group (NHER 17225). It is therefore possible that this elaborate system of trackways is sited upon earlier Bronze Age barrows, which would have been important elements of the landscape, both socially and visually. The two main trackways (43529 and 43544) run almost parallel to one another, running NW-SE across this area. They would appear to be dividing the landscape of the former island of Lothingland using existing monuments as their reference points.

It is possible that the line of this trackway continued in use or at least persisted as a boundary well into the historic period, as part of the trackway appears to match up with the edge of Gorleston Common on the 1873 Hodskinson map, see NHER 45158 for details. It is also possible that this trackway, which appears to form the boundary between the enclosed and unenclosed land in the Roman period, persisted into the historic period.
S. Massey (NMP), 11 April 2006.

March 2023. Assessment of the Character and Significance of East Anglian Field Systems project.
The site described above was included in the dataset analysed for the Historic England-funded Assessment of East Anglian Field Systems project. See the project report (S6) for further details.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk County Council Environment Team), 22 March 2023.