Broomsthorpe Deserted Medieval Village

Reasons for Designation

Deserted Medieval villages are a major type of monument of the Medieval period. They tell us much about the economy and settlement of Medieval rural England. Broomsthorpe is a fine example of a lowland abandoned settlement containing a range of buildings and features. These include the foundations of a large building thought to be the church and possibly identifying the settlement as the lost village of Sengham. The earthworks are sharply defined and survive in good condition. The location of features near to the river indicates the potential preservation of water-logged remains and as such the monument has good future archaeological potential. The monument is further enhanced by its association with a range of monuments from the same period including a Priory, two moats and field systems, which together make up a well-articulated Medieval landscape, largely unaffected by later occupation.

Details

The monument comprises the well preserved remains of an abandoned rural settlement. The village is located on a tributary of the River Wensum and was occupied in the Medieval period. It may be the lost village of Sengham whose church was abandoned after being given to Castle Acre Priory. In 1410 the village is recorded as having 12 tenants, however, by the middle of the 16th century it was all but abandoned; a fate shared by up to a quarter of the village settlements of Medieval England. Many traces of the settlement are visible as earthworks preserved under pasture. They include the outlines of houses and yards, hollow-way tracks and, beneath a recent plantation, the well preserved foundations of a large building, thought to be the remains of a church. The site has never been excavated. The settlement is located near to two Medieval moats, one of which (now totally levelled) was located just to the north of the village and several Medieval field systems. The impressive remains of East Rudham Priory are located 1km to the north-west.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

11511

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Batcock, N, East Anglian Archaeology in The Ruined Churches of Norfolk, ()

End of official list entry

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