NHER 52429 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Bronze Age round barrow and possible medieval mill mound

December 2009. Norfolk NMP.
The earthworks, cropmarks and soilmarks of a Bronze Age round barrow are visible on aerial photographs on a slight promontory of higher land in Howe (S1-S3). The site is centred on TG 2736 0042. The monument forms part of a linear Bronze Age barrow cemetery (NHER 52421), see NHER 52421 for a wider discussion of the group. This monument, which still survived as an earthwork, may have been utilised as a windmill mound or building platform as the site appears to show evidence of having been modified or reused.
The monument consists of a slightly oval mound, 18m by 22m. This is visible as a low earthwork, cropmarks and soilmarks (S1-S3). This is surrounded by a broad ditch, up to 6m in places, which has an angular plan, see below discussion of possible modification of this ditch. A possible outer ring ditch could feasibly also have existed, suggested by a stretch of ditch to the north of the modern field boundary (S3). If this had been a continuous encircling ditch it would have been 65m in diameter. The cropmarks of a ring ditch, 12m across, may be visible within the mound (S3). This may an original feature, possibly a ditch encircling a central burial, predating the construction of the larger mound. The possible traces of a cross-shaped feature within the ring ditch may indicate that this barrow mound was modified for use as a medieval or medieval to post medieval postmill mound. The slightly unusual, broad and angular appearance of the outer ring ditch may also be the result of modification of the prehistoric ditch.
S. Horlock (NMP), 29 December 2009.