NHER 53221 (Monument record) - Earthworks of medieval to post medieval boundaries and drainage

November 2009. Norfolk NMP.
The earthworks of ditch of possible Roman and/or medieval to post medieval date are visible on aerial photographs (S1-S2) to the northwest of Grove Farm, Poringland. These earthworks whilst forming part of medieval to post medieval land divisions and drainage, could feasibly relate in part to the roadside ditches of a Roman road (NHER 53217) to the immediate east. This section of road forms part of a longer stretch of Roman road (NHER 52298) which runs across the former Poringland Heath and joining with the Roman road to Ditchingham, Stone Street, at Brooke to the southeast. The northwestern end of this road links with the Roman road (NHER 30288) running east from the Roman town of Venta Icenorum. The site is centred on TG 2572 0161.
The site consists of an earthwork ditch that runs parallel to the line of the probable Roman road, 20-25m to the east. It is feasible that the ditch represents the original or marks the line of, a Roman roadside ditch. This spacing is broadly consistent with other sections of Roman roadside ditch, see NHER 30288 and 53218. Between this earthwork ditch and the possible Roman road and post medieval field boundary (NHER 53217) is a series of perpendicular earthwork channels. Whilst it is most likely that all of these features that are visible as earthworks in 1946 (S1), represent part of the post medieval, or even medieval to post medieval, field divisions and drainage, the relationship between the probable Roman road and earthworks could suggest that the main parallel ditch is in origin a Roman roadside ditch or rather the line of this feature may have continued in use or have been incorporated into the later landscape. See NHER 52298 for discussion of the possible continuation of a section of this Roman road to the immediate north into the eighteenth century as a track across Poringland Heath.
Two short sections of possible bank or road are visible as parchmarks in 1996 (S2) have also been included within this site, although it must noted that these may derive from underlying geological patterns.
S. Horlock (NMP), 05 November 2009.