NHER 7679 (Monument record) - Remains of Great Hautbois castle

Site of medieval castle built by Sir Robert Bainard in 1312, foundations of a porter's lodge and house remain.
License to crenellate granted in 1313.

R. R. Clarke (NCM) found the moat dry in June 1930.
The ditches around the site are narrow and probably not the original moat in their present form, though that on east is crossed by a flint causeway, called bridge by Clarke, only accessible now from interior.
Island is banked high especially on north and west where the ditch is some way from the slope.
Foundations of flint walls in good condition along ditch on southeast, poor on west; no traces of buildings within.
Raised area to east probably a bailey.
Causeway seen by Clarke (NHER 7679/context 1) running to TG 2640 2042 is faint and hard to make out.

(S1) says a monastic hospital founded in 1235 stood at first on the site, but this seems to be a confusion with NHER 7695.

(S2) refers to earthworks on the hill above the Bure between Great Hautbois Church and Coltishall, but (S1) indicates that that really refers to this site, though it could hardly be called a hill!
Visited E. Rose (NAU), 19 January 1978.

1983. Earthwork Survey.
Survey by NARG [1].
See report (S3)/(S4) for further details.
They believe causeway followed line of present road to church ruins, not that indicated by R. R. Clarke (NCM), and follow (S1) in placing the monastic hospital of 1235 here, or rather on the other side of the church ruins, though they give no source for this and only state that it is 'said to have been' here.
E. Rose (NAU), 9 October 1984.

A castle and building is shown on a map of 1671. See (S5)
R. J. Rickett, (NAU) 21 June 1990.

18 April 1996.
Large field between Castle Yard and Hautbois Road, see plan in file.
Area has been rotovated prior to reseeding, some topsoil dumped at north end of site and, it appears, new ponds and islands created at south end, probably enlarging the earlier pond.
If there was ever a causeway (context 1) running through here, all surface evidence of this has now been levelled or obscured.
D. Gurney (NLA), 19 April 1996.

April 1997.
Further earthmoving, for 'Agricultural Improvement', reported, between Castle Yard and the church.
Visited by NCC Enforcement Officer - no action necessary.
D. Gurney (NLA), 4 April 1997.

June 1999. Earthwork Survey.
Earthwork survey at 1:10000, denoting amendments to survey by [1] of 1983 resulting from earthmoving/levelling to north and east.
See plan in file. This site was included in (S6) and the survey is also noted in (S7).
B. Cushion (NLA), 6 July 1999.