Record Details
| NHER Number: | 5044 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Site of Bodney Hall |
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Summary
This is the site of Bodney Hall which Blomefield described as 'a large convenient old house'. The hall is shown on the Tithe map of 1842 surrounded by gardens and outbuildings. The hall was demolished in the 19th century and the site is now marked by earthworks of garden boundaries and building outlines, as well as an arm of a medieval moat. The hall itself may have dated to the 15th or 16th centuries, and was probably on the site of an earlier medieval manor house. To the south of the site of the hall are the earthworks of three medieval fishponds, which may have been associated with the moated site. Fragments of pottery dating from the Middle Saxon to the post medieval periods have been found on the site.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TL 8301 9869 |
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| Map Sheet: | TL89NW |
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| Parish: | HILBOROUGH, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK |
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Full description
Moated site of Bodney Hall.
Standing in Blomefield's time, when he described it as a 'fine old mansion of clunch', but pulled down before 1910. Lent to the Nuns of Montargis at the time of the French Revolution. Where the Ordnance Survey symbol is placed is a considerable platform, under grass, with two banks forming a right angle, buried walls? Strangely enough a large tree grows out of the platform on the west side. There is a slight irregular drop to south, and a straight drop of 91cm (3') on west to a large rectangular area bounded on south by a buried wall. West of this area the moat is covered in nettles.
Visited by E. Rose (NAU) 10 August 1977.
New 1:2500 Ordnance Survey seen in 1987 has 'fishponds' instead of moat.
E. Rose (NAU) 1987.
February 1989. Fieldwalking. Finders Field B.
Late Saxon, Middle Saxon, medieval, post medieval pottery.
See list and (S1) in file.
Identified by A. Rogerson (NAU).
A. Rogerson (NAU) 18 April 1989.
See discussion in (S2) and in file, house rebuilt post 1805 pre 1845 later demolished again?
Copy of (S3) in file.
1999.
Foundations reported by landowner, at location marked 'F' on plan of pottery findspots in file.
This spot in right on the 25m contour, by a young tree in line with two ancient limes to the north. However the foundations consist only of a hard mass of flint exposed by bovine scraping; impossible to make any comment.
Visited by E. Rose (NLA) 8 July 1999.
December 1999. Earthwork Survey.
Survey at 1:1250. Essentially incorporating three fish ponds to the 1989 survey of the earlier house site.
See report (S4) further details. This site was included in (S5) and the survey is also noted in (S6).
B. Cushion (NLA) 4 January 2000. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 5 March 2015.
March 2002.
Fishponds in good condition, waterfilled except the most northerly, which was partly infilled.
No further disturbance planned. Earthworks grazed.
H. Paterson (A&E), 18 March 2002.
Monument Types
- FISHPOND (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- GREAT HOUSE (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
- MANOR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- MOAT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- WALL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- GARDEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Associated Finds
- POT (Undated)
- POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
- POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
- POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Protected Status
Sources and further reading
| --- | Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TL 89 NW 11. |
| --- | 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. Hilborough. |
| --- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
| <S1> | Map: Finder's Map.. |
| <S2> | Article in Serial: Davison, A. 1994. The Field Archaeology of Bodney and the Stanta Extension. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLII Pt I pp 57-79. |
| <S3> | Map: 1842. Bodney Tithe Map. |
| <S4> | Unpublished Report: Cushion, B. 1999. Hilborough (Bodney) SMR 5044. Earthwork Survey Report. |
| <S5> | Monograph: Cushion, B. and Davison, A. 2003. Earthworks of Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. No 104. p 187. |
| <S6> | Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 2000. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1999. Norfolk Archaeology. XLIII Pt III pp 521-543. p 527. |
Related records - none
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