NHER 50589 (Monument record) - Medieval ridge and furrow, other agricultural features and possible enclosures or tofts

The Norfolk Heritage Explorer is a filtered version of the Norfolk HER intended for casual research. Please to consult the full record.

See also further .

Summary

The earthworks of extensive medieval ridge and furrow, other agricultural features and possible enclosures or tofts are visible on aerial photographs surrounding Manor Farm, Tottenhill. Only a small area of earthworks ridge and furrow remain to the southwest of the site. The remainder of the site has been plough levelled and converted to arable cultivation.

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Location

Map sheet TF61SW
Civil Parish TOTTENHILL, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Map

Ridge and furrow, running east to west, terminating in bank on east.
Ordnance Survey card 1971 from informant.

February 1987.
Still extant, but under threat of removal.
Ridge and furrow shown in surrounding fields on RAF aerial photographs now all gone.
R. Silvester (NAU), February 1987.

Area extended to take in the cropmarks, the extant earthworks are in the field immediately northeast of Thieves Bridge.
E. Rose (NAU), 7 August 1989.

Ridge and furrow still extant in two fields northeast of Thieves Bridge. Under rough pasture, grazed in summer months.
H. Paterson (NLA), 2 April 1996.

December 1997. Earthwork Survey.
Survey at 1:2500 and report on the surviving ridge and furrow.
See report (S1) for further details and plan. This site was included in (S7) and the results of the survey are also noted in (S8).
B. Cushion (NLA), 8 December 1997. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 13 August 2015.

September 2007. ALSF NHER Enhancement Sub-Unit D.
The finds from this site are recorded as NHER 14426.
M. Dennis (NLA), 13 Septemeber 2007.

March 2008. Norfolk NMP.
The earthworks of extensive medieval ridge and furrow, other agricultural features and possible enclosures or tofts are visible on aerial photographs surrounding Manor Farm, Tottenhill (S2-S6). Only a small area of earthworks ridge and furrow remain to the southwest of the site. The remainder of the site has been plough levelled and converted to arable cultivation). The site is centred on TF 6411 1064.

The earthworks at the site fall broadly into two categories. Those to the west and southwest consist of relatively small and irregular shaped areas of curvilinear ridge and furrow. The eastern and northern part of the site, that nearest to Manor Farm, consists of straight elongated parcels of land, defined by boundary ditches, with possible straight ridge and furrow running along the strips. It is probable that these straighter strips of land represent a later development at the site. A series of rectangular enclosed areas and possible platforms can be identified to the immediate east of Meadow Farm and it is possible that these represent the former position of tofts.
S. Massey (NMP), 14 February 2008.

  • --- Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 61 SW 15.
  • --- Secondary File: Secondary File.
  • --- Vertical Aerial Photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photography from the Historic England Archive. RAF/106G/UK/69/857 7207.
  • <S1> Unpublished Report: Cushion, B. 1997. Tottenhill. Earthwork Survey Report.
  • <S2> Vertical Aerial Photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photography from the Historic England Archive. RAF/106G/UK/1427 4439-4440 16-APR-1946.
  • <S3> Vertical Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1970. Norfolk Air Photo Library: Ordnance Survey Vertical Collection. 76125/556-557; 01-JUL-1976.
  • <S4> Oblique Aerial Photograph: Various. ? - 2020. Norfolk Air Photo Library: Oblique Collection. TF6310/N-P; 28-JUL-1977 (ADAS/MAAF (Cambridge) /(MAAF) 77-182 34-35 PAN).
  • <S5> Oblique Aerial Photograph: Various. ? - 2020. Norfolk Air Photo Library: Oblique Collection. TF6310/U; 15-OCT-1982 (CUCAP /(CUCAP) RC8-EV 194).
  • <S6> Vertical Aerial Photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photography from the Historic England Archive. OS/80063 029-030 10-MAY-1980.
  • <S7> Monograph: Cushion, B. and Davison, A. 2003. Earthworks of Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. No 104. p 207.
  • <S8> Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 1998. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1997. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIII Pt I pp 193-210. p 207.

Object Types (0)

Record last edited

Apr 15 2025 9:40AM

Comments and Feedback

Your feedback is welcome; if you can provide any new information about this record, please contact the Norfolk Historic Environment Record.