NHER 10075 (Building record) - St Mary's Church, Forncett

Medieval church.

October 1979. Visit.
Disused and part derelict. Trace of blocked round headed window in nave south wall, and possibly another above the south door - or is this merely cracks? Chancel is mostly of 1869, but in north wall lancet of 13th century Early English type which looks original and may be reset. Otherwise chancel and contemporary south chapel are in Decorated style. Nave and west tower Perpendicular (15th century); tower thin and unbuttressed with flushwork panelling.
North porch ruinous and roofless; tall entrance, apparently Perpendicular, and piscina in which is a bird's nest. South doorway has Perpendicular head but simple quoins. 17th century pulpit. Jacobean communion rail now around font. North door with linenfold panels. Paten, London 1789; chalice and paten 1804 according to (S1) - where now?
Interior inaccessible at time of visit but details visible through windows. In yard an unusual 19th century double gravestone, and scattered fragments of a font or large stone vase, octagonal and tapering but not apparently of great age.
E. Rose (NAU), 3 October 1979.

A bell given to Fundenhall. Furnishings except organ removed to Diocesan store when church abandoned, except organ which has since been removed by member of the public [1]. Information from member of the public [2].
E. Rose (NAU), 13 November 1985.

19 December 1985.
Choir stalls given to North Wootton to make an organ gallery.

Architect's drawings (S2) and newspaper articles in file (S3).
Appropriate section from (S4) in file.

See detailed report in file (S5) which notes very rare survival of wooden door from tower to nave roof space.
E. Rose (NLA), 4 October 1999.

2001. Feasibility Study.
In 1997 an Options for Use study identified conservation as holiday accommodation as the most beneficial option for the church and in 1998 the Advisory Board for Redundant Churches approved plans for its conservation and restoration that had been submitted by the Vivat Trust. A Feasibility Study was subsequently completed by the Vivat Trust - see report (S7) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 6 March 2015.

December 2003. Visit.
Natural outcrop of ironbound conglomerate revealed by dredging in a stream that forms east side of churchyard. No visible material of this sort in the church however.
E. Rose (NLA), 6 December 2003.

December 2005.
(S5) suggests that parts of the nave date to the late 11th century or first half 12th century. Tower 15th century. Door from tower bell stage to roof space is original. Three bay bell frame.
Information from (S5).
D. Robertson (NLA), 8 December 2005.

March 2010.
The church stands at the centre of the original settlement of Fornsetta, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book as one of the four settlements in the manor of Forncett. In the burial ground there are headstones dating from the end of the 18th century to just after the mid-20th century. Burials did take place prior to this period but headstones were rarely used and multiple burials often occupied the same plot. The church was closed in 1981. A plan to mana]ge and restore the church is currently underway.
See (S6).
S. Howard (NLA), 24 March 2010.

December 2014 and February 2015. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with installation of new drainage system.
The majority of the drainage trenches were close to the church walls and in several places their flint footings were exposed. A particularly substantial flint and mortar footing was exposed at the base of the east wall of the porch which may actually relate to an earlier element of the church. It only extended about a third of the way along the wall of the porch and seemed more substantial than would be required for such a small structure. It is suggest that it may relate to the original west end of the nave.
No features were observed elsewhere and the only deposit of any interest was a layer of cream mortar exposed close to the south-west corner of the vestry. This presumably represented debris from a particular phase of construction or demolition.
See report (S8) for further details. The small number of finds recovered are recorded under NHER 55052.
P. Watkins (HES), 13 April 2021.