NHER 54676 (Monument record) - Cropmarks of uncertain archaeological origin and significance

April 2012. Norfolk NMP.
Cropmarks of uncertain archaeological origin and significance are visible on aerial photographs to the south of ‘The Street’ Ashwellthorpe (S1). The site is centred on TM 1396 9743. The traces of possible ditches and a small potential ring ditch, were tentatively identified on aerial photographs from 1946 (S1). Additional cropmark ditches were also recorded from 1999 Google Earth imagery (S2). Other less convincing cropmarks were identified, but not mapped, but their location was included within the site polygon. The site is located within close proximity to two find scatters including significant amounts of Roman material (NHER 30275 and 30430). This could suggest that the cropmarks relate to activity of this date, however it must also be noted that at least some of the parallel ‘ditches’ mapped could feasibly relate to the underlying drainage system detected during geophysical survey of the northwestern part of the site, see NHER 52621 for details, which follows a similar orientation. It is also possible that the apparent ring ditch may also relate to an agricultural mark of relatively recent origin.
S. Horlock (NMP), 12 April 2012.