Record Details
| NHER Number: | 13719 |
|---|
| Type of record: | Monument |
|---|
| Name: | Bronze Age round barrow on West Tofts Heath |
|---|
Summary
A probable Bronze Age round barrow survives as an earthwork within woodland on West Tofts Heath. Site visits have established that the barrow stands 1.5m high and measures 29m in diameter. There is a slight depression in the centre of the mound. It is also visible on aerial photographs, and clearly visible on lidar data flown in 2015, suggesting it remains a prominent, well-defined earthwork. It is encompassed by a circular bank, shown as a plantation bank on 19th-century maps. While this could represent an outer bank relating to and contemporary with the barrow, it is more likely to be a post medieval feature.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TL 8455 8960 |
|---|
| Map Sheet: | TL88NW |
|---|
| Parish: | LYNFORD, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK |
|---|
Full description
Mound, probably barrow.
29m diameter 1.5m high covered with hardwood trees in conifer plantation. Slight depression in centre.
A.J. Lawson (NAU), June 1978.
First reported by Forestry Commission in May 1978.
Grid reference corrected by J. Wymer (NAU), April 1984.
Trees removed 1987 by storm and by felling.
Sand exposed at top of ditch filling.
J. Wymer (NAU), 11 December 1987.
16 March 1999. Site visit.
Barrow as before, but cleared except for bracken and two trees on its western edge. Slight hollow in top. A prominent mound which must be a barrow.
D. Gurney (NLA), 16 March 1999.
July 2016. 'Brecks from Above' and Breckland National Mapping Programme.
The probable Bronze Age round barrow described above is clearly visible on lidar data flown in 2015 (S2), suggesting it remains a prominent, well-defined earthwork. The grid reference for the site has been corrected from TL 8456 8957 to TL 8456 8960 [1]. As well as the mound, traces of a possible external ditch are also visible.
The entire site is encompassed by a circular bank, set back from the mound by about 25m. This is shown as a plantation bank on 19th-century maps, including the Tithe Map (S3). While it could represent an outer bank contemporary with the barrow, it is equally - or perhaps more - likely to be a post medieval feature. Another, more irregular plantation bank is also visible, again on lidar, a short distance to the south, but this too is shown on 19th century maps and has not been mapped.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 2 July 2016.
Monument Types
- BARROW (Unknown date)
- MOUND (Unknown date)
- RING DITCH (Unknown date)
- MOUND (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 - none
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| --- | Unpublished Report: Wymer, J. 1988. A Further Report on the Condition of Barrows in the County and the Question of their Preservation. |
| --- | Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. |
| <S1> | Photograph: EMC 9, CXT 12. |
| <S2>XY | LIDAR Airborne Survey: Various. LIDAR Airborne Survey. LIDAR Santon Forest Research 0.5m DTM 15-JUL-2015 (BNG Project, FC England, Fugro Geospatial). [Mapped feature: #63845 Extent of earthworks as mapped from Lidar data., ENF140914] |
| <S3> | Map: Tithe map. |
Related records - none
Find out more...