Record Details

NHER Number:845
Type of record:Monument
Name:Late Saxon buildings and extensive medieval friary buildings

Summary

This site is situated inside the Greyfriars Precinct (NHER 373), and repeated excavation in this area in the 1990s has recorded an exciting number of Late Saxon to medieval features, confirming the occupation of this site by the Greyfriars in the medieval period. Early medieval evidence includes 12th century cess and quarry pits, post holes, and beam slots, as well as an 11th century timber building and ditch. Features from the medieval period include flint walls, as well as further walls, pits and cellars along a street frontage that appear to pre-date the friary acquisition of this area of land in the 15th century. The Friary Precinct wall was also traced along King Street, where it abutted with a friary building which contained lead pipe, a doorway and floors. Further priory building footings were also recorded, along with a well preserved bell-casting pit post dating 1400. In addition a number of undated pits and a large amount of destruction debris were noted. Small objects included Late Saxon to post medieval pottery sherds, worked limestone, architectural fragments, window glass, an oyster shell painter's palette, a 15th century silver bracelet and post medieval cloth seals.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 2345 0858
Map Sheet:TG20NW
Parish:NORWICH, NORWICH, NORFOLK

Full description

See previous work conducted in 1987 detailed in (S1).
T. Sunley (NLA) 8 November 2007.

March-April 1990. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site. Ten trenches around 3.5m x 3.5m.
12th century pits, post holes, beam slots. Large amount of Thetford-type ware pottery. Evidence of medieval structures, including standing flint walls. Some pieces of worked limestone. Also pits and large amount of destruction debris. Post medieval deposits survive at east end of site and 'islands' at the west end. One piece of Ipswich Ware.
See report (S2) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S15).
Documentary sources including (S14) in file.
Compiled by H. Wallis (NAU), 24 April 1990.

1992-1995. Excavation.
The 1994 excavation season produced medieval pits and cellars along street frontage predating friary acquisition around 1400.
Precinct wall traced along King Street abutted by friary building containing lead pipe, doorway and floors; east wall had subsided into a pit. Evidence of subsequent repair.
Well preserved bell casting pit post 1400.
The 1995 season produced an 11th century timber building and ditch, 12th century cess and quarry pits, further footings of the priory, architectural fragments, window glass, an oyster shell painter's palette, 15th century silver bracelet and post medieval cloth seals.
See published monograph (S9), draft report (S10) and assessment report (S20) for full details. The results of this work are summarised in (S16)-(S19).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2016.412 and NWHCM : 2003.156).
E. Rose (NLA), 23 July 1996 and 14 April 1997. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 17 May 2019.

13 July 1993. NAU aerial photography.
Photographs showing Castle Mall excavations under way.
See (S3), (S4) and (S5).
S. Massey (NLA), 8 February 2001.

Press cuttings (S6) to (S8) in file.
T. Sunley (NLA) 8 November 2007.

2000. Desk-based Assessment.
A desk-based assessment on a site within the former medieval Greyfriars precinct draws attention to its archaeological potential, including evidence for Middle Saxon/early medieval occupation.
See report (S11) for further details. This assessment is also noted in (S12).
D. Holburn (HES), 14 November 2011.

2003.
An Archaeological Impact Assessment and Mitigation strategy recommended preservation in situ across a proposed development site, and preservation by record following excavation of a 30m by 7.5m area.
See (S13)
E. Bales (HES), 3 September 2012.

Monument Types

  • FINDSPOT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • BUILDING (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • TIMBER FRAMED BUILDING (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • BELL PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • CELLAR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FRIARY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POST HOLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • QUARRY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • WALL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

  • POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BRACELET (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PAGE HOLDER (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PALETTE (COSMETIC) (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • WINDOW GLASS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • WORKED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • SEAL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Illustration: Various. Various. Architectural plans.
---Monograph: Ashley, S. 2002. Medieval Armorial Horse Furniture in Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. No 101.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Unpublished Contractor Report: 1993. Greyfriars Archaeological Project. Assessment. Norfolk Archaeological Unit.
<S1>Unpublished Contractor Report: Ayers, B. S. 1987. Trial Pits - Rose Lane, Norwich: 24th June, 1987. Norfolk Archaeological Unit.
<S2>Unpublished Contractor Report: Wallis, H. 1990. Assessment Report on the Trial Excavations at the Mann Egerton/Greyfriars Site, Norwich. Norfolk Archaeological Unit.
<S3>Aerial Photograph: TG2308 AZY-ABJ,BAP-BAW.
<S4>Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1993. TG 2308BEB - BEP.
<S5>Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1994. TG 2308BFE - BFF.
<S6>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1991-1992. [Articles on the potential building of an office complex at Greyfriars Precinct].
<S7>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1993-1995. [Articles on the archaeological work carried out between 1990-1995].
<S8>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 21 Jan 1994. [unknown].
<S9>Unpublished Contractor Report: Noel, M. 1996. Archaeomagnetic Analysis of Samples from a Bell Pit at Greyfriars, Norwich. Ancient Monuments Laboratory. 63/96.
<S9>Monograph: Emery, P. A. and Rutledge, E. 2007. Norwich Greyfriars: Pre-Conquest Town and Medieval Friary. East Anglian Archaeology. No 120.
<S10>Unpublished Document: Emery, P. (NAU). 2002. Norwich Greyfriars: Excavations at the former Mann Egerton Site, Prince of Wales Road, Norwich..
<S11>Unpublished Contractor Report: Emery, P. 2000. Former Mann Egerton Site, Rose Lane and Greyfriars Road, Norwich: Report on an Archaeological Impact Assessment/Desk Top Survey. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 562.
<S12>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 2001. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 2000. Norfolk Archaeology. XLIII Pt IV pp 707-728. p 722.
<S13>Unpublished Contractor Report: Percival, J. W. 2003. The former Mann Egerton site, Greyfriars Road/Rose Lane, Norwich. An Archaeological Impact Assessment and Mitigation Strategy. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 827.
<S14>Unpublished Document: Hale, R.. The Greyfriars of Norwich (1226-1538).
<S15>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1991. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1990. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLI Pt II pp 240-246. p 243.
<S16>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1993. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1992. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLI Pt IV pp 522-532. p 528.
<S17>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1994. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1993. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLII Pt I pp 115-123. p 119.
<S18>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1995. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1994. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLII Pt II pp 230-239. p 235.
<S19>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1996. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1995. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLII Pt III pp 397-412. p 406.

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373Part of: Greyfriars' Precinct, Norwich (Monument)

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