Castlefacts³

Mekil Hall

Has been described as a Possible Fortified Manor House

There are masonry footings remains

Name	Mekil Hall
Alternative Names	Laund Hall; Lound Hall; Saxthorpe Castle
Historic Country	Norfolk
Modern Authority	Norfolk
1974 Authority	Norfolk
Civil Parish	Corpusty

Possible site of a fortified house called Mekil Hall or Laund Hall. Medieval pottery and a stretch of flint walling have been found in the field and cropmarks have been identified on aerial photographs. (PastScape)

The cropmark centred TG 10233118 occupies a slight knoll. The field is arable but apart from a considerable scatter of flint nothing significant shows. However, Mr. Jarvis (a) confirmed that this is the area in which Medieval pottery was found and that flint walling lies about 3ft down. The cropmark appears to indicate a ditched enclosure measuring some 107 metres overall NW-SE, and some 68 metres transversely; there is an entrance on the NE side and vague internal markings. The site is not a moat and in view of the documentary evidence a defended manor house seems the most likely explanation. (PastScape ref. Field Investigators Comments–F1 RD 07-JUL-80)

Gatehouse Comments

Also called Saxthorpe Castle according to Norfolk HER who also write 'In the early C14 Aylmer of Valance, Earl of Pembroke, built a manor house, probably on this site. It seems unlikely that Aylmer, who also owned Castle Acre, built a castle here, and the large moated site on the RAF aerial photograph is more likely to be a medieval manor house, probably of some size and status.'

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)

132037

County Historic Environment Record

www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF6681

OS Map Grid Reference	TG102311
Latitude	52.8374481201172
Longitude	1.12012004852295
Eastings	610230
Northings	331180