Thetford, Norfolk
17 January 1999

Fragment of Medieval window glass

Geophysical results

The site of Thetford Grammar School in Norfolk may today be a place for exams and play, but in the 13th century, a large Dominican friary was here and before that, for a mere 24 years, a Norman cathedral. Time Team tried to find out if there are any traces of the cathedral left beneath the ruins of the friary and the much later school buildings, with the students helping in both the research and the trowelling.

3D reconstruction by Steve Breeze.

Further reading

A History of Thetford by Alan Crosby (Phillimore, 1986)
A good overview of Thetford's past.

The Breckland Archaeology Survey by Kate Sussams (Suffolk County Council, 1996)
An overview of excavations and findings across the Breckland area including Thetford.

Discovering Abbeys and Priories by Geoffrey Wright (Shire, 1998) paperback £5.99
The new edition of this user-friendly handbook clarifies the difference between abbeys and priories, traces the history of monasteries from Anglo-Saxon times to the dissolution, and describes the different monastic orders. Considerable referrence is made to sites open to the public.

Excavations in Thetford 1948-59 and 1973-80 by Andrew Rogerson and Carolyn Dallas (East Anglican Archaeology Report No. 22, Norfolk Museums Service 1984) and Excavations in Thetford 1964-1970 by B K Davidson (East Anglican Archaeology Report No. 62, Norfolk Museums Service, 1993)
Detailed reports on some of the previous excavations in this well researched town.

Life in a Medieval Abbey by Tony McAleavy (English Heritage, 1996) paperback £6.95
Colourful picture book explaining monasticism in simple terms, from a 'who's who' of medieval monks to an evaluation of the political role of the Church in medieval England. Distinguished from other guides by some brilliant reconstruction paintings.

Medieval Monasteries by Jeremy Greene (Leicester University Press, 1992) paperback £19.99
A good overview of the archaeological evidence for monastic houses in Britain in the Middle Ages. Using literary as well as archaeological sources, the author discusses the building of monasteries, life within them and their eventual dissolution under Henry VIII, with frequent reference to important sites.

Norman England by Trevor Rowley (English Heritage, 1997) paperback £15.99
The Normans left behind a rich legacy of buildings: castles, cathedrals, churches and abbeys. This well-illustrated book discusses these material remains in relation to the social and cultural changes that took place following the Norman Conquest.

The Normans in Norfolk by Sue Margeson, Fabienne Seillier and Andrew Rogerson (Norfolk Museums Service, 1994) paperback £7.95
A very attractive and readable description of the Norman impact on Norfolk as seen through the material remains: castles, churches, artefacts. Written in French and English and packed with photographs and maps, this is an excellent introduction to the subject.

Thetford in Ruins by Peter Tolhurst (Thetford, 1992)
A pictorial guide to the town's visible archaeological record.

Thetford – a Century Remembered by David Osborne (Wymondham, 1996)
A pictorial tour of Thetford during the 20th century by a local author.

Websites

This website contains links to other websites which are not under the control of and are not maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.

Time Team at Thetford Grammar School
www.thetgram.norfolk.sch.uk/Time_Team/Defaultx.htm
Students at Thetford Grammar School in Norfolk have designed a terrific website showing behind-the-scenes photographs and some of the finds discovered during Time Team's dig there in March 1998.

A tour of Thetford's major historical assets
www.thetford.org.uk/tht/mainpage.html

Information on Thetford and Breckland
www.breckland.gov.uk

Information on Thetford's Ancient House Museum
www.norfolk.gov.uk/tourism/museums/thetford.htm
The Ancient House Museum is very happy to field any questions or enquiries about the history of Thetford and the Brecklands. Tel: 01842 752599.

The Internet Medieval Sourcebook
www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html
The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted texts related to medieval and Byzantine history.

Norfolk

Extract from Kelly's Directory of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk & Suffolk, 1929
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/
Martin_Edwards_2/norfolk.html

Norfolk Archaeological Unit
www.norfolk.gov.uk/tourism/museums/arch_unt.htm

Secrets of the Norman Invasion
www.cablenet.net/pages/book/
Excellent site for those interested in the Norman landings.

TerraDat
www.terradat.co.uk
Nick Russill of TerraDat carried out ground-penetrating radar scanning at TT's digs at Thetford and Cheddar.

Thanks to Nigel Boldero (Project Manager, Thetford Partnership) and Oliver Bone (Curator of the Ancient House Museum in Thetford) for additional resources.

Back to the Time Team Past programmes page

Back to the 1999 series page