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Record Details

NHER Number:3182
Type of record:Find Spot
Name:Site of Roman building and settlement and multi-period finds

Summary

This is the probable site of a Roman building and settlement. This site was first recognised in 1943, when a coin hoard of 1111 late 3rd-century coins was discovered. A number of years later subsoiling brought a mass of mortared flints to the surface in roughly the same area. Metal-detecting and fieldwalking on the site between 1988 and 2017 has recovered a large number of objects. The Roman finds include a second coin hoard, many stray coins and pottery sherds, brooches and other dress accessories, an inscribed probable patera handle, key handle, spoon, pin, furniture fitting, tweezers and a nail cleaner.

Other objects recovered include Mesolithic, Early Neolithic and undatable prehistoric worked flints; medieval and post-medieval pottery sherds; medieval and post-medieval jettons and Iron Age to post-medieval metal objects. The metal finds include an Iron Age terret; a notable number of Early Saxon objects, including brooch and girdle hanger fragments; medieval to post-medieval dress accessories; medieval knife handles, harness mount, thimble and barrel padlock; a medieval/post-medieval spur, copper alloy ring, purse bar and copper alloy vessel fragments and post-medieval coin weights, apothecaries' weight, crotal bells, furniture tacks, spur and lead cloth seal.

Images

  • A Roman enamelled vessel (probably a patera) handle from Gunthorpe. The text can be translated as "Drink yourself" © Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service

Location

Grid Reference:Not displayed
Map Sheet:TG03NW
Parish:GUNTHORPE, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

1943.
Roman coin hoard found in pot.

1960.
Mortared flint foundation found.

1988. Found with metal detecting.
Iron Age (S1), Early Saxon (S2 and S3), Roman and medieval metalwork.

1990.
3 Antoninians. Probably from the Bale 1943 hoard.
See file for details.
E. B. Green (NCM) 29 January 1990.

1990. Found with metal detecting.
Roman coins and metalwork.

1991. Metal detecting finds.
Roman and medieval coins.
Roman brooch.
Medieval to post medieval metalwork.

1992. Metal detecting finds.
Early Saxon girdle hanger.
Roman coins, late Roman buckles.

1993. Metal detecting finds.
Roman coins and brooch.
Medieval to post medieval metalwork.

1994. Metal detecting finds.
Early Saxon brooch, (S4).
Roman and medieval coins.

1995. Metal detecting finds.
Roman, Early Saxon, medieval metalwork.
Roman coins.
Flint.

1997. Metal detecting finds.
Roman brooches, stud, tweezers, coin.
See full lists, coin lists, site plans and details in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 4 July 1997.

1998. Metal detecting.
15 Roman coins and post medieval weight.
1 medieval coin.
See lists in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA) 4 January 2000.

Before 11 May 2005. Metal detecting.
1 Mesolithic flint blade core.
1 Early Neolithic flint core, 1 scraper, 1 notched piece, 1 ?borer, 1 ?knife and 1 miscellaneous retouched flake.
73 Roman coins, 53 pottery sherds (48 greyware, 1 Nene Valley colour coated, 1 East Anglian mortarium, 1 oxidised, 1 shelly and 1 micaceous red slipped), 1 brooch, 1 enamelled and inscribed patera handle (S5) and 1 probable furniture knob.
1 ?Early Saxon ?girdle hanger fragment.
1 medieval coin, 1 jetton, 1 pottery sherd (glazed Grimston), 3 buckles, 3 strap ends, 1 strap loop, 1 belt mount, 1 bar mount, 1 silver finger ring, 1 thimble and 1 barrel padlock.
1 ?medieval copper alloy ring and 1 lead spindle whorl.
1 medieval/post-medieval purse bar, 2 copper alloy cooking vessel legs, 2 bell fragments and 1 lead weight.
1 post-medieval coin, 3 jettons, 1 pottery sherd (stoneware), 1 coin weight, 2 buckle, 1 pewter ?buckle, 1 belt mount, 1 button, 4 buttons (1 silver), 3 crotal bells, 7 furniture tacks, 1 spur and 1 lead cloth seal.
2 undatable lead weights.
Flints identified by P. Robins (NCM), numismatic items by A. Marsden (NLA) and other objects by A. Rogerson (NLA). See list and descriptions in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 20 October 2005. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 1 July 2014.

Before 4 April 2007. Metal detecting.
Early Neolithic worked flints, 5 Roman coins, Romano-British sherds, Romano-British and post-medieval metal objects.
See lists in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 13 October 2007.

September 2017. Metal-detecting. Site extended to the whole field [4].
Roman copper alloy gilded oval plate brooch.
Information from PAS import.
H. Mellor (HES), 4 June 2018. Amended by E. McDonald (HES), 2 July 2018.

Monument Types

  • FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • BUILDING (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • SETTLEMENT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Undated)
  • WEIGHT (Unknown date)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • BLADE CORE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • BLADE CORE (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
  • BORER? (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
  • CORE (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
  • FLAKE (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
  • KNIFE? (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
  • NOTCHED FLAKE (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
  • RETOUCHED FLAKE (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
  • SCRAPER (TOOL) (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
  • SCRAPER (TOOL) (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
  • BROOCH (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • HARNESS (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • BOX (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BRACELET (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN HOARD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • DRESS COMPONENT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • DRESS COMPONENT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • FURNITURE FITTING (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • PIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • SPOON (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • STUD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • TOILET ARTICLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • VESSEL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BROOCH (Roman - 200 AD to 350 AD)
  • BROOCH (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • GIRDLE HANGER (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • GIRDLE HANGER? (Early Saxon - 411 AD? to 650 AD?)
  • BARREL PADLOCK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BELL (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
  • COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • DRESS COMPONENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINGER RING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FURNITURE FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • HARNESS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • JETTON (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • JETTON (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • KNIFE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PURSE (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
  • RING (Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD?)
  • SPINDLE WHORL (Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD?)
  • SPUR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • STRAP END (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • STRAP FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • STRAP FITTING (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
  • THIMBLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • TOKEN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • VESSEL (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
  • WEIGHT (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
  • APOTHECARY WEIGHT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BUCKLE? (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BUTTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BUTTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • CLOTH SEAL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • COIN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • COIN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • COIN WEIGHT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • COIN WEIGHT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • CROTAL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • DRESS COMPONENT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • FURNITURE FITTING (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • JETTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • JETTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • SPUR (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • STRAP FITTING (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Unpublished Document: Department for Culture, Media and Sport and British Museum. 2008. Treasure Annual Report 2005/6. p 123; No 475.
---Article in Serial: 1944. [unknown]. Journal of Roman Studies. Vol XXXIV, p 79. vol.XXXIV p.79.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1943. Roman coins ploughed up at Bale. 22 May.
---Photograph: I & RS. Digital finds image.
---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: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TG 03 NW 4.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Photograph: 1991. LBL 36, Romano British brooch..
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Roman. Gunthorpe [2].
---Photograph: 1995. LCS 23-24, Early Saxon girdle hanger..
---Photograph: 1995. LCS 25-26, Romano British nail cleaner..
---Photograph: 1995. LCS 27-28, Medieval harness mount..
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 2006. Archaeological Finds in Norfolk in 2005. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLV Pt I pp 112-123. p 113.
---Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
---Photograph: FTA 17-20.
<S1>Illustration: White, S. 1988. Drawing of an Iron Age copper alloy terret fragment. Paper. 2:1.
<S2>Illustration: Penn, K. 1988. Drawing of Early Saxon copper alloy cruciform brooch foot. Paper. 2:1.
<S3>Illustration: Penn, K. 1988. Drawing of the bow and foot from an Early Saxon small-long or small cruciform brooch. Paper. 2:1.
<S4>Illustration: Ashley, S. 1995. Drawing of a medieval copper alloy harness mount. Film. 2:1.
<S5>Illustration: Gibbons, J. 2005. Drawing of a Roman copper alloy vessel handle. Film. 2:1.

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