Monument record CAC 067 - Site of medieval to post medieval features associated with Carlton Hall

July 2014. Lothingland, Lowestoft and North Suffolk Coast and Heaths National Mapping Programme.
The soilmarks of probable medieval to post medieval boundaries and land divisions surrounding the site of Carlton Hall, are visible on aerial photographs (S1-S4). Historic maps unsurprisingly suggest the former presence of a park around the Hall (S5) and the features visible may relate to former landscaping and boundaries within the park. The presence of possible green-edge settlement along the eastern edge of the park, alongside Hollow Lane, has been suggested (S5) but not conclusive evidence for these sorts of features was identified; however see CAC 063 for discussion. Developer funded work in this area has indicated that there is a thick masking layer of sub-soil over some parts of the site (S5-S6) and this may be reducing the likelihood of features being visible on the aerial photographs.
Despite the wealth of archaeological features recorded for this site through developer funded work, the aerial photographs revealed comparatively little. Areas of features were identified, but dismissed as relating to drainage and/or relatively late agricultural features and boundaries. Within the area of early medieval ditches and narrow land allotments excavated within the northern part of the site (CAC 017) (S6), a few fragments of ditch were tentatively identified, along with a broad bank and ditch boundary (outside of the excavated area), perhaps contemporary with these features or a later park feature. Some additional possible boundaries and linear features were faintly visible on, but were not included in the mapping, instead they were noted on the SCCAS ‘Possible’ layer. Soilmarks of relatively broad ditches, possibly relating to a medieval enclosure or land division, possibly associated with the early manorial site or the park landscape, were also visible within the southwestern part of the site on (S4). The area of CAC 025, revealing prehistoric and medieval features, was quite unconducive to recognition of archaeological features, with only drainage and agricultural marks showing on the aerial photographs.
Some low earthworks were tentatively identified on the grass to the south of the hall on (S1-S3) on the site of CAC 043, but as there was no consistency to the appearance of possible features over a number of sorties, combined with evidence for recent activity on the grass, it was decided not to map anything. Nothing corresponding with the features excavated was confidently identified.
S. Horlock (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 23rd July 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 (S7) for further details.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk County Council Environment Team), 21 March 2023.