Record Details

NHER Number:9060
Type of record:Monument
Name:Site of Esthalle medieval moated manor

Summary

A four-sided waterfilled medieval moat can be seen. Old documents record the presence of the manor of Esthalle in this location. Buildings including the manor house itself, barns, a granary and a cowshed are recorded in 1392 when the manor seems to be falling into decay. Fieldwalking recovered a range of finds dating from the prehistoric, Roman and medieval periods. The site is visible on aerial photographs, but has remained too heavily wooded for any features to be mapped.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TL 9595 9229
Map Sheet:TL99SE
Parish:HOCKHAM, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

August 1978. Visit.
Moat: four sided on Ordnance Survey. Inaccessible at time of visit; wood has encroached to road on north and is bounded by deep ditch, fields on other sides under crop.
E. Rose (NAU), 3 August 1978.

Report in file states intact and water filled in winter, about 2 acres extent.

(S1) reverse part obscured has description of buildings in decay. Manor with Hall and rooms, gutted at south end and unroofed, great grange (?barn) granary, cowshed part roofed, little barn (grangia), in state of collapse, and a defective ladyeschambre (sic). Two fish houses and windmill in decay - context suggests they were here, though by 1599 windmill and fisheries were elsewhere in parish. Deep trench on island parallel with south arm moat could be fishpond. 'Wall and moat' also in decay. (S2) names as Esthalle Manor. Note translation of this information in (S3) is very inaccurate.
Information from [1].
E. Rose (NAU), 27 February 1985.

(S4) in file differs from above information given by letter. Now believes fish houses and windmill were not on this site even at this date.

Early 1986. Fieldwalking finds.
Context 1 - on platform.
One Roman rim.
Twelve medieval unglazed including one rim.
Two medieval glazed.
Two probably medieval unglazed.
Calcined flint, oyster, nail.

Context 2 - strip outside south arm moat less than 30m wide.
Three medieval unglazed.
One Roman base.
One flint blade.

Context 3. Ditto strip ploughed land beyond east side.
Two medieval unglazed and part of handle.
One long flint blade or flake.

Context 4. Ditto strip west of moat.
One medieval unglazed.
One post medieval sherd.
One glazed red earthenware.
Three recent.
See (S5).
Identified by A. Rogerson (NAU).
E. Rose (NAU), 7 August 1986.

See (S6) survey.
E. Rose (NAU).

Information from from National Archaeology Records.
Dimensions of moat given. 120m north to south. 100m east to west. North arm 1.8m deep. East and west arms 1.5m deep. South arm 0.5 to 1m deep. All mostly water filled. Interior of moat Ordnance Survey = 0.8m higher than interior.
M.D. Leah (NAU), 30 January 1991.

October 2012. Norfolk NMP.
The site is visible on aerial photographs (S8-S11), but has remained too heavily wooded for any features to be mapped.
E. Ford (NMP), 16 October 2012.

Monument Types

  • BARN (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)
  • WINDMILL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds

  • MOLLUSCA REMAINS (Undated)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status

  • SHINE
  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TL 99 SE 14 [2].
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Medieval. Hockham.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Unpublished Document: 1392. Court Roll.
<S2>Unpublished Document: 1391. Court Roll.
<S3>Monograph: Jessop, A.. 1888. The coming of the Friars: and other historic essays..
<S4>Unpublished Document: Davison, A.. The Moat at Great Hockham.
<S5>Article in Serial: Davison, A. 1991. Great Hockham a Village which has Moved?. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLI Pt II pp 145-161. p 147.
<S6>Unpublished Document: Dollin, B.. 1986. Moated Sites Research Group Report.. vol.13.
<S7>Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D. A. (NLA). 1988. NHER TL9592 D-F (NLA205/DXD13-15) 26-JUN-1988.
<S8>Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1947. RAF CPE/UK/1918 3176-7 09-JAN-1947 (NMR).
<S9>Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1950. RAF 540/432 5097-8 11-OCT-1950 (NMR).
<S10>Vertical Aerial Photograph: Meridian Airmaps Limited. 1976. MAL/76042 099-100 10-JUN-1976 (NMR).
<S11>Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D. A. (NLA). 1988. NHER TL9592 D-F (NLA205/DXD13-15) 26-JUN-1988.

Related records - none

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