Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

The ruins of a building on Blakeney Eye.

1953. Visit.
Letter and plan (S1) in file. Formerly in file for NHER 6163.

August 1984. Ordnance Survey Antiquity.
Marked on map of 1586 (sketch copy in file (S2)) in (S3).
See (S4) for maps of 1586, 1649 and 1698 AD.
(S5) by R.R. Clarke (NCM) - references not checked.
See secondary file also for sketch plan (S6) of remains from Ordnance Survey card.
(S7) states that an earthwork was made in 1588 to guard the channel entrance (quoting his own publication of the contemporary MSS in (S8)). He places this 'at the north end of Cley west bank between Cley Eye and the channel where it turns westwards'. This location can only be the site of the chapel ('Cley Eye' being Blakeney Eye in Cley parish).
(S7) states the remains of the earthwork were visible until the floods of 1953, but Ordnance Survey maps before this date mark only the chapel and a coastal sea bank. It is generally believed that the north Norfolk coast Armada defences were never built and it may be that (S7) was mistaken in this instance.
[1] reports local tradition has now converted this to a 'Civil War Fort' at Cow Hole 400m (0.25 miles) to south.
E. Rose (NAU), 31 August 1984.

November 1987. Visit.
Access prevented by tall new barbed wire fence with no gate. Remains are under pasture, earthwork banks possibly with some flint walling visible. No trace of any post medieval defensive earthworks here or further south.
E. Rose (NAU), 25 November 1987.

May 1994. Visit.
No change from last visit, but there are certainly flint foundations visible on the north side.
E. Rose (NLA), 29 May 1994.

Schedule (S9) and details in file.

(S10) notes a reference to Robert of Barton Bendish being 'chaplain and hermit of Cley by Blakeney Haven by the Sea'. This sounds as if it could be either Cley or Blakeney Chapels, but the author assumes it is Blakeney.
(S11) (the same source) considers the question of the Armada fort and thinks it may have been on the other side of the river.
See under NHER 11335 and 33214.
E. Rose (NLA), 6 November 1997.

Winter 1998-1999. Documentary Survey.
See (S12) for detailed description of documentary evidence for the site.
E. Rose (NLA), 8 July 1999. Amended by A. Beckham (HES), 17 December 2021.

January-May 1999. Geophysical Surveys, Topographic Survey and Systematic Fieldwalking Survey.
The geophysical surveys confirmed that the structural remains are restricted to a two-room building but litlle other anomolies were detected, except for the line of a iron fence perhaps from wartime defences. Only late post medieval finds were recovered during the sampling of molehills.
See article (S13).
E. Rose (NLA), 8 July 1999. Amended by A. Beckham (HES), 17 December 2021.

2002.
Source [2] reports that burials were found north of the chapel during the digging of the Glaven channel in 1924.
D. Gurney (NLA), 17 May 2002.

April 2000 and January/February 2002. Fieldwalking.
Examination of molehills.
Tiny fragments of ?medieval brick, roofing slate fragments, see list and finder's notes (S14) in file.
See file for copies of two papers in Glaven Historian (S12 and S13).
A. Rogerson (NLA), 23 May 2002.

October 2002. Norfolk NMP.
The remains of the demolished medieval chapel on Blakeney Eye can just be determined on the RAF 1946 aerial photographs (S15), on Ordnance Survey aerial photography from 1973 (S16) and BKS images from 1988 (S17 to S18). It is, however, fairly indistinct on these images. It is, however, marked on Faden's 1797 map of Norfolk (S19) and is indicated on the Ordnance Survey 1 inch 1st edition (1838) (S20). It is also shown on a 1769 map of Blakeney (S21), where it is marked as Eye House. The remains of it are also depicted on the Ordnance Survey 2nd edition map (1902 to 1907) (S22) and on the current Ordnance Survey 1:10000 (2000 edition) (S23).
H. Clare (NMP), 11 October 2002.

February 2003. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation on site of proposed sea defence work. Included Blakeney Chapel.
See report (S25) and NHER 37793 for further details.
D. Gurney (NLA), 27 October 2004. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 28 May 2015.

See transcript (S24) in file of the indenture dated AD 1596 referring to 'an old house called the Chapell'.
D. Gurney (NLA), 24 November 2004.

September 2004 to March 2005. Excavation.
An excavation for the Environment Agency confirmed the presence of a 14th/15th century building, built exclusively in flint of local origin, with a 17th century extension which incorporated reused stone and brick. The use of the building as a chapel is neither confirmed nor refuted.
See report (S26) and NHER 37793 for further details.
D. Robertson (NLA), 26 October 2005. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 28 May 2015.

October 2005.
The building is labelled 'Chapel Ruins' on Faden's Map of 1797 and this had led to the interpretation that it was a medieval chapel. However, other documentary evidence in support of this theory is slight (S12) and the excavations suggest domestic and agricultural use was more likely (S25). The building is marked on a map from 1586 (see S12) alongside numerous rabbits; this could mean that it was a warrener's cottage, as suggested by D. Gurney (NLA).
D. Robertson (NLA), 26 October 2005.

Monument Types

• INHUMATION (Unknown date)
• CHAPEL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• HERMITAGE (RELIGIOUS) (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• HOUSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• EARTHWORK (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• FORTIFICATION (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

• BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ROOF TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ROOF TILE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status

• Listed Building
• Scheduled Monument

Sources and further reading

Related records - none

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Cley next the Sea (Parish Summary)