Table Of ContentEAST 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
