Record Details
| NHER Number: | 17700 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Possible ridge and furrow or drainage features of medieval or post medieval date |
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Summary
An area of possible ridge and furrow, of medieval and/or post medieval date, is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and has been identified on the ground. The site occupies a small area of wet grassland, to the south of Seething church (NHER 10444). The interpretation of the features as ridge and furrow is uncertain, as the ridges seem to broad even for medieval ridge and furrow, while the land itself seems unsuitable for cultivation. They might perhaps instead represent drainage features, akin to ridge and furrow but not ridge and furrow per se.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TM 3196 9783 |
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| Map Sheet: | TM39NW |
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| Parish: | SEETHING, SOUTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK |
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Full description
Around 1933, precise date unknown.
Norfolk and Norwich Aero Club Air Photography - now destroyed (S1)-(S2).
Earthworks. Possible ridge and furrow.
D. Edwards (NAU) 17 March 1981.
March 2002. Site visited by E. Rose (NLA).
The 'destroyed' on the original entry (above) must refer to the photographs not the earthworks. This is a triangle of former glebe land, very boggy grassland, crossed by seven east-west ridges and hollows. The northern three ridges are each seven paces across, the southern are ten paces. The hollows are full of water. A diagonal footpath crosses from the southwest to the churchyard gate to the north. These features seem too large for ridge and furrow - could they be some sort of floated meadow layout?
However J. Goldsmith (NMS) states that there is a local verbal comfirmation that the field was ploughed with horses until the 1950s. the unusual spacing is put down to the odd shape of the field.
E. Rose (NLA) March 2002.
April 2003.
Broad 'rig' around 3m wide, 0.5m high running east-west in field south of the church. Runs out adjacent to church where ground is almost flat.
H. Paterson (A&E) 30 May 2003.
July 2007. Norfolk NMP.
The possible ridge and furrow described above is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs (S1)-(S4), centred at TM 3196 9785. It is not particularly convincing as either medieval or post medieval ridge and furrow, particularly given the damp nature of the site on which it lies. The site might perhaps instead represent drainage features, akin to ridge and furrow but not ridge and furrow per se. Contrary to the statement given above, there is no evidence on the 1940s and 1950s aerial photographs that the site was ploughed during this period.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 29 July 2007.
Monument Types
- DRAINAGE SYSTEM? (Unknown date)
- RIDGE AND FURROW? (Unknown date)
- RIDGE AND FURROW? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- RIDGE AND FURROW? (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Associated Finds - none
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| --- | Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. |
| <S1> | Oblique Aerial Photograph: Norfolk and Norwich Aeroclub. 1933?. NHER TM 3298A (Norfolk & Norwich Aeroclub) xx-xxx-1933?. |
| <S2> | Oblique Aerial Photograph: Norfolk and Norwich Aeroclub. 1933?. NHER TM 3198A (Norfolk & Norwich Aeroclub) xx-xxx-1933?. |
| <S3> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1945. RAF 106G/UK/930 4077-8 16-OCT-1945 (NMR). |
| <S4> | Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1985. NHER TG 3297A (NLA 160/AYJ2) 26-MAR-1985. |
Related records - none
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