Monument record WSW 207 - Multi period banks, ditches and field systems most likely relating to settlement activity.

This record is for the settlement evidence recorded by the Breckland National Mapping Programme survey relating to settlement activity around West Stow. For settlement evidence recorded from excavations at West Stow Anglo-Saxon settlement see WSW 002 and WSW 030

October 2019. Breckland National Mapping Programme.
Multi period banks, ditches, ring ditches, braded trackways and strip fields most likely relating to settlement activity are seen as earthworks on aerial photographs and visualised lidar data (S1-S4). At TL 7940 7145 probable strip fields can be seen as earthworks in the 1940s. The strip fields consist of boundary banks in-between areas of ridge and furrow with a further possible area of low ridge and furrow recorded to the south east (located at TL 7967 7134). The strip fields and ridge and furrow are most likely medieval in date and can be seen as earthworks until the 1970s when they are presumed to be levelled. A ring ditch with small sections of possible interior bank is seen as an earthwork in the 1940s (centred at TL 7947 7152). The feature is surrounded by braded trackways and it is difficult to tell from the aerial sources alone whether the braded trackways overlay or cut the ring ditch. It is therefore possible that the ring ditch may be earlier than surrounding the trackways. The date and function of the ring ditch is unknown; However, there are large number of multiperiod finds and features found through excavations (for example WSW 002 and WSW 030) in the surrounding area and it is therefore possible that ring ditch may be Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Saxon or post medieval in date. The ring ditch can be seen as an earthwork until the 1970s when the feature is presumed to be levelled. A further possible small ring ditch is located at TL 8033 7152 However, this feature is most likely geological in origin. Sections of braded trackways can be seen across the area with some of trackways surviving as earthworks on the visualised lidar data. The braded trackways are most likely medieval to post medieval in date and have been mapped by extent of area due to the large amount of ditches. The banks and ditches centred at TL 8032 7153 most likely relate to possible medieval to post medieval boundaries, fields boundaries and trackways and can be seen on the visualised lidar data. There is also a large amount of geological earthworks in close proximity to the possible boundaries and it is possible that some of the mapped features may be geological in origin.
J.Powell (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 08th October 2019.