NHER 49278 (Monument record) - Cropmarks of undated and medieval to post medieval field boundaries, enclosures and trackways

March 2007. Norfolk NMP
Cropmarks of undated and medieval to post medieval enclosures and field boundaries are visible on aerial photographs (S1). These cropmarks are centred on TG 3802 1775. Three adjoining incomplete rectilinear enclosures are located at TG 3814 1771. They lie on a northwest to southeast axis and measure 37m long by between 19m and at least 23m wide. A linear ditch extends to the northeast from the enclosures. The date and function of these enclosures is unknown, but it is possible that they are in some way connected with Ludham Hall, a medieval palace of the Bishops of Norwich, which lies immediately to the south (NHER 8454). However, the alignment of the enclosures and the ditch to their northeast is slightly different to a track called ‘The Walk’ which leads to the Hall and is marked on Faden’s 1797 county map (S2). The 1842 Ludham tithe map (S3) shows that the enclosures would have lain to the southwest of a track leading to the northwest from The Walk, but the enclosures themselves were not shown.
To the west of Ludham Hall are a group of linear ditch cropmarks. Parallel double ditches extend to the southwest from the northwest corner of the modern hall grounds and appear to define a road or trackway. It is possible that ‘The Walk’ linked to leading towards Johnson Street to the southwest. This possible road is not shown on Faden’s map and is probably of medieval date. Cutting across this road are a series of linear ditch cropmarks. The majority of these are aligned roughly north to south and it is likely that they are field boundaries of unknown and medieval to post medieval date.
To the north of Ludham Hall are further field boundary ditch cropmarks. These include a large trapezoidal field or enclosure which lies adjacent to The Walk. It measures 406m long by 184m wide and cuts across, or is cut by, the group of three rectilinear enclosures. Part of its northwest side is defined by a double ditch or trackway. It is possible that it formed part of a much larger polygonal enclosure that extended to the southeast of The Walk, but no cropmarks were observed to confirm this. It is also crossed by several field boundary ditch cropmarks of possible medieval to post medieval date and it is probable that the enclosure is of pre-medieval date. Also cutting across the trapezoidal enclosure are cropmarks of a possible trackway on a northwest to southeast alignment. It is likely that some of the cropmarks in this group relate to the former Bishops’ palace at Ludham Hall. It is not clear if the palace or later hall had any associated park, gardens or grounds which might have been defined by any of the ditch cropmarks in this group. Some of the cropmarks appear to relate to medieval or post medieval field boundaries and other may well be of a pre-medieval date. Cropmarks of field boundary ditches that corresponded directly with those shown on the Ludham tithe map (S3) were not mapped.
J. Albone (NMP), 23 March 2007