Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

November 2009. Norfolk NMP.
The cropmarks of a possible square ditched enclosure, which may have had a funerary function and dated to the Iron Age or Roman period, are visible on aerial photographs (S1) to the northeast of the Harford Farm excavation area on the Southern Bypass (NHER 9794) (S2). This possible enclosure appears to be positioned within an earlier Bronze Age round barrow (NHER 52284). The Harford Farm excavations recorded six square-ditched funerary enclosures arranged in a linear cemetery, one of which was also within a Bronze Age barrow, see NHER 9794 and 52289 for a detailed discussion of these sites and other new possible examples recorded from aerial photographs within close vicinity of the excavated group. The site is centred on TG 2246 0422. In addition to the main cemetery group (NHER5 2289) other possible examples of square-ditched enclosures identified within this area have been recorded separately under NHER 52316.
This possible additional square-ditched enclosure is only visible on one aerial photograph dating to 1974 (S1) and it must be stated that it is entirely possible that the marks are agricultural in origin, as at least one side of the square is coincidental with the tramlines in the field. However given the similarity of positioning with enclosure 2043 within barrow NHER 52284, it is worthy of recording and in this photo at least (S1) the cropmarks of this possible enclosure and the excavated example to the north, look remarkably similar. The enclosure measures 8.5m across and it located within the western half of the barrow interior. One of the main arguments against this cropmark being archaeological or at least represent the remains of a Iron Age or Roman mortuary enclosure, is that the cropmark mapped overlies the area of the barrow parchmark visible in 1962 (S3), which might reduce the likelihood of a small ditched enclosure dug into the edge of a barrow mound, that has since been ploughed for a considerable length of time surviving sufficiently to produce a cropmark as late as 1974 (S2).
S. Horlock (NMP), 23 November 2009.

Monument Types

• ENCLOSURE (Unknown date)
• MORTUARY STRUCTURE? (Unknown date)
• SQUARE BARROW? (Unknown date)
• SQUARE ENCLOSURE (Unknown date)
• ENCLOSURE (Iron Age - 800 BC? to 42 AD?)
• MORTUARY STRUCTURE? (Iron Age - 800 BC? to 42 AD?)
• SQUARE BARROW? (Iron Age - 800 BC? to 42 AD?)
• SQUARE ENCLOSURE (Iron Age - 800 BC? to 42 AD?)
• ENCLOSURE (Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age - 400 BC? to 42 AD?)
• MORTUARY STRUCTURE? (Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age - 400 BC? to 42 AD?)
• SQUARE BARROW? (Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age - 400 BC? to 42 AD?)
• SQUARE ENCLOSURE (Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age - 400 BC? to 42 AD?)
• ENCLOSURE (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC? to 409 AD?)
• MORTUARY STRUCTURE? (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC? to 409 AD?)
• SQUARE BARROW? (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC? to 409 AD?)
• SQUARE ENCLOSURE (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC? to 409 AD?)
• ENCLOSURE (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
• MORTUARY STRUCTURE? (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
• SQUARE BARROW? (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
• SQUARE ENCLOSURE (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Related records