Record Details

NHER Number:3514
Type of record:Monument
Name:Medieval shrunken village

Summary

This is the site of the medieval village of Anmer, the remains of which are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs, and on the ground within Anmer Park, which was created in 1793, see NHER 30492. The earthworks of two manor houses and several tofts on either side of a hollow way surround the church, see NHER 3513, and other earthwork features are related to the agricultural landscape which existed around the village.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TF 737 294
Map Sheet:TF72NW
Parish:ANMER, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

Earthworks in Park.
Consist basically of large hollow way up to 2m deep, running east to west (as marked on 6 inch OS 1953) and turning south at west end to merge with present road. Shown as main road on (S1). North to south hollow way, also shown on 6 inch OS, joins this road centrally but is much shallower and has a large bank along its east side. At its north end is another, much shallower and wider east to west depression, at the east end of which is a sunken rectangular feature with a bank around it. North of this group three mounds are probably only tree planting. Few visible bumps south of the main hollow way, though some features on aerial photograph's here. Whole complex is at top of slope that drops steeply to east to a pond. Main feature is clearly the old road course; north to south ditch and bank could be a boundary, but as a whole probably remains of shrunken village, as noted by D. Edwards (NAU) 1977.
E. Rose (NAU) with S. French, Sandringham Estates, 5 April 1984.

Main hollow way shown as closed road on 1851 tithe map. See discussion under site NHER 3512.
E. Rose (NLA).

1988 air photography.
Enclosure/toft earthworks, with possible track, noted on vertical air photographs from NCC/BKS survey of Norfolk.
See (S2).
Located during NLA Earthwork Survey 10 February 1993.
M.Flitcroft (NLA) 12 February 1993.

1994. Earthwork Survey.
Earthwork survey by B.Cushion (NLA) extends the area of the tofts to east, but also shows it is hard to disentangle the earthworks of the settlement from those of the pre-park fields, roads and early park.
Sherd of possible Grimston/Thetford ware found at TF 7355 2957.
See report (S3) for plan and further details. This site was included in (S4) and the survey is also noted in (S5).
B. Cushion (NLA) November 1994. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 11 February 2014.

See copy of tithe map in file.

February 2001. Finds in mole-hills and rabbit scrapes. Mostly to south-west (25m) of pond which lies to north west of church.
Pottery sherds: 1 jar rim Thetford type. 1 body sherd glazed Stamford. 1 probably medieval unglazed body sherd. 2 body sherds grimston. 4 post medieval (stoneware, glazed red earthernware, cream glazed earthenware) 1 fragment roofing tile. A. Rogerson (NLA), 26 February 2001.

March 2003.
Site scheduled.
M. Horlock (NLA), 15 August 2003.

Monument Types

  • BANK (EARTHWORK) (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BOUNDARY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • ENCLOSURE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • HOLLOW WAY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • SHRUNKEN VILLAGE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • SITE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • TOFT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds

  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • ROOF TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status

  • Scheduled Monument
  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Slide: Various. Slide.
---Designation: English Heritage. 1990-2013. English Heritage Scheduling Notification. Notification. DNF338.
---Designation: English Heritage. 1994? -2011?. English Heritage Digital Designation Record. Record. DNF338.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Miscellaneous. Anmer.
<S1>Publication: Faden, W. and Barringer, J. C. 1989. Faden's Map of Norfolk in 1797.
<S2>Aerial Photograph: OS AP 73.002.008. Unit TF7329 A-F,G-K,L-S,W-AB,AC-AE; BKS/NCC 4257, 5026.
<S3>Unpublished Report: Cushion, B. 1994. Anmer SMR3514 & 30492(part). Earthwork Survey Report.
<S4>Monograph: Cushion, B. and Davison, A. 2003. Earthworks of Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. No 104. p 10.
<S5>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1995. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1994. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLII Pt II pp 230-239. p 230.

Related records - none

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