NHER 43700 (Monument record) - Area of probable post medieval turf extraction

March 2005. Norfolk NMP.
An area of probable post medieval extraction has been identified on aerial photographs within the marshes in-between the River Thurne and Heigham Holmes, Potter Heigham (S1) to (S3). The site is centred on TG 4484 2007 and consists of a concentration of possible former cuttings visible as amorphous shaped darker, wetter and slightly sunken areas on the photographs. These cuttings probably represent the piecemeal extraction of surface peat, turf and clay within land allotments based on doles. A number of the cuttings also have straight edges, such as at TG 4431 1993 and TG 4469 1996. Comparison with the 1801 Potter Heigham Enclosure map (S4) indicates that some of these straight edges line up with the former doles, which were originally narrow strips of common land assigned to a particular individual or family. The elongated allotments marked on the Enclosure map are likely to be a fossilisation of these strips. These spreading of these possible cuttings over several strips may represent the amalgamation of adjacent doles and consolidation of holdings.

To the northeast of the site is a linear area of extraction or possibly the remains of a palaeochannel. The northern end of this feature appears to be canalised and embanked (S2). Given the location the more discrete ‘extraction’ areas could also be natural pools rather than cuttings. A meandering channel is visible running from TG 4559 2122 to TG 4574 2155. The sinuous nature of this feature could suggest that it originated from a natural drainage creek (S3), although it may also have been associated with the ‘Old Drain Mill’ marked at this location on Faden’s map of 1797 (S5). The channel has been recorded individually as NHER 43699. A number of drainage channels are also visible to the west, in particular at TG 4480 1998.
S. Massey (NMP), 29 March 2005.