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Record Details

NHER Number:4499
Type of record:Monument
Name:Site of All Saints' Church, Barton Bendish

Summary

This is the site of the medieval parish church of All Saints, which was demolished in the late 18th century. The site was excavated by the Norfolk Archaeological Unit in the early 1980s, and a Late Saxon cemetery was discovered, although no evidence of a Late Saxon building was found. The earliest remains of the medieval church dated to the early 12th century, and was extended during the medieval period. A late medieval, or early post medieval tiled floor was excavated, as well as later inhumations.

Images

  • Excavation of All Saints' Church, Barton Bendish © Eastern Daily Press

Location

Grid Reference:TF 7119 0559
Map Sheet:TF70NW
Parish:BARTON BENDISH, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

Site of the medieval parish church of All Saints', which was demolished in 1788, one of three parish churches in Barton Bendish.

1981.Excavation.
An excavation by the Norfolk Archaeological Unit in 1981 revealed occupation, medieval church foundations, and a cemetery.
For full details see (S1) and also see (S4) for short summary.
E. Rose (NAU) 15 January 1982.

All Saints' is probably one of the two churches listed in Barton Bendish in the Domesday Book. See (S2).
The 1981 excavation revealed that the church was built over an 11th century cemetery, but no evidence was found for an earlier church associated with the cemetery. However, a rare example of an 11th century grave marker was recovered, incorporated in a possible alter base in the 15th century chapel on the northern side of the church (S1). The site had apparently been used for domestic occupation before the site began to be used for Christian burials. The earliest foundations of the church dated back to the turn of the 12th century, and the building was gradually extended during the medieval period. A 12th century doorway from All Saints' was moved to St Mary's Church, where it still survives. The excavation also revealed a late medieval, or early post medieval, tiled floor in the chancel. Other burials were also excavated, dating from the medieval to the post medieval period.
See (S1) and (S3). Also, for details on the 11th century grave marker see Unpublished Document (S6), Illustration (S7) and Correspondence (S8), (S9) and (S10).
Sarah Spooner (NLA) August 2005. Amended by A. Beckham (HES), 31 March 2020.

Monument Types

  • CEMETERY (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • CHURCH (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • DITCH (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • INHUMATION (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • PIT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • POST HOLE (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • CEMETERY (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
  • CHURCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • INHUMATION (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • WALL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds

  • BEAD (Undated)
  • BELL (Undated)
  • SUNDIAL (Undated)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POLISHED AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • POLISHED AXEHEAD (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • POT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • GRAVESTONE (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • NAIL (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • ARROWHEAD (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BOOK FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BROOCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • CHALICE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • KEY (LOCKING) (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • KNIFE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • NAIL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PATEN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • QUERN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • SCABBARD (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • SPINDLE WHORL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • STRAP FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • STRAP FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BUTTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BUTTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • COIN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • NAIL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • PIN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • SCALE ARMOUR (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • TOKEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • VESSEL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Photograph: Various.
---Aerial Photograph: TF7105A, excavation TF7105B-AC.
---Article in Serial: Walters, H. B. 1939. Inventories of Norfolk Church Goods (1352), II. Norfolk Archaeology. vol XXVII Pt I pp 97-144. p 97.
---Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 70 NW 8.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1981. [Articles on the excavation at the site of All Saints' Church, Barton Bendish].
---Newspaper Article: The Daily Telegraph. 1981. Saxon church. September.
---Newspaper Article: Lynn News and Advertiser. 1981. Time running out at 'dig'. 18 August.
---Newspaper Article: Thetford and Watton Times. 1981. Digging up village history. 24 July.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Leaflet: Guide to the churches at Barton Bendish, Norfolk..
---Leaflet: 1969. Guide to the churches at Barton Bendish, Norfolk..
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Medieval. Barton Bendish.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Slide: Various. Slide.
---Fiche: Exists.
---Newspaper Article: Lynn News. 1981. Dig to raise 'lost' church. 26 June.
---Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
<S1>Article in Monograph: Rogerson, A. and Ashley, S. J. 1987. The Parish Churches of Barton Bendish: the Excavation of All Saints' and the architecture of St Andrew's and St Mary's. Three Norman Churches in Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. Rogerson, A. et al.. No 32 pp 1-66.
<S2>Publication: Brown, P (ed.). 1984. Domesday Book: Norfolk. Parts 1 and 2.
<S3>Monograph: Batcock, N. 1991. The Ruined and Disused Churches of Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. No 51. Microfiche 5:G12. No 137; p 53.
<S4>Article in Serial: Youngs, S. M. and Clark, J. 1982. Medieval Britain in 1981. Medieval Archaeology. Vol XXVI pp 164-227. p 195.
<S5>Illustration: Davison, A. Unknown. Schematic plan of Churchcrofts (Southcrofts) c. 1612. Paper. Not to scale.
<S6>Unpublished Document: Margeson, S. 1985. A Late Saxon grave-marker from Barton Bendish. Find Description.
<S7>Illustration: [Unknown]. [unknown]. Drawing of a Late Saxon grave-marker. Find Illustration. Paper. Approx 1:4.
<S8>Correspondence: Tweddle, D. 1984. Letter from D. Tweddle to S. Margeson regarding a Late Saxon grave-marker from Barton Bendish. 1 January.
<S9>Correspondence: Rogerson, A. 1984. Letter from A. Rogerson to S. Margeson regarding a Late Saxon grave-marker from Barton Bendish. 18 June.
<S10>Correspondence: Butler, L. and Margeson, S. 1985. Letters between L. Butler and S. Margeson regarding a Late Saxon grave-marker from Barton Bendish and a wooden coffin lid from Guestwick. 25 and 30 January.

Related records - none

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