Record Details

NHER Number:12303
Type of record:Monument
Name:Medieval moated site

Summary

The earthworks of a medieval manorial site, consisting of moated enclosures and fishponds, survive on the ground and are visible on aerial photographs to the immediate south of the River Wensum at Lyng. Medieval brick and tiles and traces of a flint and revetment wall and a former structure have been identified at the site. It has been suggested that this (along with several other locations nearby) is the manor of Sir John de Norwich.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 0705 1814
Map Sheet:TG01NE
Parish:LYNG, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

1948. Finds.
[1] states that 13th century tiles were found here in 1948, two with yellow green on red decoration and the others with geometric decoration. Old bricks and mortared flint were also found on this site, and not NHER 3049 as recorded by R. R. Clarke (NCM). [2] who found them was relative of [1]. The family have always believed that this is the site of Sir John de Norwich manor crenellated 1343, and not the moat at site NHER 16744.
E. Rose (NAU), 4 May 1988.

1972. OS Aerial Photography.
Ordnance Survey vertical aerial photograph shows a possible moated site. It consists of a trapezoidal ditched enclosure, locatd in the Wensum Valley, with outer earthworks on the west, north and east, coinciding with field boundaries on north and east. The ditches were surveyed by the Archaeology Department of the Ordnance Survey, on new 1:10,000 map.
E. Rose (NAU), 4 May 1988.

February 1992. Site visit.
[3] states that the tiles mentioned above were found in the 1920s by his sister, Mrs. Pickering, on this site. They are heraldic tiles, one with a lion. The site has not been ploughed in living memory.
The earthworks, with ditches up to 1m plus deep, are as shown on the Ordnance Survey.
Beside one main ditch a flint and mortar wall was exposed in the cattle poached area (see plan in file).
The course of the river was moved south in the 15th century from parish boundary.
D. Gurney (NLA), 20 February 1992.

January 2000. Earthwork Survey.
Survey at 1:1000.
There are building outlines within one enclosure and probable fish ponds in the western moat. These suggest a manorial site. A. Davison (NAU) is to undertake further documentary work for East Anglian Archaeology.
See report (S1) for further details. This site was included in (S5) and the survey is also noted in (S6).
See also correspondence (S2) in file.
B. Cushion (NLA), 13 January 2000. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 11 March 2015.

July 2002. Field Observation.
A site vist was undertaken to assess the flood defence works by the Environment Agency.
An Environment Agency plan is to follow.
D. Gurney (NLA), 23 July 2002.

February 2003. Field Survey.
The earthworks were difficult to assess in the rough grass. The brick structure mentioned in B. Cushion's survey (S1) are visible. The area is grazed by cattle in the summer months.
H. Paterson (A&E), 12 February 2003.

This site has been extended slightly to the east and the west and therefore the central grid reference has been altered from TG 0704 1816 to TG 0705 1817.

December 2007. Norfolk NMP.
The earthworks of a medieval manorial moated site, consisting of moated enclosures and fishponds, survive on the ground and are visible on aerial photographs to the immediate south of the River Wensum at Lyng (S3). The site is centred on TG 0705 1817. This site has been subject to a detailed field survey and interpretation (S1). The aerial photographs reveal little additional evidence and would not appear to alter the interpretation given of the site, which represents the remains of a medieval manorial moated site. The earthworks are still clearly visible on the latest available photography of the site in 1988 (S4). Another area of earthworks of probable medieval date has been recorded to the south of the site, see NHER 50737 for details.

The earthworks offer little clear evidence for the former structure located at TG 0707 1814, although traces of narrow raised linear features parallel to the N-S arm of the moat are likely to represent the remains of former walls. The earthworks visible on aerial photographs would suggest that two additional small ponds are located to the west of the surveyed earthworks at TG 0693 1818. These may represent small fishponds or similar features. A few additional earthworks were also mapped to the east of the site and these appear to pre-date the components of the site associated with the semi-circular enclosure. These sunken features are visible as shallow areas of standing water on the flood plain in 1946 (S3).
S. Massey (NMP), 05 December 2007.

Monument Types

  • ENCLOSURE (Unknown date)
  • WALL (Unknown date)
  • BUILDING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • ENCLOSURE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FISHPOND (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • MANOR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • MOAT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POND (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • WALL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds

  • ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status

  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Aerial Photograph: OS AP 72 160 077; TG0718 F-N.
---Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TG 01 NE 13.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Unpublished Report: Cushion, B. 2000. Lyng SMR 12303. Earthwork Survey Report.
<S2>Correspondence: Various.
<S3>Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 3G/TUD/UK/51 5067-8 31-JAN-1946 (NHER TG 0617B, TG0717A).
<S4>Vertical Aerial Photograph: BKS Surveys Limited. 1988. BKS 0307-8 07-AUG-1988 (NCC 3422-3).
<S5>Monograph: Cushion, B. and Davison, A. 2003. Earthworks of Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. No 104. p 116.
<S6>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 2001. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 2000. Norfolk Archaeology. XLIII Pt IV pp 707-728. p 716.

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