Extract from NMP mapping showing late medieval or early post medieval settlement at Rackheath and Salhouse

This extract from the NMP mapping shows part of a linear arrangement of enclosures visible as cropmarks at Salhouse. The site probably represents a settlement, focused along a road or track, which is now followed by the parish boundary for some of its length. A late medieval to early post medieval date seems probable, and the site may have occupied a position on the edge of a formerly extensive tract of heathland, Mousehold Heath. The road perhaps led across or around the heath, towards the river crossing at Wroxham. Alternatively, given its similarity to sites mapped in Lincolnshire and elsewhere, a late prehistoric to Roman date is also plausible. The site is quite extensive, following a curvilinear alignment for some 2.7km. Base map reproduced from an Ordnance Survey map with the permission of the Controller of HMSO © Crown Copyright. Norfolk County Council licence number 100019340. NMP mapping © English Heritage/Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service.