Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

Moated site of Hall, before removal to site NHER 7191 (Old Hall Farm).
Stews (fishponds) also, see (S1).

1977. large sherd of medieval pot base in southwest corner of moat. Sagging with external greenglaze, probably Grimston (medieval).
Identified by A. Rogerson (NAU).

Site visited by E. Rose (NAU), with the owner of Oldhall Farm.
Moat with massive ditches, usually marshy; the owner claims to have probed them to a depth of 4.5m (15 feet) without touching the bottom. No access or causeway to island; the owner states he has excavated here but found nothing. Leat from southeast corner to river. Many irregular humps and channels between moat and stream presumably indicate the stews mentioned.
A massive (in width) dry channel runs north from northwest corner of moat enclosing what appears to be a northern bailey. Fragment of early pantile found in a molehill here.
E. Rose (NAU), 4 December 1980.

Ordnance Survey report in file. Report on unauthorised tipping in the moat in 1988 in file; this material was noted as still in place in January 1994 by E. Rose (NLA) from an adjacent footpath.

June 1994. Visited.
Interior and sides of the moat are heavily masked by mature trees and scrub.
Moat wet in places but full of weed and dead wood. Debris deposited in northwest corner of moat has not been removed. Owner has said he will try and remove the pallets and other rubbish and burn it, and also hope to pull out some of the hard core.
H. Paterson (A&E), 16 June 1994.

Despite 1994 entry, none of the rubbish has been removed by March 1996, though the trees in the moat ditches have been heavily pruned back.
E. Rose (NLA), 15 March 1996.

September 1999. Visit.
Ditches broad, water filled, whole site masked by scrub and trees. Dumped material remains in ditch to northwest. Fish pond wet but scrub covered.
H. Paterson (A&E), 20 October 1999.

February 2002.
Dumped material now almost obscured by dead wood and undergrowth.
Dimensions of site approximately 78m north to south, 60m east to west, maximum width of ditch is about 5m.
H. Paterson (A&E), 25 February 2002.

February 2009. Earthwork Survey
A linear depression c.6m wide at the northern end, deepening and widening to 13m was recorded running from the public road to an existing field boundary. It appears to be a former enclosure boundary predating the existing wall and hedge. To the north of the ditch is a sub-rectangular depression c.20m by 9m, and is unconvincingly interpreted as a former fishpond. A less well-defined shallow depression was noted to the north-east, whilst two amorphous mounds between the moat and the western boundary were noted. The moat itself is trapezoidal in plan, with modern infilling in the north-west corner. To the east of the moat are drainage ditches of varying date.
See report (S2) for further information
H. White (NLA), 3 March 2009.

Monument Types

• FISHPOND (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• MOAT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• WATERCOURSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds

• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status

• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Related records - none

Find out more...

• Foulsham, Old Hall - Kate Vogler (Archaeology and Art)
• Parish Summary: Foulsham (Parish Summary)