NHER 45188 (Monument record) - Cropmarks of enclosures and fragmentary field boundaries of possible late prehistoric to Roman date

October 2006. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of enclosures, trackways and fragmentary field boundaries of possible late prehistoric to Roman date are visible on aerial photographs covering a large area from Browston Hall in the northwest to Sidegate Farm in the southeast, Belton with Browston and Hopton on Sea (S1-S11). These cropmarks are located within an extremely complex area of cropmarks dating from the late prehistoric onwards. The site is centred on TG 5059 0138.

The majority of the ditches are aligned NW-SE or NE-SW and it is possible that these are fragments of dispersed field system or phase of boundaries. The arrangement and alignment of these ditches and field boundaries is similar to those recorded under NHER 43494, to the east, and 45052, to the northeast, which have both been interpreted as being late prehistoric to Roman in date. The cropmarks recorded under NHER 45159 to the immediate east of the site may represent a continuation of the same site. A number of prehistoric, Iron Age and Roman finds have been recovered within the area of this site (NHER 11551, 20920 and 31305). These fragmentary ditches appear to represent a system of boundaries and fields that underlie a more major field system (NHER 45174), which although undated, may be of Roman or medieval date.

There are two concentrations of field boundaries within the site, one to the southeast at TG 5103 0126 and another to the northwest at TG 5025 0168. A trackway runs through this northern area from TG 5036 0161 to TG 5016 0177. It is 5-7m wide and defined by a broad ditch to the west and by two narrow, closely-set ditches to the east. A second trackway or multiple ditched boundary runs to the immediate north, defined by 2-3 ditches, between 7m and 10m apart. Both of these trackways run alongside the two Bronze Age round barrows centred on TG 5034 0168 (NHER 17225). A series of ditches and boundaries appear to abut up to the trackways, forming a number of enclosed strips and spaces, varying from 3.5m by 18m to 35m by 40m in size. To the immediate south of this pair of trackways is a third, more sinuous and irregular track (NHER 43544), which has tentatively interpreted as being prehistoric in date. It is also possible that all the trackways were in use at the same time, although the NHER 43544 may be an earlier landscape feature that has influenced the route of the northern two. It is possible that they represent a recutting of the route at a later date. A third trackway section is located approx 275m to the west (NHER 45178) and it is not clear whether this represents a continuation of either of these trackways or NHER 43544. To the south at TG 5058 0104 a number of ditches following the general alignment of the site appear to abut up to this longer trackway (NHER 4354), although it is also possible that these boundaries, which are visible to either side of the trackway, were originally continuous and that the trackway represents a later route that cuts across the boundary.

At TG 5041 0166, to the immediate south of the Bronze Age round barrows (NHER 17225), is a possible polygonal or rectilinear enclosure defined by a series of narrow ditches and segments of broader ditch or elongated pits, measuring approximately 65m by 40m (S7). However the cropmarks are quite faint and poorly defined. In the corner of the same field are a series of rectilinear cropmarks that were interpreted as being geological in origin and it is therefore possible that the other geological cropmarks in this area have been misinterpreted as being archaeological. To the extreme north of the site at TG 5015 0204 is a small square or oblong enclosure, 13.5m across (S6). This is located to the immediate south of another area of fragmentary field boundaries interpreted as being possible late prehistoric in date (NHER 45193). It is possible that some elements of the two sites are contemporary.
S. Massey (NMP), 23 October 2006.

May 2018. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed route of Lound to Gorleston Water Pipeline.
A trench placed across the north-west to south-east aligned probable trackway at TG 5029 0167 found that all three of the mapped cropmarks were associated with surviving ditches, although unfortunately no dating evidence was recovered.
See NHER 63598 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 2 October 2019.

June to September 2018. Excavation.
Additional fieldwork undertaken immediately prior to and during installation of Lound to Gorleston Water Pipeline.
This phase of work saw further investigation of the parallel pair of probable trackway ditches at TG 5029 0167 and also exposed a ditch associated with a similarly-aligned cropmark at TG 5029 0173. Although no finds were recovered, radiocarbon dating suggested that they were probably associated with the final stages of an Iron Age phase of activity at this location. Charcoal recovered from one of the trackway ditches (recorded as having a particularly charcoal-rich fill) produced a radiocarbon date of 45 cal BC – 61 cal AD at 95% probability (SUERC-85407; 1992 +/-24 BP) and a date of 23-128 cal AD at 95% probability (SUERC-85408 - 1929+/-24 BP) was obtained from charcoal present in the parallel ditch to the north.
See NHER 63728 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 17 October 2019.

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 (S12) for further details.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk County Council Environment Team), 22 March 2023.