Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

Remains of Augustinian Priory, and Dissolution mansion. Until 1967 in Herringfleet parish, Suffolk.

1840.
Burials uncovered in the ground of the Grorgian Priory House.
Information from monograph (S5 - p23) and HER Notes (S4).

Before 1902.
Roman finds reported.

1902 (?). Excavations.
Uncovered a blue and white tiled pavement.
Information from offical guide (S7) and HER Notes (S4).

1904-1908. Excavation.
Excavation and restoration of the ruins of St Olave's Priory.
Information from monograph (S5) - p 24

1947. Excavations.

1979. Excavations.
Excavations by D. Sherlock for the Department of the Environment.
Removed 18th century fill from the eastern bay of the undercroft.
A row of medieval floor tiles were found in situ but no objects were noted.
PSIA Vol 34 1980, p 295

1980. Medieval pot found.

1984. Excavations.

1984-1985. Metal detecting.
Late Saxon, medieval and post medieval coins and metalwork.

1986. Medieval metalwork found.

See full report (S10), plans (S19), schedule (S15), press cutting (S12) and photographs (S11) in file.
E. Rose (NLA), 1 February 1991.

November 1954. Priory remains listed Grade I.
Listing Description excerpt:
"Augustinian Priory, now ruinous. Founded c.1216 by Roger Fitz Osbert. Various building campaigns 13th-16th century. Dissolved 1534 and site purchased by Sir Henry Jerningham who constructed a threee-storey mansion north of cloisters incorporating monastic remains. This mansion demolished 1784. Further robbing of site [in] 1823 to repair Herringfleet church. 1825-1902 refectory undercroft used as cottage. Partial excavation and restoration 1904. Restorations 1922-1924 and 1984. Flint, brick and ashlar. Part of the church, cloister and refectory survive. To north fragments of 16th-century Jerringham house can be deciphered.
Church: Located to south of cloister; five bays survive to east of west end, of early 13th century. Aisless, but a south aisle added 1300-1310. South wall of aisle now continuous with north range of garden wall of The Priory (NHER 66396). Two 16th-century splayed slit lights. Two circular flint bases to aisle piers survive (piers were octagonal) and base of respond against west wall. Western doorways into nave and aisle blocked in 20th century. North wall of church is fragmentary.
Cloister: Square, early 13th century with brick faced piers supporting roof of cloister walls: bases of three piers survive to north wall and four to south. West wall of cloister range survives pierced at north end by early 14th-century four-centred ashlar doorway. This would have led into Prior's lodging, guest rooms, parlour, kitchen and Cellerar's rooms. The north range 1300-1310 is part of refectory buildings.
Refectory: Undercroft survives but refectory on upper floor now demolished. Entered from cloister through an arched door. One arched window each side. West side pierced by 20th-century casement. North side had two doors, one now blocked, and three windows, two now blocked. All these openings with brick surrounds. East wall of brick, 20th century. Interior of six bays, the eastern bay now reduced. Two aisles with five central octagonal Purbeck marble piers with capitals and bases. Two eastern bays are separated by a 16th-century cross wall. Brick vault, quadripartite to each bay. Bays separated by transverse and longitudinal brick ribs. Wall springers rise from engaged brick shafts. Brickwork is plastered. Blocked doorway at north-west corner of undercroft led into an external newel staircase to refectory above. Internal 16th-century staircase inserted in south side of western bay to serve Jerningham's house. Two further rooms abut refectory to north, constructed post 1537 as part of Jerningham's house. Flint and brick. Rooms open into each other through a re-used 14th-century four-centred brick doorway. 20th-century staircase in southern room rises to flat, felt-covered roof of undercroft…"
Information from (S1).
Please consult the National Heritage List for England (S1) for the current listing details.
P. Watkins (HES), 25 October 2022.

Various other structures in the vicinity of the priory ruins are also listed, all of which are now recorded separately. These include:
- Priory Farmhouse, which is 16th century in origin (NHER 42877; listed Grade II in 1954).
- A barn east of Priory Farmhouse, elements of which may have been part of Jerningham's house (NHER 42876; listed Grade II in 1954)
- A house of 17th- and 18th-century date to the south of the ruins, known as The Priory (NHER 66395; listed Grade II in 1954)
- Garden walls to the Priory, the northern range of which form part of the priory complex (NHER 66396; listed Grade II in 1988)
P. Watkins (HES), 25 October 2022.

1998. Earthwork Survey .

The extent of this site has been extended to include some cropmarks to the north and therefore the centre of the site has altered from [1] to [2].

May 2006. Norfolk NMP.
A series of cropmarks, consisting of former fishponds, boundaries and drains, are visible on aerial photographs to the north of the Priory ruins (S13-S14). The site is centred on [3].
A number of oblong positive cropmark features are visible which suggest large cut features, such as at [4]. These have been interpreted as the remains of former fishponds. The clearest of these is located near to the main Priory buildings and measures approx 30m by 5.5m. A similar, but smaller, pond-like feature is visible to the immediate west, possibly cut by the modern track. To the west is a larger L-shaped chain of ponds, which may be linked to a drainage channel to the north. Another pond-like feature appears to be conjoined to a ditch or drainage channel to the east of the site. This channel possibly continues around to the east following the line of the track to the north. In 1988 (S13) this runs into a broad, angular area of ripened and possibly flattened crop, which continues around the edge of the field following the line of the drain to the east. On initial examination of the aerial photographs it was thought that this cropmark was caused by recent agricultural practices. However it was noted that the same overly ripened crop had formed above the clearest of the pond-like features visible on oblique aerial photographs from the following year (S14). This suggested that the feature was, in some places at least, forming over sub-surface features and therefore extent of this anomaly has been marked on the NMP map. It is possible therefore that this broad band of ripened crop reveals a former Priory precinct boundary running around the northeastern edge of the site, the line of which is followed by the drainage channel to the east. Two parallel ditches are also visible following the line of the modern boundaries within the Priory. To the south of this two parallel ditches, 6m apart, are visible running towards the Priory structures from the east. It is possible that this represents a former trackway running to the main buildings.

Centred on [5] is a series of parallel ditch-like features, running diagonally across the field. It seems likely that these are associated with a modern drainage scheme, although they have been mapped as they may relate to some activity associated with the Priory or even some earlier phase of occupation. Roman and Saxon finds have been recovered from this site, so it possible that these parallel ditches could be fragments of Roman field boundaries or similar features. Although without further evidence linking them to this period, these must be treated as being of unknown date.
S. Massey (NMP), 31 May 2006.

October 2011. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks for replacement information panel. Encountered possible wall foundations likely to be associated with a pillar located close by on the surface in the southern part of the cloister.
See report (S17) for further details.
E. Ford (HES), 12 October 2012.

March 2023. Assessment of the Character and Significance of East Anglian Field Systems project.
The site described above was included in the dataset analysed for the Historic England-funded Assessment of East Anglian Field Systems project. See the project report (S18) for further details.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk County Council Environment Team), 22 March 2023.

Monument Types

• DITCH (Unknown date)
• DITCH (Roman to Late Saxon - 43 AD to 1065 AD?)
• FIELD BOUNDARY? (Roman to Late Saxon - 43 AD to 1065 AD?)
• BARN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BOUNDARY DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BUILDING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• DRAINAGE DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FISHPOND (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FLOOR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• INHUMATION (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• MONASTIC PRECINCT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PRIORY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PRIORY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• SITE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• TRACKWAY? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• WALL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• GREAT HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

• MILLSTONE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• DRESS COMPONENT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• FURNITURE FITTING (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BOOK FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BOX (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• COFFIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• DRESS COMPONENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FINGER RING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FURNITURE FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FURNITURE FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• FURNITURE FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• KEY (LOCKING) (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PERSONAL ORNAMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PURSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ROOF TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• STAMP (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• COIN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument
• Listed Building
• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Related records - none

Find out more...

• Fritton and St Olaves, St Olaves Priory (Places to Visit)
• Parish Summary: Fritton and St Olaves (Parish Summary)