View a printer friendly version of this page

Record Details

NHER Number:17982
Type of record:Monument
Name:Site of possible Roman bath house, Early Saxon inhumation cemetery and Middle Saxon settlement

Summary

Fieldwalking has recovered Roman pottery and building material suggesting that this may have been the site of a Roman bath house, possibly attached to a villa. Metal detecting has recovered a number of Early Saxon brooches and other Early Saxon metal finds from this site or from site 17184. The finds suggest that one of the two sites was an Early Saxon inhumation cemetery. This site was re-occupied in the Middle Saxon period, but was abandoned and remained unoccupied throughout the Late Saxon and medieval periods. Fieldwalking and metal detecting have also recovered prehistoric flints and pottery, and medieval and post medieval metal finds.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:Not displayed
Map Sheet:TM39NE
Parish:LODDON, SOUTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

Winter 1981 to 1982. Fieldwalking by Hales Survey (retains).
Roman sherds.
Tiles and flue tile.
Prehistoric flints (some clearly Neolithic, J. Wymer (NAU) 1985).
See list and map in file.
Identified by A. Rogerson (NAU) 15 March 1982.

1983.
Further finds including medieval and Middle Saxon ware.
D. Gurney (NAU) suggests Roman bath house or heated villa.

August 1993. Found with metal detecting.
Early Saxon brooches (S3 and S4) and metalwork (S5) suggesting presence of burials.
See list in file.
Medieval and Roman objects and coins.
See list in file.
Polaroid NCM.
J. Davies (NCM) 25 August 1993.

September 1993. Found with metal detecting.
Early Saxon annular brooch fragment. Pierced pin hole. Decorated with pairs of punched dots.
Early Saxon spade-shaped foot of small long brooch.
Polaroid NCM.
Medieval fastener, rectangular loop, folded attachment plate.
Identified by S. Margeson (NCM).
J. Davies (NCM) 2 November 1993.

The above finds August and September 1993 are now (1997) said by finder to come from site NHER 17184 Context 2 instead. However this was based on the marking on (S1); the boundaries have since changed. Therefore the record is maintained under both numbers.

January/February 1994. Metal detecting finds.
1 medieval coin, 1 medieval jetton. See list in file.
2 Roman brooches 1st century. Dolphin, hinge mechanism, silvered, pronounced rib along bow, with milled edge. Hod Hill type.
Lovely openwork medieval buckle plate, part missing, dragon in relief with backward-arching head, engraved features and border, stamps indicating folded wing. Polaroid in file.
Medieval ?buckle-plate fragment, gilded, with tapering bar on front and iron on reverse.
Medieval iron key, hollow stem, reniform bow, wards with tripartite division.
Medieval thimble, slightly conical, hand-punched.
Early post medieval thimble, hand-punched in spiral, 'bare' slightly conical top.
Identified by J. Davies and S.Margeson (NCM).
A. Rogerson (NLA) 3 June 1995.

February/March 1995.
Further Early Saxon brooches and wristclasp.
Roman coin.
See lists in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA) 9 June 1995.

August/September 1995. Metal detecting finds.
Small bronze oval Early Saxon buckle with pin and fragment of plate. cf. BAR 230, p.205 (34.61).
Lead circular medieval seal matrix. SIGIL : GALFRIDI : I DRI + Cinquefoil in centre.
Identified by S. Anderson (NCM).
A. Rogerson (NLA) 10 November 1995.

(S2) records this as Site 46, and discusses the Roman site in some detail. The site was also occupied in the Middle Saxon period, but was abandoned and remained unoccupied during the Late Saxon and medieval periods.
See (S2) for more details.
S. Spooner (NLA) 23 May 2006

Monument Types

  • BATH HOUSE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • VILLA (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • INHUMATION CEMETERY (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
  • SETTLEMENT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)

Associated Finds

  • BRICK (Undated)
  • METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Undated)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT BOILER (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
  • BRACELET (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • FLUE TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BROOCH (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • DRESS COMPONENT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • HUMAN REMAINS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • MOLLUSCA REMAINS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • SLEEVE CLASP (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • SPEAR (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINGER RING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • HARNESS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • KEY (LOCKING) (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • SEAL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • THIMBLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • TOKEN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • THIMBLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status

  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Photograph: GWR 12-36.
---*Fieldwork: Hales Survey. 46. Hales.
---Map: Finder's Map..
---Photograph: NCC Find Identification and Recording Service. c. 1975-2000. HES Find Polaroid Collection. HES Find Polaroid Collection. polaroid. black and white.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
<S1>Map: NCM. NCM Record Map.
<S2>Monograph: Davison, A.. 1990. The Evolution of Settlement in Three Parishes in South-East Norfolk.. East Anglian Archaeology. Vol 49. p 28.
<S3>Illustration: Sussams, K.. 1993. Drawing of an Early Saxon cruciform brooch.. Paper. 1:1.
<S4>Illustration: Davies, J. A. 1993. Drawing of four Early Saxon annular brooches.. Paper. 1:1.
<S5>Illustration: Davis, J.A.. 1993. Drawing of two Early Saxon wrist clasps.. Paper. 1:1.

Related records - none

Find out more...

Norfolk County Council logo Heritage Lottery Fund logo

Powered by HBSMR-web and the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd, and mojoPortal CMS
© 2007 - 2024 Norfolk Historic Environment Service