Monument record COR 014 - Cropmarks and soilmarks of a field system of unknown but possible Roman date

Complex rectilinear field system. There are two ring ditches in the area of the system but neither is respected by the system, the larger (COR 015) is crossed by ditches, the smaller (COR 016) is in a blank area (S1).
Field system with probable trackways visible on aerial photographs of 1976 (S2,S3) and 1977 (S4). Larger ring ditch visible on these photos, but smaller one is not. Another possible curvilinear features is visible at TM53099832, but it is not clear what the exact nature of this feature is.
The field system cropmarks appear to continue into the field directly to the north on a photograph of 1996 (see COR 012) (S5) and is probably related to cropmarks visible in a field to the south west but these are out of the area of the current project (see S6 and COR 003).

January 2014. Lothingland, Lowestoft and North Suffolk Coast and Heaths National Mapping Programme.
Further assessment of aerial photographs for this site has revealed additional cropmarks and significant new soilmarks (S7-S9) and additional unmapped features on (S7), which would suggest that the area previously defined by the boundary ditches was also demarcated by banks, turf walls or hedges. One small component of these features were still earthwork in the 1960s (S7) at TM 5319 9824. Further possible detail on the cropmarks mapped previously may be visible in 2006 (S9), but has not been added as it is outside of the current project area. Another possible area of soilmarks may have been visible to th west at TM 5277 9836 on (S8), but were not mapped due to uncertainty over their archaeological origin.
These fields and enclosures form part of a larger system already recorded under COR 012. The field system appears to form a continuation or extension of the extensive co-axial field system recorded to the north in Norfolk (NHER 43495) – or at least orientated and arranged in the same manner. The extensive fields and enclosures recorded to the west (LUD 016) are also aligned the same and are likely to be broadly contemporary. A Roman date has been put forward for both these areas of fields, although further assessment is needed. The survival of the bank, turf or hedge material well enough to show as soilmarks at this location may relate to this part of the field system being shown as woodland on Hodskinson’s map of 1783 (S9). The fields to the north (COR 012) are shown as being predominantly on common, as are the dense strip of fields to the north in Norfolk (NHER 43495).
S. Horlock (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 28th January 2014.

March 2023. Assessment of the Character and Significance of East Anglian Field Systems project.
The site described above was included in the dataset analysed for the Historic England-funded Assessment of East Anglian Field Systems project. See the project report (S11) for further details.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk County Council Environment Team), 21 March 2023.