Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

Ancient woodland which gives its name to a Domesday hundred. See NHER 36300 for details of finds recovered from within this wood. See press cuttings (S1) and (S2) in file for accounts of the 'Babes in the Wood' legend which has long been associated with Wayland Wood.
J. Allen (NLA), 3 February 2004. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 23 April 2013.

2004. Earthwork Rapid Identification Survey.
Norfolk Ancient Woodland Historic Environment Rapid Identification Survey Pilot Study.
Wayland Wood:
Occupies an area of 31.5 hectares, and largely consists of dense coppice. The main feature of the wood is a substantial medieval boundary bank, which defines the original core of the wood. A later expansion of the wood along the south eastern edge has resulted in the original boundary bank becoming internal here. This expansion covers 8.5 hectares and is surrounded by a bank which is less notable than that associated with the original wood but still appears medieval. The species composition differs noticeably here from that in the main wood. Within the most southerly part of the wood there is a series of earthwork enclosures known as the Nab, some of these earthworks indicate that the Nab enclosure was formed from pre-existing features of some kind, possibly components of a previous farmed landscape. A far smaller extension was made to the west of the wood because it lacks a proper perimeter bank, a map in the Norfolk Record Office (NRO WLS XVII/9 410X6) shows that it was wooded before 1723 making this extension almost certainly post-medieval. The most north westerly part of the wood is also another extension that was added at some point between 1723 and the early 19th century.
See report (S3) for further information, including detailed descriptions of the individual features identified (Contexts 1-10 and 12-13). The results of this survey are also summarised in (S4).
Previously recorded under NHER 36300.
C. Goodwin (NLA), 26 August 2010. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 29 June 2015.

Monument Types

• ENCLOSURE (Unknown date)
• MOUND (Unknown date)
• WOOD (Unknown date)
• BANK (EARTHWORK) (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• COPPICE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• DITCH (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• WOOD (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• WOOD BANK (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• EXTRACTIVE PIT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• POND (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

Related records

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Watton (Parish Summary)
• Watton, Wayland Wood (Places to Visit)