NHER 4313 (Monument record) - Site of medieval Church of St Mary, West Town

Map in file (under Great Yarmouth General) described as 'purporting to show the town as it was in 1619' and also as 'from a drawing in the British Museum' marks at approximately this area the 'ruins of Our Lady's Chapel' opposite a street called The Hermitage. Maybe a Graveyard?
E. Rose (NAU).

This is also marked on (S1) and was parish church of Little Yarmouth.
E. Rose (NAU).

Informant states that this was in fact the church of West Town, one of three churches in Little Yarmouth; its tower remained until the building of the railway station.
E. Rose (NLA), 13 May 1992.

According to (S2) a bequest was left to the church in 1490, the church was abandoned in 1511 and was demolished in 1548 when the stones were used for the harbour mouth pier.
A map drawn by R.Cory in 1814 to illustrate Manship's History of 1619 is mentioned and may be the same as stated to be in the file above. It shows a Hermitage opposite the church of which no record remains except that it was suppressed in 1555 and that the 'Hermitage House' was demolished in 1704.
E.Rose (NLA), 5 January 1996.

According to (S3): The Church of St. Mary, West Town or St. Mary Ultra Pontem was situated at the northern end of Southtown road to the west of Haven Bridge. There are no references to it until the 15th century and no evidence that it was a parish in its own right, therefore it is likely to have been a chapel-at-ease in the parish of Little Yarmouth. The will of Robert Atkyns, 1479 left 12d to the Guild of St Mary at West Town, Ultra Pontem,a fraternal guild attached to the church. St Mary's Church joined the parish of Gorleston in 1524 when the parishes of Gorleston and Little Yarmouth were united, and was demolished in 1548. Its stones were used to repair the harbour, though some ruins were still visible in the 18th century. The Guild was wound up in 1528.
A. Yardy (HES), 10 June 2013.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS

September 1959. On north side Station Road, Southtown, near Plevna Terrace. Remains of three inhumation burials found 1.5m (5 feet) down and 0.9m (3 feet) apart; no evidence of date.
Remains donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NCM 1960.393)

1986. Casual Observation.
Archaeological remains encountered during the laying of a gas main between Plevna Terrace and Southtown Road.
Human remains were disturbed, with these bones believed to represent at least two east-to-west aligned burials; identified as an adult and a minor. These remains lay close to an east-to-west aligned flint wall that was "…400mm in width with the top quite shallow…".
These discoveries were not reported until 2005; for further information see correspondence, annotated maps, sketch plan and photographs in file. See also research notes on St Mary Ultra Ponten compiled by a GYAS member that were received at the same time.
As previously noted by E. Rose above, these discoveries had been mentioned in (S2), although it appears that there are some discrepancies. The most notable is that this reference states the gas main encountered "massive footings" of flint that were 400mm below ground, 1.2m in width and aligned north to south. The reference to two disarticulated skeletons being found to the east is however clearly consistent with the discoveries reported in 2005.

The mapped extent of NHER 4313 has been slightly extended in order to include the site of these discoveries, which would appear to be further evidence for a church at this location.
P. Watkins (HES), 15 December 2015.