Monument record HXN 041 - Moat, The Vicarage, Hoxne

An archaeological excavation and monitoring were carried out at The Vicarage, Hoxne. The Vicarage stands within a moated enclosure alongside the church and is purported to be the site of the Bishop of Norwich's palace. The excavations demonstrated that well-preserved archaeological features and deposits exist both on the moat platform and outside the area enclosed by the moat. The pottery recovered from excavation was dated consistently to the late Saxon-early medieval period, pre-dating the creation of the moat, and providing some evidence which is contemporary with the Saxon bishopric. The features include evidence of a possible early medieval timber-buildings based on earth fast posts and trenches which dated by pottery to the 12th century. The sample excavation was too small for any analysis but the building form and size suggests a simple structure secondary to the high-status buildings of the palace complex and pits containing the domestic detritus and evidence of demolished ovens support this. The moat survey revealed the profile of the channel, which appeared to have been re-excavated relatively recently. It also appeared to have been modified in the north-west corner of the site in order to build a revetment and foot bridge marked on a late 19th century Ordnance Survey map (S1).