NHER 19 (Monument record) - Excavated medieval city defences, Barn Road

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Summary

Excavations were conducted here in 1948 after bomb damage. A section was cut through the City defences and a semi-circular bastion was revealed and excavated. In addition the build sequence for this location was established. The bank dated to the mid 12th century and had a ditch. Then in the late 13th/early 14th century a wall was built on the bank. By the 17th/18th century the ditch had been filled in and houses built over it. Finds recovered by this work included a Roman rotary quern and sherds of Late Saxon, medieval and post medieval pottery.

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Location

Map sheet TG20NW
Civil Parish NORWICH, NORWICH, NORFOLK

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26 July - 7 August 1948. Excavations for NRC and NNAS directed by [1].
Bomb damaged area - section cut through City defences, semi-circular bastion (seen by Kirkpatrick early 18th century) revealed and excavated.
Earlier bank discovered dated mid 12th century with ditch 3.7m (12ft) deep and 18.3m (60ft) wide (wet at this point).
Late 13th-early 14th century. Wall built on bank. Pottery in early bank.
17th-18th century pottery from infilling of ditch.
During excavation of foundations of 18th century houses over City ditch.
Upper stone of rotary quern of limestone was found. Reused as building material but possibly Roman in origin. Hunsbury type.
Finds held by NCM.
Drawing by NCM at 1/2 scale.
R. R. Clarke (NCM).

Pottery 1948; 1951 from bank of City defences.
Late Saxon, medieval and post medieval pottery.
R. R. Clarke (NCM).

  • --- Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Norwich - Post Roman.
  • --- Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Norwich - Roman.
  • --- Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TG 20 NW 137.
  • <S2> Article in Serial: Jope, E. M. 1952. Excavations in the City of Norwich, 1948. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXX pp 287-323. pp 295-300, 318.
  • <S3> Monograph: Jennings, S. 1981. Eighteen Centuries of Pottery from Norwich. East Anglian Archaeology. No 13. p 245.
  • <S4> Serial: 1949. Norfolk Research Committee Bulletin. Series 1 No 1 (for 1948).
  • QUERN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Record last edited

Jul 8 2022 3:58PM

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