Record Details
| NHER Number: | 36492 |
|---|
| Type of record: | Monument |
|---|
| Name: | Cropmarks of small hengiform monument of possible prehistoric date |
|---|
Summary
A hengiform monument of unknown date is visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs. It may be a small, henge-like monument dating to the late Neolithic to early Bronze Age. Neolithic and Bronze Age material has been recovered from sites to the south of the feature (e.g. NHER 28291 and 6826) and probable Bronze Age round barrows have been identified to the north (e.g. NHER 39001 and 36490). The interpretation of hengiform features is problematic, however, and in the absence of any other dating evidence the possibility that the site represents the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow or a medieval post-mill mound, for example, cannot be ruled out. It is surrounded and respected by a number of linear and curvilinear ditches (NHER 39011), the date and function of which is unclear although many seem to define trackways and field boundaries. It is also respected by the parish boundary between Trunch and Gimingham, suggesting that one was sited in relation to the other.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TG 2743 3553 |
|---|
| Map Sheet: | TG23NE |
|---|
| Parish: | TRUNCH, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK |
|---|
Full description
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE HENGIFORM MONUMENT, THE CROPMARKS DESCRIBED BELOW ARE NOW RECORDED AS NHER 39011.
28 June 1996. NLA air photography.
Cropmark of large hengiform ring ditch with one entrance with bulbous terminals to the southeast, located at NGR TG 2744 3554. The shape of it may imply that is is early in date and related to hengiform monuments, although it may be an elaborate ring ditch with a causeway. A curvilinear feature can be seen to curve around the monument, seemingly respecting it. To the east of this are two parallel linears, which may be forming a wide trackway feature. To the east edge the field is a bizarre curvilinear feature, which looks like a series of re-cut ditches, or a braided track of some sort. This appears to have linears coming off it at perpendicular angles, possibly defining small enclosed areas.
S. Massey (NLA), 8 October 2001.
December 2004. Norfolk NMP.
With the exception of the hengiform monument, the cropmarks described above are now recorded as NHER 39011. NMP mapping has led to the alteration of the central grid reference of the site from TG 2745 3549 to TG 2744 3553.
The hengiform monument described above is visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs (S1), centred at TG 2744 3553. Such sites are difficult to date from their morphology alone, and various interpretations are possible (S2-3). While it may represent the remains of a late Neolithic to early Bronze Age henge-like ceremonial monument, it is equally plausible that it marks the site of a Bronze Age round barrow or a medieval windmill.
The feature is roughly circular in plan and measures up to 26m in diameter. It is defined by a relatively wide ditch, which swells noticeably, to a width of almost 4m, on its north-west side. On the opposing side an entrance is defined by bulbous terminals on each end of the ditch.
(S1-3)
S. Tremlett (NMP), 3 December 2004.
Monument Types
- HENGIFORM MONUMENT (Unknown date)
- RING DITCH (Unknown date)
- HENGIFORM MONUMENT (Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)
- RING DITCH (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
- ROUND BARROW? (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
- WINDMILL MOUND? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
Associated Finds - none
Protected Status
Sources and further reading
| --- | Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1996. TG 2735A - E. |
| <S1> | Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1996. NHER TG 2735A-B (NLA 365/JFJ4-5) 28-JUN-1996. |
| <S2> | Monograph: Wilson, D.R.. 2000. Air Photo Interpretation for Archaeologists.. p 94. |
| <S3> | Article in Serial: Brown, N. & Germany, M.. 2002. Jousting at Windmills? The Essex Cropmark Enclosures Project.. Essex Archaeology and History. Vol 33, pp 8-53. |
Related records - none
Find out more...