NHER 8927 (Monument record) - Falstoff's Moat, Falstoff's Wood

Site of first Kimberley Hall, demolished about 1400.
Dry moat, island overgrown with trees.
Deep ditches; longer north to south than east to west.
Outside southwest corner a large mound or bank, site of barbican? Unusual at a corner.
Hollow way running south from moat with others branching off probably a drain, it joins stream. Probably water flowed through moat.
Wood has considerable boundary banks now fossilized and is of great age.
Visited by E. Rose (NAU) 7 December 1978.

1998.
Well defined moat with not totally convincing entrance in north corner on northwest arm, but no other surface evidence of entrance onto 38m x 25m interior platform. Slightly narrower northeast arm is V-shaped with southward flow of water, possibly due to drainage from arable land to northwest.
Exterior spoil bank flanks the western corner, extending along northwest arm, southwest and southeast arms also, less distinct on southeast. Southwest arm cut by inlet leat, a gently sinuous natural looking watercourse with a banked and ditched enclosure to its north, possibly contemporary with the moat.
The outlet leat is in east corner, truncated by present stream, but a shallow damp channel exists to east and is the probable original natural route.
One sherd (bowl rim) of unglazed early medieval pottery found in moat southwest arm.
Northwest of moat a bank heads towards the woodland boundary centrally from the moat arm, with a small pond-like depression to its west.
Sketch survey at 1:2500 for additional features in file.
B. Cushion (NLA), 12 February 1998.

March 2003.
Site scheduled.
Believed to be the site of a manor house which was abandoned in 1400, when Sir John Wodehouse built a much grander house about 900m to the north west (NHER 8918).
Information from (S1) and (S5).
M. Horlock (NLA), 26 August 2003.

May 2006.
Profile of earthworks now readily discernible.
H. Paterson (A&E), 1 June 2006.

September 2012. Norfolk NMP.
The moat described above and possible associated features are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs (S2-S4). The moat is centred on TG 0848 0379, and measures 45m by 28m internally. There is a possible entrance at the northeast corner, at TG 0848 0381.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 27 September 2012.