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Record Details

NHER Number:28450
Type of record:Monument
Name:Roman pottery kilns, quarry pits, road, field systems, pits, and inhumation

Summary

Trial trenching in 1991, geophysical survey in 1994 and excavation of targeted areas in 1998 recorded widespread remains dated to the Roman period. Features include field boundary ditches, a road, a chalk path, an inhumation, two upstanding pottery kilns, and thirteen quarry pits used to extract iron stone from the natural sand. The majority of the quarry pits were closed with large dumps of pottery and metal-working debris as well as domestic waste and building material, and the presence of large flint and limestone slabs indicates that substantial buildings once stood here. Dating of the remains indicates that occupation in this was was in decline by the 4th century.
This area retains an unusually think layer of topsoil, and much of the Roman remains have been preserved in situ beneath the modern housing estate.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:Not displayed
Map Sheet:TF63SE
Parish:SNETTISHAM, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

July 1991. Trial Trenching.
Extensive ditches in all parts of area.
Two Roman greyware/reduced ware producing kilns, topsoil concentration of slag. Remains dated to 1st/2nd century, a little 3rd century material. [1]
Also Late Saxon, medieval, post medieval unstratified pottery, metalwork.
See report (S1) and lists in file for further details. The results of this work are summarised in (S2) and also included in (S4).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1997.68 and NWHCM : 2013.321).
M. Flitcroft (KLM), September 1991. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 30 March 2015 and April 2019.

15 July 1986, 5 July 1989. NAU aerial photography.
Cropmarks of trackway, other linear features and enclosures.
Now recorded as NHER 65077.
D. Edwards (NLA), 1993. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 June 2021.

1993. Geophysical Survey.
Revealed evidence for several more kilns, roads and other features.
See report (S3) for further details. The results of this work are included in (S4).
E. Rose (NLA), 17 February 1994.

June/July 1998. Excavation.
Excavation of selected areas in advance of development. No further kilns were identified, the geophysical anomalies targeted proving to be large pits. These features were interpreted as Roman quarry pits used to extract the abundant ironstone present in the natural sand. One had a chalk access ramp and revetted timber steps and two others had subsequently been re-used as wells. Material that had been deposited into these pits included large dumps of pottery and metal-working debris, domestic waste and building material. The presence of large flint and limestone slabs suggests that substantial buildings had been present nearby during the Roman period but had probably fallen into disrepair by the 4th century AD. A Roman road and its associated ditches were also investigated, revealing clear evidence for repeated episodes of repair and maintenance.
See published report (S4) and publication draft (S5) for details of this and earlier work on the site. The results of this work are also summarised in (S6).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2013.321).
Due to the depth of the covering soil on this site much of the archaeology was unaffected by the development and remains preserved in situ. See (S7).
D. Gurney (NLA), 22 July 1998. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 30 March 2015 and 17 May 2019.

September 2001. Stray Find.
Found during building work at [2].
Roman silver finger ring, probably a product of the 1985 hoard 'jeweller' (see NHER 1517).
See description in file with finders map.
Declared Treasure 21 March 2002 at Kings Lynn coroner's court. See British Museum's summary description in file.
The ring was later returned to the finder.
See press cutting (S8).
This object has also been recorded on the PAS database [3].
A. Rogerson (NLA), 21 January 2002. Updated by A. Rogerson (NLA), 22 March 2002, S. Howard (NLA), 28 July 2010 and P. Watkins (HES), 1 May 2020.

The mapped extent of this record was reduced in June 2021, after the cropmarks previously detailed here were moved to NHER 65077 [4].
P. Watkins (HES), 12 June 2021.

Monument Types

  • METAL WORKING SITE (Unknown date)
  • TRACKWAY (Unknown date)
  • DITCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • HEARTH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • INHUMATION (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • METAL WORKING SITE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • PIT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POST HOLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POTTERY KILN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POTTERY WORKS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • QUARRY (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BRICK (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • CARVED OBJECT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • FLUE TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • KILN FURNITURE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • KILN WASTE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • MOLLUSCA REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • PIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • QUERN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • ROOF TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • WHETSTONE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • FINGER RING (Roman - 130 AD to 170 AD)
  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status

  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). TF 9733AY-ABK.
---Photograph: KLM, KLW.
---Unpublished Document: Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 2002. Treasure Annual Report 2001. pp 20-21; No 15; Fig 15.
---Slide: NAU Archaeology. 1998. Slides 1-456 Archaeological Investigations at Strickland Ave & Station Rd, Snettisham..
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Newspaper Article: Lynn News. 1991. Major search of 'gold' field. 24 July.
---Newspaper Article: Lynn News. 1994. Yes to bypass land scheme. 20 May.
---Newspaper Article: Lynn News. 1998. Unearthing Snettisham's ancient past. 11 August.
<S1>Unpublished Contractor Report: Flitcroft, M. 1991. Report of Archaeological Evaluation at Station Road/Strickland Avenue, Snettisham. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 2.
<S2>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1992. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk in 1991. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLI Pt III pp 371-379. p 378.
<S3>Unpublished Contractor Report: Ovenden, S. M. 1994. Report on Geophysical Survey. Snettisham. Geophysical Surveys of Bradford. 94/02.
<S4>Monograph: Lyons, A. 2004. Romano-British Industrial Activity at Snettisham, Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology Occasional Papers. No 18.
<S5>Unpublished Report: Lyons, A. 2003. Archaeological Investigations at Strickland Ave & Station Rd, Snettisham, 1991, 1994, 1998 and 2000. Publication draft.
<S6>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 1999. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1998. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIII Pt II pp 369-387. p 382.
<S7>Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
<S8>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2002. Interesting ring is treasure trove. 22 March.

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