Record Details

NHER Number:7544
Type of record:Monument
Name:Site of medieval Burgh Hall and watermill, Round Hill

Summary

This is the site of the Burgh medieval hall that was mentioned in 1313 with a water mill adjacent to it. Over the years a variety of objects have been recovered from the site, with many of these coming from the moats which would have surrounded the hall. Finds included Mesolithic and Neolithic flints, a medieval helmet, and parts of a medieval wooden and stone bridge as well as numerous medieval pottery sherds. By 2002 the whole site was under good grass cover and plans were in place to ensure its continued preservation.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 2131 2617
Map Sheet:TG22NW
Parish:BURGH AND TUTTINGTON, BROADLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

Site of Burgh Hall, mentioned in 1313 with water mill adjacent. In 1908 it was noted that traces of an outer ditch could be seen, separated from the main ditch by a raised bank. These ditches were unbroken, apart from a single causeway to the north-east (S1).

1850: Medieval jugs, helmet, wooden bridge found in clearing moat, see (S2).

1908. Stray Find and Excavation.
In Spring 1908 a number of finds were recovered when the moat was cleaned. These included "many fragments of freestone, some of them worked", which were interpreted as the remains of a bridge (S1). It is also noted that W. Rye recovered a "chisel-ended arrowhead" and that both Rye and W. G. found "fragments of undoubted Roman pottery". This arrowhead a sherd of pottery are figured in (S1) (see copy in file). It is also noted in (S1) that "slight excavations" took place around this time in several parts of the enclosure, apparently confirming the natural origins of the mound. A variety of "flat tiles" were recovered, many of which were glazed. Samples sent to the British Museum were identified as "15 century of perhaps a little earlier". In Autumn 1908 glazed pottery sherds were discovered by Rye. In October 1908 a trench was excavated across the northern portion of the mound. This produced additional tiles, fragments of "loose rubble" and burnt glass. In November 1908 a trench excavated closer to the entrance revealed a thick layer of clay between the topsoil and the "peat of the marshland"; this was interpreted as the foundations for a drawbridge. A small number of pottery sherds were recovered. See (S1) for further details. Information from (S2), (S3) and (S4). See also notes in (S5), (S6) and (S7).

A note added to (S3) by E. Rose (NAU) suggests that Rye's arrowhead may be Mesolithic, but it is almost certainly a later Neolithic chisel arrowhead. This find is probably one of the reasons that Burgh-next-Alysham is listed in (S8) as having produced "Neolithic chipped" implements prior to 1919 (Rye being listed as one of the finders). Some of pottery recovered by Rye's at this site is now held by the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1916.25). It is noted on (S3) that all of these sherds were identified as medieval by R. R. Clarke (NCM) - it is therefore possible that the sherds initially thought to be Roman were also medieval.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 18 August 2014.

1975-77: Medieval sherds and tile found.
See file for details, schedule, Norfolk Archaeological Research Group moats survey, notes by R. R. Clarke (NCM), copy of 1313 inventory and photograph copies of 1908 sherds.
E. Rose (NAU) 29 January 1990.

November 2002.
Whole site under good grass cover, grazed by sheep, under an E.S.A. agreement. Agent may wish to carry out limited silt removal from moat, and is aware of SMC requirements, and will notify DEFRA and NLA prior to any works.
H. Paterson (A&E) 7 November 2002.

Management Statement signed 18 November 2002.
H. Paterson (A&E) 21 November 2002.

Monument Types

  • MOUND (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
  • BRIDGE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BRIDGE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BUILDING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • MOAT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • MOAT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • WATERMILL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds

  • ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Undated)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Undated)
  • WORKED OBJECT (Undated)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • TRANSVERSE ARROWHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
  • ARROWHEAD (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • AXEHEAD (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FLOOR TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FLOOR TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • HELMET (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • ROOF TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status

  • Scheduled Monument
  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Designation: [unknown]. Ancient Monuments Form. SAM Record. DNF428.
---Map: Bryant, A.. 1826. Bryant's Map of Norfolk.
---Monograph: Calender of Miscellaneous Inquisitions.. Vol 2.
---Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TG 22 NW 5 [2].
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A.. 1974. NHER TG 2126A (NLA 14/ACZ8) 07-AUG-1974.
---Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A.. 1996. NHER TG 2126W-X (NLA 370/HJV1-2) 15-JUL-1996.
---Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
---Designation: Department Of The Environment. 1882-1984?. Department of the Environment Scheduling Notification. Notification. DNF428.
<S1>Article in Serial: Clarke, W. G. 1908. Some Recent Finds in Norfolk. Norfolk Antiquarian Miscellany. Second Series Pt 3 pp 94-107. p 103.
<S2>Article in Serial: 1855. Appendix. Extracts from the Proceedings of the Committee. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol VI pp 341-366. pp 344-345.
<S2>Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Neolithic. Tuttington.
<S3>Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Roman. Tuttington.
<S4>Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Medieval. Tuttington.
<S5>Article in Serial: Purdy, R. J. W. 1907. Hautbois Magna. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XVI pp 147-152. p 152.
<S6>Article in Serial: 1938. The Proceedings of the Society during the year 1937. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXVI Pt III pp xli-lii. p l.
<S7>Publication: Rye. 1916. Autobiography. pp.140 158-9. pp 140, 158-159.
<S8>Article in Serial: Clarke, W. G. 1919. The Distribution of Flint and Bronze Implements in Norfolk. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia. Vol III Pt I (for 1918-19) pp 147-149. p 148.

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