Table Of Content

EAST ANGLIAN ARCHAEOLOGY The Evolution of Settlement in Three Parishes in South- East Norfolk by Alan Davison Based on Fieldwalking carried out by Alan Davison and George Fermer aided, inHales and Loddon, by other members of the Hales Hall Archaeological Trust 1980-86 With Documentary Research by Alayne Fenncr East Anglian Archaeology Report No. 49, 1990 Nodolk Archaeology Unit Norfolk Museums Service EAST ANGLIAN ARCHAEOLOGY REPORT NO. 49 Published by The Norfolk Archaeological Unit Union House Gressenhall Dereham Norfolk NR20 4DR in conjunction with The Scole Archaeological Committee Ltd. Editor: Peter Wade-Martins EAA Managing Editor: Susie West Scole Editorial Sub-Committee: David Buckley, County Archaeologist, Essex Planning Department Peter Wade-Martins, County Field Archaeologist, Norfolk Museums Service Stanley West, County Archaeological Officer, Suffolk Planning Department Typeset in Plantin by Spire Origination, Norwich Printed by @ THE NORFOLK ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNIT 1990 ISBN 0 905594 02 9 For details of East Anglian Archaeology, see last page Cover illustration Heckingham church from the valley of the Beck. Contents List of Contents V XI. A Documentary Study ofHales and 41 Loddon, by Alayne Fenner List of Plates Vl The Landscape of Hales and Loddon from 41 the Documents List of Figures Vl Population and Prosperity 42 Land Tenure 45 List of Tables Vl Manor Sites and Parks 46 Roads 49 Contributors vu Open Fields 52 Woodland 53 Acknowledgements vu Greens 54 ss Settlement I. Summary Heckingham: A Documentary Note, by 57 Alan Davison II. Introduction 1 St.Margaret's Church, Hales, by Alayne 60 Ill. South-east Norfolk 1 Fenner Holy Trinity Church, Loddon, by Alayne 60 IV. Topography and Soils of the Parishes of 7 Fenner Hales, Heckingham and Loddon St. Gregory's Church, Heckingham, by 60 V. Fieldwalking Methods Adopted in the 7 Alayne Fenner Survey of the Parishes of Hales and XII. The Evidence Compared, by Alan Davison 61 Loddon Settlement 61 VI. Fieldwalking in the Parish of Heckingham 10 Greens 62 VII. The Definition of a Site 11 Fields and Woods 62 Road ways 63 VIII. The Mapping of Sites 12 Mills 63 IX. The Distribution of Finds by Periods 12 Churches 64 Prehistoric Finds 12 XIII. The Settlement Patterns: Some Questions 64 Iron Age Finds 15 Raised, by Alan Davison The Romano-British Settlement AD 43 c. 15 Relief and Drainage 64 410 Soils and Climate 64 Early Saxon Settlement c. AD 410 c. 650 16 Changes in Relative Sea Level 65 Middle Saxon Settlement c. AD 650 c. 850 16 Other Contributory Factors 65 The Settlement Pattern in Late Saxon and 16 XIV. Some Major Features of the Settlement 66 Early Medieval Times c. AD 850 1150 Sequence: An Analysis of Possible Causes, Medieval Settlement, Late Twelfth- 21 by Alan Davison Fourteenth Centuries The Long Sequence of Occupation on 66 Late Medieval to Early Post-Medieval 22 Sites 14 and 42 Times AD 1400 1600 The Choice of Sites in Romano-British 66 X. Studies of Selected Sites 22 Times A. Site 42 22 The Middle Saxon Shift 66 B. Site 14 26 Routeways and their Influence 66 C. Site46 28 (a) Romano-British Times 66 D. Green-side Sites 29 (b) Post-Roman Times 67 1. Hales Green 29 Medieval Expansion on to the Valley 67 2. Stubbs Green 33 Floors 3. Other possibly Green-side settlement 33 Medieval Expansion to Sites on the Chet 67 (a) 'Spot Common' 33 Terraces (b) Hall Green 35 The Settlement of the Margins of Greens 67 E. Site 109 35 Isolated Medieval Sites 68 F. Site 52 35 The Contraction of Settlement in Late 68 G. Site 73 36 Medieval Times H. Site 104 36 The Late Settlement of Site 73 69 I. Site 13: Spring Meadow 37 The 'Blank Areas' on the Distribution 69 J. The Chet Valley Sites 37 Maps Selected Sites in Heckingham: 38 XV. Conclusions, by Alan Davison 69 1. Site H44 38 Suggested Further Investigation 72 2. Sites in the vicinity of Heckingham 39 Church Tabulated Gazetteer of Finds 77 Bibliography 89 Index 91 V List of Plates Pl. I Hales Green, Hales Hall with associated 8 Pl. V The alignments of roads, tracks and field 34 features, and the area of the medieval boundaries in the southern part of the park of'Loddon iuxta HaZes'. parish of Loddon. Pl. II The town of Loddon before recent 9 Pl. VI Heckingham church in virtual isolation. 40 expansion and by-pass construction. Pl. VII Alignments of roads, tracks and field 75 Pl. Ill Soil markings in the vicinity of Transport 27 boundaries in the vicinity of Seething Lane, and to the west ofHales Green. airfield. Pl.IV The isolated Hales church and the 31 Pl. VIII Alignments to the north of Hedenham. 76 moated structure to the south-west. List of Figures Fig.1 Map of Norfolk showing places men- _ 2 Fig.12 Sites on Hales Green 25 tioned in this volume. Fig.l3 Sites in Heckingham 26 Fig.2 The Location of the Three Parishes. 4 Fig.14 Site 46 28 Fig.3 The Three Parishes. 5 Fig.15 Hales Green: Possible Stages of En- 30 Fig.4 Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age 13 croachment Finds Fig.16 The Hundreds of Loddon and Clavering 42 Fig.S Iron Age Finds 14 Fig.17 Greens, Commons and Parks 47 Fig.6 Romano-British Finds 17 Fig.18 Fields, Woods, Roads and Manorial 48 Fig.7 Early and Middle Saxon Finds 18 Sites Fig.8 Late Saxon/Early Medieval Finds 19 Fig.19 Possible Roman Road Alignments 50 Fig.9 Medieval Finds 20 Fig.20 Loddon Church and Market Places 56 Fig.10 Late Medieval to Early Post-Medieval 23 Fig.21 Possible Alignments in South-East Nor- 74 Finds folk Fig.ll The Location of Sites 24 List of Tables Table 1 Hales, Loddon and Ingloss: Domesday 43 statistics Table 2 Comparison of population by house- 44 holds Vl Contributors Text:- Alan Davison, M.A., F.S.A.Scot. Alayne Fenner, B.A. Fieldwalking:- Christopher Barringer Alan Davison Joan Davison Bertram Dollin Alayne F enner George F enner Geoffrey Leake MaryMuir Terence Read George Fenner compiled Table 2 Acknowledgements We are grateful for the kindness and interest of the land- bara Dodwell answered quenes about the Domesday owners and farmers who allowed us to walk their fields entries. and so made the survey possible. It is quite impossible to recall in detail every conver- Throughout the six years of the investigation the sation with interested archaeologists, professional or ama- fieldwalkers had the never-failing support and en- teur, and, especially, with other members of the Hales couragement of Dr Peter Wade-Martins and the mem- Hall Archaeological Trust. Such exchanges were invalu- bers of the Norfolk Archaeological Unit. We are able in sifting information and developing ideas. Many particularly indebted to Andrew Rogerson, Tony Gre- took place within the hospitable walls of Hales Hall, gory, John Wymer and Prances Healy for their skill, home of Terry and Judy Read. Their determination to patience and tolerance in identifying the recurring collec- investigate the history of their house led to the formation tions of fmds brought to them. Additional archaeological of a group of people prepared to research the site ofHales information about the three parishes has been retrieved Hall and its immediate environment. Much of the survey from the Sites and Monuments Record of the Norfolk described iu Llils volume developed from that preliminary Archaeological Unit. Susan White gave advice, with end- exploration of the fields around the Hall. The generosity less patience, on the techniques necessary to produce the of Terry and Judy in allowing their home to be used as a maps, for which the Norfolk Archaeological Unit made store and a lunch-time rendezvous for muddy-booted materials and facilities available. Hoste Spalding pre- field walkers cold and often wet from wintry fields had to pared the excellent base map on which the period dis- be experienced to be appreciated. tributions are displayed. We are indebted to Canon Peter Green, vicar of Phil and Val Williams generously made available Loddon, and Mr G .A.F. Plunkett, Hon. Librarian of the information about their fmds made within the parish of Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society, for their Loddon. kindness in making sources available for study. The staffs We are indebted to the Soil Survey of England and of the Norfolk Record Office, the British Library and Wales for information used in the compilation of the dis- Cambridge University Library are thanked for providing tribution maps. Messrs W.M. Corbett and P. Cambridge documents consulted. Plates Ill and VI are by Derek A. gave invaluable help in interpreting the soils and geology Edwards. The Ministry of Defence kindly gave permis- of the three parishes. Professor H. Lamb was kind sion for the remainder. enough to comment upon the possible relationship be- Of necessity this report was substantially written by tween apparent changes in the settlement pattern and one of the two principal fieldwalkers. He would like to climatic variations. Dr Tom Williamson frequently lis- thank the other, George Fenner, for his immense contri- tened to and commented upon views on the settlement bution to the work and the many hours of entertaining history of the three parishes. Kenneth Penn discussed and constructive conversation on and off the fields of linear features in the light of his own research. Miss Bar- Loddon and Hales. vu V Ill