Record Details
| NHER Number: | 5006 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Bronze Age barrows |
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Summary
The site of a Bronze Age round barrow cemetery, which is recorded from historic maps, aerial photographs and field observations, and was first noted in 1936. The majority of the barrows are now largely plough levelled, although some low earthworks may still remain in the woodland and arable areas.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TG 1435 1774 |
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| Map Sheet: | TG11NW |
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| Parish: | SWANNINGTON, BROADLAND, NORFOLK |
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Full description
R. R. Clarke (NCM) notes tumuli marked on 1st edition 1 inch Ordnance Survey map at grid refs TG 1406 1771 (A) (context 1), TG 1411 1776 (B) (context 2), TG 1420 1771 (C) (context 3), TG 1419 1765 (D) (context 4), TG 1441 1789 (E) (context 5), TG 1448 1781 (F) (context 6). However (C) and (D) are not in fact marked on the above map.
R. R. Clarke (NCM), said that only (A) was visible as a low mound in a ploughed field on 30 October 1936 and 19 December 1936.
Site visited by E. Rose (NAU) August 1975 - field where (A) is under kale or similar crop - mound only just visible on slight natural ridge - without R. R. Clarke's (NCM) note I would have hesitated to call it a barrow.
E. Rose (NAU).
1976.
Context 1 = around 30m diam, 20cm high in field of potatoes.
Context 2 = around 24m diam 30cm high, as last. C.6 ?? grassed mound 26m diam, 40cm high with garage on behind lodge house.
No trace of contexts 3, 4 or 5.
A. J. Lawson, June 1976.
June 1986.
Flint blade found on ploughed ground beside path, west of Broom Plantation.
Identified by J. J. Wymer (NAU).
(approx area of barrow A = context 1 Blade context 7).
NCM.
J. J. Wymer (NAU), 15 December 1986.
February 2003.
No evidence of barrows already marked on NHER map. However probable barrow noted in the woodland north of Woodgate House at approximately TG 1432 1770. Measuring around 20m diameter, 0.75m high. A few conifers on the mound. Owner totally disinterested - does not like the idea of burial mounds.
H. Paterson (A&E), 14 February 2003.
The central grid reference for this site has been altered from TG 1425 1774 to TG 1433 1775.
April 2010. Norfolk NMP.
The earthworks and soilmarks of a Bronze Age barrow cemetery are visible on aerial photographs of former heath and woodlands around Upgate House, Swannington (S1-S3). The cemetery is centred on TG 1433 1775 and is located on the valley side overlooking a stream channel to the north. Another two barrow soilmarks have tentatively been identified approximately 300m to the west (NHER 53478).
The soilmarks and slight earthworks of three barrows, possibly four barrows, are visible within the arable field to the west of the woodland (S1-S2). All of these have traces of the ring ditch, over which the mound material has been spread by the plough. The north-western barrow of this group is the least convincing as the lighter area is within a more extensive lighter coloured spread of material. It has been mapped however, due to the possible traces of a ring ditch and a potential low mound. A fifth possible light coloured soilmark and possible earthwork was not mapped at TG 1420 1767 (S1), and this may correspond with context 4, due to the fact that it was not completely convincing and was not visible on other aerial photographs, such as (S2).
The possible mounds tentatively identified within scrub to the northeast of the house are relatively unconvincing (S1) and have been included within the mapping due to the fact that the possible earthworks are broadly coincidental with contexts 5 and 6 that were identified as possible barrows in the 1930s. The mound to the north of the house in the trees cannot be discerned on the aerial photographs due to the tree cover.
The soilmarks, and possible low earthworks, of an additional two barrows were identified to the east of the house (S2). These are much smaller and less convincingly than those to the west. Although these cannot convincingly be identified as earthworks in 1946 (S1) when this area was still heath and scrub vegetation, it must be noted that the trackway alongside the boundary that appears to overlie the easternmost possible barrow, diverts around something at this location, which may be a barrow mound.
S. Horlock (NMP), 26 April 2010.
Monument Types
- MOUND (Unknown date)
- ROUND BARROW (Unknown date)
- BARROW CEMETERY (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
- RING DITCH (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
- ROUND BARROW (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
Associated Finds
- LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
Protected Status
- SHINE
- SHINE
- SHINE
- SHINE
- SHINE
Sources and further reading
| --- | Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. |
| --- | Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Neolithic. Swannington. |
| <S1> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 106G/UK/1428 3110-2 16-APR-1946 (NMR). |
| <S2> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1951. RAF 58/651 4313-4 24-APR-1951 (NMR). |
| <S3> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1969. OS/69251 125-7 13-JUN-1969 (NMR). |
Related records
| 53478 | Related to: Cropmarks of possible Bronze Age round barrows (Monument) |
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