Glaven Historian 9 (2006)

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A Report on the Archaeological Excavation of ‘Blakeney Chapel’

Richard Lee

Synopsis: During 2004-5 a long overdue evaluation and detailed excavation of the ‘Chapel’ site was undertaken. It demonstrated three major periods of activity and the presence of two buildings. It is thought that the earliest feature is a ditched enclosure dated from the 11th to 12th century. Two buildings were occupied during the 14th to 15th and the 16th to 17th centuries. Possible uses of the site are explored.

The Shipping Survey of 1572

Jonathan Hooton

Synopsis: The shipping survey of 1572 is interesting in that it records Blakeney as being a creek of Yarmouth, but Cley and Wiveton as being creeks of Lynn. Most of the other evidence examined points to all three ports being creeks of Yarmouth. The survey is then compared with those of 1565 and 1580 and it is found that there is surprisingly little continuity in the information. It appears likely that differences in the way the surveys were compiled could account for this, but caution is needed when relying solely on these surveys for an accurate picture of 16th century shipping.

The Map of the Blakeney Haven and Port of Cley – 1586

Raymond Frostick

Early sixteenth century wills of Langham as indicators of religious change

Michael Medlar

Synopsis: The religious outlook of the people of Langham in the first forty years of the sixteenth century is explored through the Contents of surviving wills.

Friendly Societies in the Blakeney area

Brenda Stibbons

Synopsis: This article outlines the importance of Friendly Societies to the working and middle classes in the nineteenth century and, using research on societies in the Blakeney area, gives examples of their membership and how the Societies were organised. Over 550 were identified in Norfolk, including local independent societies and branches of national orders, such as the Independent Order of Oddfellows, Manchester Unity, and Ancient Order of Foresters.

Blakeney’s ‘Map of the World’ in 1368

John Wright

Synopsis: An inventory of 1368 shows that Blakeney Church contained a ‘mappa mundi’, a rare possession at that date. Could this description refer to a ‘world map’ in the style of the one in Hereford Cathedral today? This article explores other possibilities and concludes, as did an early Guide to Blakeney Church, that this ‘mappa mundi’ would have been a geographical text rather than a drawn map.

An Anglo-Saxon Burial at All Saints, Bayfield

Kenneth Penn & David Whitmore

Synopsis: Issue No 7 of the Glaven Historian carried a report on the discovery and investigation of an isolated burial; the grave-goods appeared to point to a date somewhere in the 1st century AD, that is the late Iron Age or the early Roman period. Full excavation and study of the whole assemblage showed that the burial belonged to the Saxon period, probably in the first half of the 7th century. The grave-goods also have quite strong Frankish associations, in particular, the rouletted pot; fabric analysis indicates that this came from the Pas-de-Calais, France.

Carved Roof Panels at All Saints, Cockthorpe

John Peake

Synopsis: Cockthorpe Church contains three, probably 15th century, roof panels that are possibly unique in this area of North Norfolk. The panels show an amazing array of carved foils.

Cockthorpe Churchyard: The Monuments and Monumental Inscriptions

Pamela Peake

Synopsis: The Monuments and Monumental Inscriptions of the churchyard of All Saints, Cockthorpe are recorded and discussed in light of changing social patterns, the church registers and the local community.

Sixty Years of Village Housing: the Diamond Jubilee of the Blakeney Neighbourhood Housing Society: by Richard Kelham

Synopsis: A brief outline of the origins of this pioneering example of the combination of local housing provision and conservation, and a few notes on the origin of the Society’s emblem. Photographs are from the BNHS archives.

Danish influence on Place Names

Morris Arthur

From the School Registers