Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

25 July 1986. NAU aerial photography (S1).
Cropmarks of moat.

August 2006. Aerial Photograph Interpretation.
The site was visible as a square enclosure on aerial photographs during an evaluation of the Brandon Bypass outer study area.
See (S2) and report (S3).
S. Howard (NLA), 8 January 2010.

February 2017. 'Brecks from Above' and Breckland National Mapping Programme.
The former earthworks and cropmarks of this large square enclosure and/or moat of probable medieval date are visible on the aerial photographs (S4-S12). It is feasible that this moat and associated enclosure could represent an earlier manorial site proceeding the construction of 12th century Weeting Castle to the north (NHER 5626). Excavations to the northwest of the main enclosure/moat (NHER 37513) revealed late Saxon activity and pits and ditches of medieval date. The site has been extended considerably [1] to include a complex area of enclosures, boundaries and routeways, which would appear to be associated with this enclosure. To the north the features were potentially contiguous with those recorded under (NHER 5633) – and as such the boundary between the two areas of former earthworks is fairly arbitrary – and those more fragmentary features under NHER 61519 may also be broadly contemporary. The trackway running through the area of earthworks has been recorded under NHER 61519.
The site has previously been interpreted as a moat, or at least a similar medieval enclosure and this does seem the most likely interpretation. However it must be borne in mind that there is a lot of Roman activity in this area and the site sits within a wider landscape of boundaries and tracks (NHER 5636, NHER 5638, and NHER 62014) which appears to include both Roman and medieval land divisions and it is hard to confidently separate and date many individual components of it. It is therefore likely that some of the features recorded within this site are pre-medieval in date.
The ditched enclosure (Context 1) is approximately 65m square. This ditch is surrounded by an outer bank and in places a second, outer ditch. Evidence of internal divisions and pits are visible within the enclosure. Two irregular sunken areas within the northern sector (S10) are also apparent, but a non-archaeological origin is possible. The square enclosure sits within a larger enclosed area, in part defined by trackways. Two smaller rectilinear enclosures also appear to abut the main enclosure. An angular negative cropmark within a sub-circular sunken area (S10) to the south of the main enclosure, may represent a former building. A number of possible platforms have also been identified, however the presence of periglacial frost mounds in the area makes a definite archaeological attribution problematic. Some of the boundaries and pond mapped to the south of the Old Rectory may all be post-medieval in date – however they have been included as some may have medieval origins.
S. Horlock (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 10 February 2017.

Monument Types

• BOUNDARY DITCH (Unknown date)
• BUILDING? (Unknown date)
• MOAT (Unknown date)
• RECTILINEAR ENCLOSURE (Unknown date)
• SQUARE ENCLOSURE (Unknown date)
• TRACKWAY (Unknown date)
• BOUNDARY DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BUILDING PLATFORM? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BUILDING? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FISHPOND? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD?)
• HOLLOW WAY (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• MOAT? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PLATFORM? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POND (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD? to 1900 AD)
• RECTILINEAR ENCLOSURE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• SQUARE ENCLOSURE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• TRACKWAY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Related records

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Weeting with Broomhill (Parish Summary)