NHER 7289 (Monument record) - Medieval moat, site of medieval to post-medieval rectory, and post-medieval pottery

A moat is depicted on the Enclosure Award map for Great and Little Fransham (S1), and three arms of a square moat are depicted on the Tithe Award map for Little Fransham (S2). This moat once contained the medieval rectory (S3). A faculty application of 1804 (S4) includes a request to demolish a building within the moat and replace it with a new building to the north. It is accompanied by a plan (S5) which depicts the building, the surrounding moat, and several outbuildings, but all of these buildings appear to have been demolished by 1807 when the Enclosure Award (S1) was produced.
H. Hamilton (HES), 30 June 2017.

October 1976. Field Observation.
The northern side is a narrow dry ditch leading into a pond. East and south sides just visible as depressions in grass.
E. Rose (NAU), 7 October 1976.

1988. Field Observation. L138A.
On above entry, north and south sides are transposed.
The west arm remains as a deep, V-shaped and largely dry ditch. The south arm is a water-filled moat-like feature more than 1m wide which extends south-east beyond the junction with the eastern arm, ending in a pond which is depicted as a separate feature on the Enclosure Award map (S1).
The southern arm was extensively deepened and widen during groundworks in 1988. Late post-medieval building material was recovered from the spoil, which was spread over the island and to the south of the moat. The southern end of the eastern arm was observed in section. It was 12.5m wide and 2m deep with a flat base. A large quantity of post-medieval pantiles and bricks were observed in a tip-line down the western side and across the base.
Post-medieval sherds found.
See (S3), (S6), and (S7).
A. Rogerson (NAU), August 1988.
Updated H. Hamilton (HES), 30 June 2017.