Skip over navigation

View a printer friendly version of this page

Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Record Details

NHER Number:	4240
Type of record:	Monument
Name:	Roman salt works and settlement, Denver

Summary

This is the site of a Roman salt works, and rectangular enclosures, house sites, and kilns, are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs. Part of the site was excavated in the 1960s by the Ministry of Works, and large amounts of Roman pottery, coins and building material has been recovered. Salt working was an important industry on the Fen edge during the Roman period, which relied on peat turbaries to supply fuel.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:	Not displayed
Map Sheet:	TF50SE
Parish:	DENVER, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

1951 and 1955-6.
Roman sherds found.

1959.
Roman pottery from dyke cleaning.

1960.
Roman copper alloy bracelet found.

1960.
Ministry of Works excavation of Roman salt working site.
Two sections were cut across the Fen Causeway, NHER 2769, revealed a system of dykes and briquetage.

1961.
Roman sherds and coal found.

1962.
Roman sherds found.

1963.
Observation of levelling works on Roman salt working site; sections cut across Fen Causeway.
Romano-Saxon pottery.

'Romano-Saxon' pottery sherds are probably from the Roman kilns at Much Hadham, the products from which reached Norfolk during the later 4th century.
D. Gurney (NLA) 5 December 2006

For full details including excavation notes and sections see file.
E. Rose (NLA) 2 August 1990.

1964.
Excavation of Roman hut sites found in ploughing.
Tiles and pottery from surface.

1966.
Further details of Roman salt working site revealed by commercial excavations.

1967.
Roman kiln and pit discovered.

1968.
Roman copper alloy bowl ploughed up.

1970s.
Bronze Age coal ring, Roman earring, spoon etc.
S. Margeson (NCM) 10 February 1992.

1973.
Roman sherds found (S2).

Pre 1974.
Roman sherds found.

1975 to 1977.
Cropmarks of enclosures.

1984.
Roman sherds found.

1988. Fenland fieldwalking.
Roman sherds and bone.

See full details, site plans etc in file.
E. Rose (NLA) 2 August 1990.

For full details of wares, flint types etc see (S1).

22 July 1996. NLA air photography.
Some cropmarks of enclosures visible.
In addition to these cropmarks, two ring ditches and a linear feature are visible to the southeast.
One ring ditch is located at NGR TF 5942 0046, the second at TF 5940 0041.
H. Clare (NLA), 4 January 2002.

Monument Types

LINEAR FEATURE (Unknown date)
RING DITCH (Unknown date)
DITCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
KILN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
PIT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
POST HOLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
ROAD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
ROUND HOUSE (DOMESTIC) (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
SALT WORKS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
SALT WORKS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
SITE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

RING (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
COIN (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
BOWL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
BRACELET (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
BRIQUETAGE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
EAR RING (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
HUMAN REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
INSCRIBED OBJECT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
LOOMWEIGHT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
MOLLUSCA REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
NAIL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
NEEDLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
PLANT REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
POT (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)
TOILET ARTICLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
TWEEZERS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
VESSEL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
WORKED OBJECT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Protected Status

SHINE
Higher Level Stewardship

Sources and further reading

---	Photograph: JQ28-30, CML5-10, CVP.
---	Aerial Photograph: TF5800D-F, TF5900A-C, E-G, RAF CPEUK 1952 3164.
---	*Fieldwork: Fenland Survey. DVI AI. FENS.
---	*Fieldwork: Fenland Survey. DVR 5. FENS.
---	*Fieldwork: Fenland Survey. DVR 6. FENS.
---	*Fieldwork: Fenland Survey. DVR 9a. FENS.
---	Serial: 1966. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1966. No 13. p 3.
---	Monograph: 1987. East Anglian Archaeology. East Anglian Archaeology. vol 31.
---	Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1996. TF 5900X - Y.
---	Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 50 SE 1 [3]; TF 50 SE 4; TF 50 SE 5.
---	Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---	Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1960. Plan to excavate historic Fen sites. 19 January.
---	Serial: 1960. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1960. No 7. p 3.
---	Serial: 1961. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1961. No 8. p 2.
---	Serial: 1962. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1962. No 9. p 2.
---	Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Roman. Denver [18].
---	Article in Serial: 1961. Other Archaeological Excavations, 1960. Norfolk Research Committee Bulletin. Series 1 No 13 (for 1960) pp 1-2. p 1.
---	Secondary File: Secondary File.
---	Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1960. Icenian salt works found at Denver. 5 July.
---	Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
<S1>	Archive: Fenland Folders.
<S2>	Illustration: [Unknown]. [Unknown]. Rubbing of a Roman Samian pottery stamp. Paper. 1:1.