NHER 32918 (Monument record) - Site of medieval market, St James' Green

Possible market site.
The name suggests that it many have been under the control by the parish church, some distance away within the town earthworks.
Many references to its use are in the Holkham archives.
Partly built over, the exact extent not known.
E. Rose (NLA) 15 September 1997.

See (S1) in file, which referes to documents which mention the existence of a market from the reign of Edward I.
E. Rose (NLA), 27 September 2005.

10 May 2022. Earthwork Survey.
Rudimentary earthwork survey of land immediately south of junction between Archer Lane and Orchard Lane.
This survey recorded several raised features, including one that extended eastwards to the hedge on Orchard Lane. The pond present at this location was found to have been at least partially filled with building rubble. It had been thought that these features may represent a moated site but the survey results do not appear to support this suggestion. Visualised LiDAR data (S2) does however show a group of rectilinear features identified by [2] as potentially representing "…embanked enclosures to the rear (north) of common-edge properties." These features are apparently also visible on 1946 aerial photographs and recent Google Earth imagery.
A large quantity of pottery was noted in the vicinity of these earthworks, although this material appeared to be mostly Victorian in date.
See report (S3) and correspondence in file for further details and NHER 66500 for additional information on finds recovered during unsystematic fieldwalking at this location.
A. Beckham (HES), 17 November 2022 and P. Watkins (HES), 14 January 2025.