Record Details

NHER Number:3586
Type of record:Monument
Name:Site of medieval pottery works and Roman brooch

Summary

A large amount of medieval kiln waste and pottery has been found at this site, suggesting that it was the site of a pottery works during the medieval period. A linear cropmark of unknown date, probably a trackway or a field boundary, is visible on aerial photographs of the site. A Roman brooch decorated with complex and intricate enamel was found by a metal detectorist in 1994. Two watching briefs carried out by the NAU in 1996 revealed more medieval pottery, as well as Late Saxon pottery.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TF 70 21
Map Sheet:TF72SW
Parish:GRIMSTON, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

1955. Pott Row, south of school.
Mass of 13th century glazed and unglazed wares (some unfired) found at depth of 0.5m (1'9') to 0.9m (3'3') in laying water mains. Also brick. Dumps of clay foreign to site with unbaked ware.
Probable site of medieval pottery works, lumps of charcoal.
See (S1).

1971.
Thumb impressed sherd found.

1976, etc.
(S2) shows cropmarks of ?trackways or field boundaries etc. Also a linear mark across southeast corner, possibly a road but more likely a recent pipe trench.
E. Rose (NAU) 28 May 1982.

1 October 1987.
West part of field under beet (boundaries different from (S3), see plan in file) and eastern 66m under died off potato plants along ridges.
Rapid walk showed that the density of pottery is strong to the east along frontage and weak to the west.
No fired clay was noted and conditions were not suitable for recording soilmarks.
In northwest of area an ill defined area of pot boilers, context 3 at [1]. Pottery, context 2, total weight 3.1 kilo predominately Grimston greenglazed, including 2 face jugs fragments, but includes some Grimston Thetford and nonglazed medieval. Glazed pot spans medieval period.
Idenified by A. Rogerson (NAU) 13 October 1987.

This is the area referred to as Tylekiln Close in 1590 according to (S4).

1994. Metal detecting.
Found at Context 3:
Roman lozenge-shaped brooch with millefiori enamel.
See report in file and drawing (S5).
D. Gurney (NLA) 9 September 1994.

July 1996. Watching Brief.
Watching Brief at 9 Chapel Road on the excavation of 11 stanchion pits prior to the construction of an agricultural machinery store.
Small quantities of Grimston ware pottery of 13th to 14th century date were collected.
See report (S7) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S8) and (S9).
A.Cattermole (NLA), 9 August 2005.

December 1996. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of groundworks associated with construction of new bungalow at 5 Chapel Road.
Excavations revealed a discrete and extensive layer of medieval pottery, doubtless waste material from a nearby kiln. There were also some Late Saxon and post medieval sherds.
See report (S7) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S8) and (S9).
A.Cattermole (NLA), 9 August 2005.

June-July 2012. Metal-detecting.
One medieval lead pot mend and a small quantity of medieval pottery including production debris.
See details in file.
A. Rogerson (HES), 03 September 2012.+

Monument Types

  • FIELD BOUNDARY (Unknown date)
  • LINEAR FEATURE (Unknown date)
  • SITE (Unknown date)
  • TRACKWAY (Unknown date)
  • POTTERY WORKS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • SITE (placename, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

  • BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • HANDLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • KILN WASTE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT MEND (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • WASTER (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Serial: 1971. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1971. No 18. p 6.
---Map: Finder's Map..
---Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 72 SW 23; TF 72 SW 29.
---Correspondence: Mackreth, D. F.. 1994. Letter. 17 October.
---Serial: 1955. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries. No 2. p 4.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Medieval. Grimston.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
<S2>Aerial Photograph: TF7021A-M.
<S3>Map: Ordnance Survey. 1883. First edition six inch map.
<S4>Monograph: Leah, M. et al.. 1994. The Late Saxon and Medieval Pottery Industry of Grimston, Norfolk: Excavations 1962 to 92.. East Anglian Archaeology. Vol 64.
<S5>Illustration: White, S. 1994. Drawing of a Roman copper alloy lozenge-shaped enamelled brooch. Film. 2:1.
<S6>Photograph: NLA. Finds Photograph.
<S7>Unpublished Contractor Report: Donald, N., Lentowicz, I. and Percival, S. 1999. Report on Archaeological Watching Briefs at 5-9 Chapel Road, Pott Row, Grimston. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 216.
<S8>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 1997. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1996. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLII Pt IV pp 547-564. p 553.
<S9>Article in Serial: Nenk, B. S., Haith, C. and Bradley, J. 1997. Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1996. Medieval Archaeology. Vol XLI pp 241-328. p 278.

Related records - none

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