Record Details
| NHER Number: | 58523 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Site of medieval ?hospital near Carrow Priory |
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Summary
The site of what is believed to be a medieval hospital associated with nearby Carrow Priory, a Benedictine nunnery founded in 1146. The fragmentary walls of some form of building were still visible here in 1954. The excavation of a gas pipe trench in 1976 revealed medieval floor surfaces and flint rubble walls. Only limited dating evidence was recovered during this work, although some 13th-14th-century pottery was found in association with the floor surfaces.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TG 2431 0734 |
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| Map Sheet: | TG20NW |
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| Parish: | NORWICH, NORWICH, NORFOLK |
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Full description
This site, situated in the south-east corner of the grounds of Carrow Abbey, has long been identified as the site of a medieval hospital; being marked as such on the First Edition O.S 1:500 map (S1). Early sources associate this site with the Benedictine nunnery of St. Mary and St. John, known to have existed in Norwich during the 12th century. See (S2) and (S3). According to documentary sources it was two sisters from this nunnery who established the priory of St. Mary’s at Carrow in 1146, following a grant of land by King Stephen (S4). There is however no direct evidence for this assertion and it seems more likely this small early nunnery lay much closer to, or indeed within, the city centre. There was however clearly some form of building on this site, with the survival of fragmentary flint walls noted in 1954 (S3). These walls covered an area of approximately 20m by 12m and contained no visible architectural features. It is possible that this building was a hospital associated with Carrow Priory.
1976. Watching Brief.
Observation by M. Atkin (NCM) of trench cut through area recorded by O.S. as being the site of the Priory hospital. The section revealed a number of flint rubble walls and floors, one of the latter being tiled (S5). Dating evidence was limited although pottery of 13th- and 14th-century date was found associated with the floor levels. The condition of surviving earthworks was good and a contour survey of the area was provided by Coleman’s Ltd. The evidence recovered during this work supports the suggestion that this building was associated with Carrow Priory, rather than the earlier, 12th-century nunnery.
P. Wakins (HES) January 2013 (based in part on information compiled by NCM staff)
Monument Types
- FLOOR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- HOSPITAL? (Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD?)
- WALL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
Associated Finds
- POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
Protected Status
Sources and further reading
| --- | Record Card: NCM Staff. 1973-1989. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card - Norwich. |
| <S1> | Map: Ordnance Survey. 1885. Ordnance Survey first edition maps of Norwich, reproduced in 1971 and reduced to a scale of 1:1250.. |
| <S2> | Article in Serial: Brock, E. P. L. 1882. On the Excavation of the Site of Carrow Abbey, Norwich, by J. J. Colman, Esq., M.P., in 1880-1881. Journal of the British Archaeological Association. First Series Vol XXXVIII pp 165-177. p 167. |
| <S3> | Record Card: Ordnance Survey Records / Pastscape. |
| <S4> | Publication: Knowles, D. and Hadcock, R. N. 1971. Medieval Religious Houses of England and Wales. p 262. |
| <S5> | Serial: 1976. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1976. No 23. p 16. |
Related records
| 296 | Part of: The Priory of St Mary of Carrow (Carrow Priory) and Carrow Abbey house and grounds (Monument) |