Skip over navigation

View a printer friendly version of this page

Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Record Details

NHER Number:	42852
Type of record:	Monument
Name:	Medieval quarry pits and remains of post medieval public house

Summary

Excavation of two trial trenches in 2006 recorded three late medieval chalk quarry pits, associated medieval pits and post holes, and the foundations and clay floor surface of a post medieval building. Located along the street frontage, the building is thought to be the remains of the Spread Eagle public house which was demolished in the early 20th century.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:	TL 87371 82741
Map Sheet:	TL88SE
Parish:	THETFORD, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

January 2006. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site. Two trenches excavated. Contexts 1-102.
A Late Neolithic arrowhead was recovered in a redeposited context. Three late medeival chalk quarry pits were revealed, along with several pits and postholes of a similar date. A few Late Saxon and early medieval pottery sherds were recovered within these features. The foundations and mortar floor of a post medieval building (The Spread Eagle public house) were discovered directly below the surface on the street frontage. This building was demolished in the early 20th century.
See report (S1) for further details. See also (S2) and (S3).
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2013.328 and NWHCM : 2016.414).
A. Cattermole (NLA) 22 March 2007.

The quarrying activity here may be roughly contemporary with the large scale chalk and flint mines located on the opposite side of the motte, at NHER 22885, NHER 15111, and NHER 17501.
The building housing the Spread Eagle public house has been dated to the late post medieval period, possibly constructed as late as 1700, about the same time as the construction of the rear wing of adjacent No. 23 (NHER 46480) and the nearby Dolphin Inn (NHER 46491). The Spread Eagle Pub is depicted on the first edition Ordnance Survey map (S3), but the building had been demolished by the time the 1928 Ordnance Survey map (S4) was compiled, which depicts a vacant plot here. Hand finished bottle glass recovered from the demolition material has been dated to 1910 and supports an early 20th century date for the demolition.
The almost complete lack of Thetford ware indicates that the Old Market Street area, which lays outside the Late Saxon town defenses, was not heavily occupied prior to the medieval period.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 19 July 2008.

Monument Types

PIT (Unknown date)
POST HOLE (Unknown date)
FINDSPOT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
FINDSPOT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
FINDSPOT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
FINDSPOT (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
CHALK PIT (Medieval to 16th Century - 1400 AD to 1599 AD)
HEARTH? (Medieval to 16th Century - 1400 AD to 1600 AD)
PIT (Medieval to 16th Century - 1400 AD to 1599 AD)
POST HOLE (Medieval to 16th Century - 1400 AD to 1599 AD)
FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
BUILDING (16th Century to 19th Century - 1600 AD to 1899 AD)
FLOOR (16th Century to 19th Century - 1600 AD to 1899 AD)
PIT (16th Century to 18th Century - 1600 AD to 1799 AD)
POST HOLE (16th Century to 18th Century - 1600 AD to 1799 AD)
PUBLIC HOUSE (16th Century to Early 20th Century - 1600 AD to 1910 AD?)

Associated Finds

ANIMAL REMAINS (Unknown date)
OYSTER SHELL (Unknown date)
RETOUCHED FLAKE (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
ARROWHEAD (Late Neolithic - 3000 BC to 2351 BC)
POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
FLOOR TILE (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD?)
NAIL (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
BRICK (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
BUTTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
FLOOR TILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
PANTILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
PIPE (SMOKING) (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
ROOF TILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
STRAP FITTING (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
THIMBLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
TILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
WINE BOTTLE (19th Century to Early 20th Century - 1870 AD to 1910 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---	Monograph: Pevsner, N and Wilson, W. 1999. Norfolk 2: North-West and South. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. p 716.
---	Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>	Unpublished Contractor Report: Emery, G. 2006. An Archaeological Evaluation at 25-27 Old Market Street, Thetford, Norfolk. NAU Archaeology. 1146.
<S2>	Slide: Various. Slide. 1-43.
<S3>	Map: Ordnance Survey. 1883. Ordnance Survey Town Map: Thetford. 50 inch to 1 mile.
<S3>	Photograph: NAU Archaeology. 2006. LPZ-LQA.
<S4>	Map: Ordnance Survey. 1928. Ordnance Survey 25 inch map.

Related records

17501	Related to: Possible medieval or post medieval flint or chalk mine, garden of 30 Castle Street (Monument)
15111	Related to: Post medieval dene hole, under 44 Castle Street (Monument)
22885	Related to: Post medieval mine shaft (Monument)