NHER 52456 (Monument record) - Site of medieval to post medieval deer park surrounding Kirby Hall

November 2009. Norfolk NMP.
The site of medieval to post medieval deer park surrounding Kirby Hall. The site is centred on TG 2733 0515. Kirby Bedon is recorded as having a medieval deer park (S1). In Owen Sheppard’s 1626 memorandum of the Kirby estate it states ‘All which houses and premises aforeseyd are scituated in a park aswell palled as any parke in England highe inoughe to keepe any redd deare and it strongly done, the compase of it is more then 3 myle abought being all good pasture meadow and wood being divided into 4 quarters with rayle and quicksett.’ (S2). The possible fragments of a multi-ditched park pale running along the southern extent of this park have been recorded under NHER 52446. The extent of the post medieval park boundary is depicted on Faden’s map of 1797 (S3). It is possible that the extent and shape of the park altered over time. However the deer park was said to have been three miles in circuit in 1626 (S2, S4) and the extent of the park shown on Faden also equates to approximately this distance, suggesting that the extent had not altered. The identification of possible medieval settlement earthworks within the southern part of the park (NHER 52448) would suggest that a settlement was cleared and emparked by the creation of the deer park, although it is possible that it had already gone out of active use prior to this occurring. See NHER 42444 for a medieval to post medieval road leading to the Hall leads from the A146 Loddon Road. This is also said to have been the location of Sir John Bernoy's White Gate, the entrance to the Kirby Hall (NHER 9907), see record for details.
S. Horlock (NMP), 04 November 2009.