The Greyfriars (Friars Minor, Franciscans) arrived in Norwich in 1226, were established on the site in 1285, and started building work in 1288. The site straddles either side of Prince of Wales Road, starting at the top of the road near Agricultural Hall Plain, and finishing just past Cathedral Street. The site may also have incorporated or abutted the churches of St Vedast (NHER 395) and St John the Evangelist (NHER 76), both of which were demolished in the late medieval or early post medieval period. Excavation in several areas of the Precinct (NHER 845) has indicated that before the arrival of the Greyfriars this site was already occupied by Late Saxon and early medieval buildings, with evidence of iron working and small industry during these periods. The area appears to have had a church for a time in the early medieval period, dedicated to St John the Evangelist (NHER 427), though this was demolished by the Greyfriars. Excavation has shown that large numbers of the earlier buildings were demolished and that an early medieval road was blocked and built over by the Greyfriars, who purchased more land in 1292. Although extensive evidence for the buildings, walls, wells and pits of the Priory has been excavated, the exact layout of the site is still unclear, as much of it now lies under modern domestic and office buildings. However, documentary evidence indicates that the main entrance to the precinct was on King Street, and the Friary church may have been as large as 91m long and 24m wide. Other buildings named by sources include a cloisters and a large chapter house, but the dissolution of the Friary in 1539 was closely followed by the demolition of the precinct buildings by 1565, and so nothing has survived above ground today. However, the extensive excavation of this site, particularly in the area between Prince of Wales Road and Rose Lane, means that the history of this precinct is better known than either the Blackfriars (NHER 381) or Whitefriars (NHER 430) precincts.
| --- | Illustration: Mudd. A.. 2003. Sketch plan of skeleton reburial. |
| --- | Article in Monograph: Blatchley, J. and Middleton-Stewart, J. 2002. Sir Philip Bothe of Shrubland. East Anglia's History. Harper-Bill, C. (ed). p 138. |
| --- | Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TG 20 NW 28 [2]; TG 20 NW 127.5 [2]. |
| --- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1998. Secret world of Grey Friars. 28 March. |
| --- | Article in Serial: Emery, P. A.. 1995. Norwich Greyfriars: Bell-casting Pit. CBA Group VI Bulletin. No 37 pp 9-12. |
| --- | Record Card: NCM Staff. 1973-1989. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card - Norwich. |
| --- | Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Norwich - Post Roman. |
| --- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
| --- | Fiche: Exists. |
| <S1> | Publication: Blyth, G. K. 1842. The Norwich Guide. p 137. |
| <S2> | Monograph: Emery, P. A. and Rutledge, E. 2007. Norwich Greyfriars: Pre-Conquest Town and Medieval Friary. East Anglian Archaeology. No 120. |
| <S3> | Recording Form: Various. Norfolk Archaeological Unit Pro Forma Watching Brief Record Form. T66. |
| <S4> | Unpublished Contractor Report: Emery, P. 1997. Evaluation Excavation at the former Wallace King premises, St Faiths Lane, Norwich. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 285. |
| <S5> | Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 1998. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1997. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIII Pt I pp 193-210. p 204. |
| <S6> | Slide: Various. Slide. 1-64. |
| <S7> | Monograph: Soden, I. 2010. Life and Death on a Norwich Backstreet AD 900–1600: Excavations in St Faith’s Lane, Norwich. East Anglian Archaeology. No 133. |
| <S8> | Unpublished Report: Soden, I. 2002. Life and death on a Norwich backstreet AD900-1600. Excavations in St Faiths Lane, Norwich 1998. Publication draft. |
| <S9> | Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 1999. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1998. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIII Pt II pp 369-387. p 381. |
| <S10> | Unpublished Document: Purcell Miller Tritton and Partners. 1998. Norwich School, New Sports Hall. Photographs of Existing Precinct Wall (as recorded 29 June 1998). |
| <S11> | Unpublished Document: Rutledge, E. 1995. Norwich Greyfriars. Documentary Evidence. |
| Site 1537 | Parent of: 23-25 King Street (Monument) |
| Site 1538 | Parent of: 23-25 King Street (Monument) |
| Site 1563 | Parent of: 8-12 St. Vedast Street (Monument) |
| Site 1564 | Parent of: 8-12 St. Vedast Street (Monument) |
| 49074 | Parent of: Area of cultivation associated with Greyfriars' Precinct (Monument) |
| Mon 1678 | Parent of: Boundary Dicth (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1677 | Parent of: Boundary Ditch (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1679 | Parent of: Boundary Ditch (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1686 | Parent of: Boundary Walls (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1655 | Parent of: Building (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1664 | Parent of: Building (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1648 | Parent of: Cellared Building (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1676 | Parent of: Ditch (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1683 | Parent of: Ditch (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1665 | Parent of: Dovecote (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1667 | Parent of: Drainage System (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1682 | Parent of: Flint Building (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1666 | Parent of: Fresh Water Supply (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Site 3738 | Parent of: Greyfriars (Nos 11-13 Prince of Wales Road) (Monument) |
| Site 3737 | Parent of: Greyfriars (Street Frontage and no. 9 Prince of Wales Road) (Monument) |
| 394 | Parent of: Greyfriars building wall and inhumations (Monument) |
| Mon 1659 | Parent of: Greyfriars Cemetery (Monument) |
| Mon 1660 | Parent of: Greyfriars Cloisters (Monument) |
| Site 3736 | Parent of: Greyfriars Friary (Monument) |
| Mon 1661 | Parent of: Greyfriars Kitchen (Monument) |
| Mon 556 | Parent of: Greyfriars Monastic Precinct (Monument) |
| Mon 1656 | Parent of: Greyfriars Precinct Wall (Monument) |
| Site 823 | Parent of: Greyfriars Road (Monument) |
| 845 | Parent of: Late Saxon buildings and extensive medieval friary buildings (Monument) |
| 74 | Parent of: Late Saxon objects and medieval to post medieval pottery sherds (Find Spot) |
| 357 | Parent of: Late Saxon or early medieval graves and pottery sherds (Monument) |
| 51338 | Parent of: Late Saxon road and buildings and medieval Friary building (Monument) |
| 241 | Parent of: Late Saxon to post medieval pottery sherds (Find Spot) |
| 270 | Parent of: Late Saxon to post medieval pottery sherds (Find Spot) |
| Site 1741 | Parent of: Mann Egerton building, Prince of Wales Road/Rose Lane (Monument) |
| 26583 | Parent of: Medieval building, cess pit, well, and Late Saxon to post medieval objects (Monument) |
| 788 | Parent of: Medieval pottery sherd (Find Spot) |
| 102 | Parent of: Medieval pottery sherds (Find Spot) |
| 65 | Parent of: Medieval to post medieval pottery sherds and tile fragments (Find Spot) |
| 41958 | Parent of: Prehistoric ditch and finds, medieval to post medieval finds and features (Monument) |
| Mon 1651 | Parent of: Quarry (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1685 | Parent of: Quarry (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1642 | Parent of: Road (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| 76 | Parent of: Site of church and churchyard of St Peter Parmentergate (Monument) |
| 395 | Parent of: Site of church of St Vedast, Rose Lane, Norwich (Monument) |
| 26321 | Parent of: Site of no archaeological finds or features, rear of 27 Prince of Wales Road (Negative evidence) |
| 427 | Parent of: Site of St John the Evangelist's Church, Norwich (Monument) |
| 40808 | Parent of: Site with no archaeological finds or features, Prince of Wales Road (Negative evidence) |
| 38185 | Parent of: Site with no archaeological finds or features, rear of 54 to 56 Prince of Wales Road (Negative evidence) |
| 26579 | Parent of: Site with no evidence for archaeologically significant features or deposits (Negative evidence) |
| Mon 1190 | Parent of: St Vedast Churchyard (Monument) |
| Mon 698 | Parent of: St Vedast's Church (Monument) |
| Mon 1672 | Parent of: Timber building (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1652 | Parent of: Timber building North (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1650 | Parent of: Timber Structure to the North (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1210 | Parent of: Wallace King (St Faiths Lane) (Monument) |
| Site 1091 | Parent of: Wallace King Ltd. Warehouse, St. Faiths Lane (Monument) |
| Mon 1644 | Parent of: Weaving Shed (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1673 | Parent of: Workshop (Greyfriars) (Monument) |
| Mon 1662 | Parent of: Yard (Greyfriars) (Monument) |