Record Details

NHER Number:38580
Type of record:Monument
Name:Cropmarks representing a probable Bronze Age barrow cemetery

Summary

A probable Bronze Age nucleated round barrow cemetery, comprising three ring ditches, is visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs. Although the identification of the ring ditches as a Bronze Age barrow cemetery is not certain, the site is located in an area notable for its evidence of prehistoric ceremonial and funerary activity, such as the probable Neolithic cursus (NHER 18190) to the south. In addition, it is situated on a spur of land overlooking tributaries of Scarrow Beck, an appropriate location for such a cemetery. Two further ring ditches nearby (NHER 38581 and NHER 12848) were probably outliers to the main cemetery.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 2031 3712
Map Sheet:TG23NW
Parish:SUSTEAD, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

June 2004, Norfolk NMP.
The ring ditches described below were previously recorded as NHER 12848.

Three ring ditches are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs (S1-2), centred at TG 2031 3713. Their morphology and topographical setting, together with their proximity to other prehistoric ceremonial and funerary monuments, suggests that they are most likely to represent the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow cemetery. Two probable outliers to this cemetery have been identified to the southeast (NHER 38581) and southwest (NHER 12848); a third may lie approximately 300m to the west, in an area that has not yet been covered by NMP.

The westernmost ring ditch is the largest and is double ditched. It is roughly circular in plan. Its outer ditch measures approximately 33m in diameter, its inner ditch approximately 23m in diameter. A break in the north side of the outer ditch is the product of the cropmark being masked by a modern field boundary. The two remaining ring ditches are both rather sub-circular in plan. They are both defined by ditches of similar width but vary in size, the larger measuring up to 25m in diameter while the smaller measures 18m. Both appear to surround an internal pit or grave, although these could be geological rather than archaeological features.
See (S1-2).
S. Tremlett (NMP) 7 June 2004.

Monument Types

  • PIT (Unknown date)
  • RING DITCH (Unknown date)
  • BARROW CEMETERY (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • GRAVE (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • PIT (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

  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

<S1>Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A.. 1977. NHER TG 2036H (NLA 53/AKP15) 31-JUL-1977.
<S2>Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A.. 1994. NHER TG 2037N (NLA 344/GZD3 27-JUL-1994.

Related records

12848Related to: Cropmarks of a probable Bronze Age ring ditch/round barrow (Monument)

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