NHER 4483 (Monument record) - Marham Abbey, a Cistercian nunnery

Abbey of SS Mary, Barbara and Edmund; Cistertian nuns.
One of only two in England.
Fifteen Nuns in 1381.
Information from (S1).
R.J. Rickett (NAU), 17 April 1990.

Founded by Isabel D'Albini and dedicated 27 January 1249.
In 1282 incorporated into Abbey of Waverley.
South wall of aisleless church; two circular windows (one quatrefoil, one sexfoil) remain from row above corbels that supported cloister roof. 14th century outer parlour with two bay ribbed vaulted roof, springing from caryatid.

16 August 1979. Visit.
Unable to visit above buildings owing to absence of owner (Abbey House).
However earthworks to south visited (field rented by Marham House).
Very large mounds on line of cloisters; northwest corner of west range still stands to a fair height, flint with brick
quoins. Lesser earthworks towards Spring Lane.
E. Rose (NAU).

5 Febuary 1988. Visit.
Good conditions of earthworks apart from occasional area of poaching causing erosion, particularly at A on plan in (S2) in file, where a wall is being gradually broken up. One roof tile with peg hole in material that has collapsed from here.
R. Silvester (NAU), 8 Febraury 1988.

26 June 1989. NAU air photography.
Shows a double ditched boundary in playing field to north, no doubt the precinct boundary as it joins onto the earthworks.
E. Rose (NAU), 6 July 1993.

[1] states that he has heard a story that in 1935 an unsuccessful excavation was held in or near the site to find a
tunnel. No other details known.
E. Rose (NLA), 25 January 1996.

1995. Earthwork survey.
Considerable earthworks of grass covered building outlines including the claustral range and at least two other separate groups. Standing masonry within the gardens of Abbey House represent the wouth wall of the church and an outer parlour. An incomplete ditched enclosure with a probable inlet channel to the north, has within it a depression thought to have been a fishpond. Other mainly linear features may well be contemporary, including possible precinct/roadside boundary banks and ditches along the southern edge.
See report (S3) for plan and further details. This site was included in (S4) and the survey is also noted in (S5).
B. Cushion (NLA), January 1996.

1998.
German lava quern found near cloisters by [2].
E. Rose (NLA), 16 September 1998.

February 2012. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with installation of multi-use games area adjacent to bowling green.
No archaeologically-significant remains were noted during the stripping of this area. It should though be noted that the excavations were relatively shallow and did not penetrate beneath the base of the subsoil layer present.
Unstratified finds recovered included a small assemblage of Late Saxon, medieval and post-medieval pottery and a granite whetstone of uncertain date.
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 25 February 2023.

March 2020. Excavation.
Small excavation at site of new freshwater swimming pool to west of Abbey House.
The work revealed a substantial west-north-west to east-south-east aligned thought to have been associated with the precinct boundary of Marham Abbey.
See report (S1) and NHER 66687 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 26 February 2023.