Norfolk Archaeology 44 (3)

Second of two papers seeking to examine the credentials of Francis Blomefield as historian of the county of Norfolk. The article looks at Blomefield's history of Norwich, and considers the issue of whether Blomefield was a historian, an antiquary or a topographer.

Property at Wereham was given to the abbey of St Guénolé (Winwaloe) at Montreuil-sur-Mer between 1086 and 1154. Monks were probably installed before 1154, and were certainly present by the time the chapel was built c. 1150--75. The chapel's remains show that a claustral plan was not intended, while the monks' income limited their numbers to two or three. The monks' main duty was the collection of the abbey's revenues and the full conventual routine was not attempted; however the structure and decoration of the chapel indicate the importance that monasteries and patrons attached to such foundations in the twelfth century. The abbey sold the property in 1327, and in 1332 it passed to the Premonstratensians at West Dereham. Thereafter, at least until the 1370s, the chapel served as a chantry, and had a gallery or upper chamber inserted at its west end. The building was converted to domestic use after 1539.

Archaeological excavations were carried out at Grange Farm Borrow Pit, Snetterton, in advance of mineral extraction associated with improvements to the A11 Norwich-Thetford trunk road. Evidence of occasional Later Neolithic-Early Bronze Age and Mid--Late Iron Age activity lay close to the site of Ashby Mere, a now-vanished area of open water. An Early Saxon settlement was represented by several sunken-featured buildings, and produced evidence of iron smithing. Probable Roman, medieval and post-medieval field systems were found, as was evidence for medieval crop processing/storage, medieval light industry and post-medieval metalworking. Specialist reports include

Report of an archaeological excavation undertaken during 2001 at the site of a housing development at Bishy Barnabee Way, Bowthorpe, Norwich. Sub-surface cut features were shown to be Early Anglo-Saxon in date and included at least three sunken-featured buildings along with evidence for post-hole structures and a distinctive elongated pit. Specialist reports include

Report on the discovery by the Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project of a hoard of thirty-nine Gallo-Belgic E gold-alloy staters in 2003. The majority of the hoard was hidden in a cow bone.

Report on a ring-ditch, initially thought to have been the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow but, following excavation, believed to have been of eighteenth- or nineteenth-century construction, possibly the site of a former post-mill.

Report on progress during 2003--4 of the National Mapping Programme in mapping, recording and collating archaeological sites visible on aerial photographs in Norfolk, including a summary of mapping and results by archaeological period.

Sixth part of a consecutive annual catalogue of medieval seal matrices found in Norfolk.

Annual report comprising summaries of archaeological investigations, fieldwork and surveys carried out during 2003 in Norfolk; arranged alphabetically by parish or town, with a section on investigations giving negative results.