Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

Various earthwork and cropmark features, the majority originally recorded under NHER 4380. It should be noted when reading the early descriptions of these features that they were recorded prior to the construction of the A11 Attleborough bypass. Minor corrections for clarity have been made where appropriate.

Earthwork bank noticed by R. R. Clarke (NCM) - suggested as a continuation of the Roman road south-west of Attleborough (NHER 6116).
Information from (S1).
Previously recorded under NHER 4380.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 April 2021.

June 1974. Field Observation.
Earthworks noted by C. J. S. Green in meadows from TM 0586 9635 to TM 0629 9728. Bank with ditch on south-east side running parallel to [former] A11 and continuing to north-east. Bank about 10m wide. Possibly medieval or post-medieval enclosure boundaries, but these could be following line of Roman road.
Information from (S1).
Previously recorded under NHER 4380.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 April 2021.

December 1975. Field Observation.
Visit by E. Rose just south of Fiddes Farm by layby.
The is certainly a wide bank with apparently two ditches parallel with the road [old A11] - very like a Roman road. Earthworks of old field boundaries on top of bank near farm.
Compiled by E. Rose (NAU), 18 December 1975. Information from (S1).
Previously recorded under NHER 4380.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 April 2021.

1978.
Air photography for NCC Highways by J Storey and Partners.
Linear ditches of field boundaries and enclosures/trackways/ditches visible on photographs (S2) and (S3).
Compiled by D. Edwards (NAU), 4 June 1982. Information from (S1).
Previously recorded under NHER 4380.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 April 2021.

1982.
Photographs noted above show the bank and show that it changes alignment at the same point as the [former] A11, which must throw doubt on the suggested Roman date.
Compiled by E. Rose (NAU), 7 June 1982. Information from (S1).
Previously recorded under NHER 4380.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 April 2021.

September 1983. Excavation.
Excavation on line of main north-east to south-west aligned bank feature ahead of construction of Attleborough bypass.
This revealed a chalk surface and two associated ditches.
See NHER 4380 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 April 2021.

1998.
The south-western area of cropmarks, beyond the south-west end of the bank, include what seems to be a curving former stretch of the [original] Norwich Road, and a section of what may be a more probable, east-to-west aligned Roman road (recorded as NHER 33952).
Compiled by E. Rose (NAU), 5 November 1998.
Previously recorded under NHER 4380.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 April 2021.

May 2012. Norfolk NMP.
An undated bank and ditches survive as earthworks and are visible on aerial photographs (S4)-(S10), along with cropmarks of undated field boundaries, enclosures and trackways. It is possible that at least some of these features may be part of a Roman Road, as described in NHER 4380, but it they have been recorded separately as it seems that they were later in date than the east west Roman road to the south (NHER 33952), and many of the features may relate to post medieval field boundaries and/or drainage features.
The site is centred on TM 0591 9660, and there is a possibility that the ditch feature that forms the eastern edge of the site may be an off-shoot of the Roman road NHER 33952. However, the majority of the ditch cropmarks, and the substantial earthworks visible perpendicular to the eastern ditch do seem to represent post medieval drainage features.
E. Bales (NMP), 15th May 2012.

NHER 54747 includes all of the earthworks originally recorded under NHER 4380 and covers virtually the entirety of the original mapped extent of this earlier record (which has now been reduced in both scope and size). The one exception is a narrow strip between TM 0629 9729 and TM 0618 9708, which was where the northernmost section of the bank thought to represent a Roman road had originally been mapped. It appears that no identifiable earthworks or cropmarks are visible in this area on the aerial photographs consulted.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 April 2021.

2014. Earthwork Survey, Geophysical Survey and Desk-based Assessment.
Evaluation of land between the A11 and the Norwich Road.
Although a magnetometer survey revealed little evidence for these features, an earth resistance survey identified a number of corresponding anomalies.
Cartographic research undertaken as part of a subsequent desk-based assessment suggested that many of these features were associated with post-medieval boundaries. The majority can be seen to correspond with boundaries depicted on a map of 1812 (S11), including north-west to south-east and north-east to south-west aligned features that converge at the point where they meet the line of the probable Roman or medieval road (NHER 33952). The route of the road itself appears to been fossilised in the line of an east-to-west aligned boundary that extended eastwards from this junction. The features running roughly parallel to the Norwich Road also appear to correspond with a boundary depicted on this map, which Faden’s map of 1797 (S12) suggests may have been associated with the edge of Attleborough and Besthorpe Great Common.
A curving feature at the northern edge for site appears to be of slightly later date, corresponding with a field boundary shown for the first time on the Attleborough tithe map of 1838 (S13). A features associated with this boundary was also identified by the geophysical survey and it also corresponds with a break of slope identified by the earthwork survey.
See reports (S14)-(S16) and NHER 4380 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 18 April 2021.

January-February 2015. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site between A11 and the Norwich Road.
This work saw the investigation of several of these cropmark/earthwork features, including a slightly curving north-east to south-west aligned linear anomaly at the southern end of the site (which appears to have merged with the line of the east-to-west aligned road at its eastern end) and at least two features in the north-eastern half of the site. All were found to be associated with reasonably substantial ditches, although unfortunately no dating evidence was recovered.
The ditches in the north-eastern half of the site contained peaty lower fills and produced environmental evidence indicative of shallow standing water in a well-vegetated environment.
See NHER 4380 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 18 April 2021.

December 2020. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of field to west of area investigated in 2014-2015 (see above).
This work revealed sub-surface remains associated with the north-to-south and north-east to south-west aligned cropmark/earthwork features recorded at the eastern end of this field. Although no dating evidence was recovered there is evidence that the former was associated with an earlier phases of activity – being perpendicular to the line of what now appears to have probably been a medieval road (NHER 33952) and not associated with any of the former boundaries depicted on 19th-century maps.
See NHER 64863 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 18 April 2021.

Monument Types

• ROAD (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
• FIELD BOUNDARY? (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• FIELD SYSTEM? (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• DRAINAGE DITCH (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

• SHINE
• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Related records