Record Details
| NHER Number: | 4185 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Site of Benedictine Priory Cell, Sporle with Palgrave |
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Summary
The site of a medieval Benedictine Alien Priory Cell has been recorded from earthworks and cropmarks visible on aerial photographs and recent (2017) visualised lidar data. Earthworks relating to the site are visible on aerial photographs taken in 1946 and 1955. The majority of the site is subsequently levelled and is visible as cropmarks and soilmarks on later aerial photographs. However, some of the features also survive as very low earthworks visible on the visualised lidar data. Investigations at the site in 1983 and 1991 recovered sherds of prehistoric, Saxon, and post medieval pottery along with pieces of medieval metalwork. The site was in operation from 1123 to 1414.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TF 8497 1140 |
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| Map Sheet: | TF81SW |
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| Parish: | SPORLE WITH PALGRAVE, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK |
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Full description
Site of Benedictine Alien Priory Cell 1123-1414. Cropmarks, some remains now removed.
Around 1900. Carved stones found.
1983. Prehistoric, medieval, Late Saxon, post medieval sherds
1991. Found with metal detector. Medieval metalwork (S1).
See details in file.
Photograph in file.
E. Rose (NAU) 18 October 1983.
Before 4 September 2012. Stray Find.
Found on molehill:
1 Late Neolithic/Early Neolithic barbed and tanged flint arrowhead. Unusually small example.
Identified by P. Robins (NCM), September 2012. See description in file [1].
P. Watkins (HES), 13 April 2020.
September 2023. Wendling Beck and Fransham Aerial Investigation and Mapping (AIM) Project.
Earthworks (since levelled) most likely associated with the site of a medieval Benedictine Alien Priory Cell (see above) are visible on aerial photographs taken in 1946 and 1955 (S2-S4). The majority of the earthworks have been levelled by 1976 and are visible as soilmarks (S5). Some of the features (such as the pits centred at TF 8505 1141 and TF 8506 1140) are still visible as very low earthworks on the visualised lidar data (S6). As the lidar survey was flown relatively recently (2017) it is likely that these features still survive. The site is now under a sports field visible on recent (2022) aerial photographs (S7). The features are not mapped on the readily accessible historic maps; however, “Site of St. Mary’s Priory” is denoted on S8 and S9 in close proximity to the location of the mapped features.
J. Powell (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 29 September 2023.
Monument Types
- BANK (EARTHWORK) (Unknown date)
- DITCH (Unknown date)
- HOLLOW WAY (Unknown date)
- FINDSPOT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
- FINDSPOT (Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)
- FINDSPOT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
- BANK (EARTHWORK) (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- BOUNDARY BANK? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- BOUNDARY DITCH? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- CELL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- CELL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- CELL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Associated Finds
- POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
- BARBED AND TANGED ARROWHEAD (Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)
- POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
- AMPULLA (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- HARNESS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- WEIGHT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| --- | Aerial Photograph: OS AP 76.020.304. |
| --- | Monograph: Ashley, S. 2002. Medieval Armorial Horse Furniture in Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. No 101. |
| --- | Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 81 SE 4 [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. Spole with Palgrave. |
| --- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
| --- | Photograph: BDE 8. |
| --- | Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service. |
| <S1> | Illustration: Ashley, S. 1991. Drawing of a medieval copper alloy horse harness pendant. Film. 2:1. |
| <S2> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photography from the Historic England Archive. RAF/3G/TUD/UK/100 V 5409-5410 30-MAR-1946. |
| <S3> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photography from the Historic England Archive. RAF/106G/UK/1427 RS 4467-4468 16-APR-1946. |
| <S4> | Oblique Aerial Photograph: Various. ? - 2020. Norfolk Air Photo Library: Oblique Collection. TF8411/P 19-MAR-1955 (CUCAP PC41). |
| <S5> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1970. Norfolk Air Photo Library: Ordnance Survey Vertical Collection. 76-020/304-305 19-APR-1976. |
| <S6> | LIDAR Airborne Survey: Environment Agency. Environment Agency LIDAR Data. National LIDAR Programme TF81SE & TF81SW DTM 1m 17 to 24-NOV-2017. |
| <S7> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: Bluesky International Ltd and Getmapping Plc. unknown. Aerial Photography for Great Britain (APGB) Orthophotographs. https://www.apgb.co.uk. Bluesky International Ltd APGB Imagery TF8411 &TF 8511 17-JUL-2022. |
| <S8> | Map: Ordnance Survey. 1884-1891. Ordnance Survey Map. Six inches to the mile. First Edition. 1:10,560. |
| <S9> | Map: Ordnance Survey. 1902-7. Ordnance Survey second edition 25 inch (1902-7) map. 25 inches to 1 mile. |
Related records - none
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