NHER 1710 (Monument record) - Medieval beacon; Tauft's Beacon

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Summary

A mound measuring about 5m in diameter and 1m high stands at this location. A circular foundation has been recorded inside the mound and a medieval brick has been recovered from it. This is probably the site of Tauft's Beacon which is mentioned in documents dating to 1625.

Protected Status/Designation

Scheduled Monument 1020825: Medieval beacon on Bircham Common

Location

Map sheet	TF73SE
Civil Parish	BIRCHAM, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

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Full Description

Site of watch tower.
Called Roman on (S1), probably medieval.
'Roman pottery' claimed.
See details, (S2) and (S3) in file.
E. Rose (NAU) 9 April 1984.

October 2000. Visit.
Mound about 5m diameter, about 1m high.
H. Paterson (A&E) 3 November 2000.

March 2003.
Schedule revised. Previously SAM Norfolk 274. States that the site is a medieval beacon rather than Roman as in the previous scheduling. This is based on the identification of bricks excavated from the site as late medieval in date.
Identified as Tauft's Beacon which is mentioned in state papers of 1625.
See scheduling report (S4) in file.
M. Horlock (NLA) 14 August 2003.

Associated Sources (10)

--- SNF97838 Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
--- SNF99120 Designation: English Heritage. 1990-2013. English Heritage Scheduling Notification. Notification. DNF341.
--- SNF87263 Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Medieval. Bircham.
--- SNF57722 Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
--- SNF57204 Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 73 SE 1 [2].
--- SNF8804 Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1> SNF52733 Map: Ordnance Survey. 1902-1907. Ordnance Survey Map. 25 inch to the mile. Second Edition. 1:2500.
<S2> SNF43 Designation: [unknown]. Ancient Monuments Form. SAM Record. DNF341.
<S3> SNF51276 Map: Finder's Map..
<S4> SNF99123 Designation: English Heritage. 1994? -2011?. English Heritage Digital Designation Record. Record. DNF341.

Site and Feature Types and Periods (2)

Object Types (3)

BRICK (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Related NHER Records (0)

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Bircham (Parish Summary)

Record last edited

Mar 11 2025 8:27AM