Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

1936 to 1937. Excavation.
A small area was excavated following discovery of several Roman pottery sherds on the surface of this field.
A timber framework consisting of piles with morticed raking struts and fallen timber (also morticed together) was recorded towards the north of the investigated area. The excavators identified this as a wharf, suggesting that a creek ran from this area to the River Waveney. The timber piles were preserved to a depth of 3.5 to 4 feet, and several finds were recorded at a depth of 4 to 5 feet including fragments of leather, a Roman sandal, a horse's skull, and pottery fragments.
A gravel road oriented north-west to south-east was recorded to the north-east of the wharf and a large deposit of flints was noted in-between the road and the wharf. The road was believed to be Roman.
Three areas of occupation were defied to the south and east of the wharf. Timber buildings with flint foundations with thick floors of lime and sand were observed. Finds of burnt wood, iron nails, and pottery led the excavators to believe the buildings were destroyed by fire on several occasions and later flooded. Despite mention of flint foundations, no building plans were recorded. However, in the easternmost area remains of a flint doorway were located.

The finds suggest that this site was occupied from about 70AD to the late second century AD. Roman pottery finds include Samian ware, Castor ware, late first to early second century mortaria, flagons, rusticated ware, and an amphora handle. Other finds include a fragment from a quern made from Hertfordshire conglomerate, part of a pipeclay figurine of Venus, glass fragments, six bronze pins, a bronze needle, a bone spindle whorl, two coins including a dupondius of Sabine (117-138), and tiles. A large number of sling stones were also recovered.

This work also recovered many worked flints, the majority of which appear to have been Mesolithic. Seven of the flints are included in one of the photographic plates in (S1) and were accessioned separately by the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1962.590). These flints are noted in (S2) and listed in (S3) as 1 microlith, 5 blades and 1 serrated blade. The NCM also holds a second collection of Mesolithic flints from this site (NWHCM : 1958.207), these being listed in (S2) as comprising 117 blades/flakes, 1 microlith, 1 scraper and 1 miscellaneous piece.

The other finds from this work are also held by the NCM (NWHCM : 1962.590 : A, NWHCM : 1958.206 : A, NWHCM : 1964.325.AS7956 : A?) and [1].
See (S1), (S4), and (S5) for further information.
See (S6) and [2] for photographs.
See also press articles (S7) and (S8). Additional press articles have been noted in the Eastern Daily Press (1936: 27 March, 9 April, 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 May, 5, 12, 19, and 26 June, 3 July), East Anglian Daily Times, Discovery (May 1936, p 158), and The Times (April 1936).
H. Hamilton (HES), 01 August 2013. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 8 January 2014.

1963. Casual observation.
A road orientated north-west to south-east was observed in the side of a drainage ditch.
E. Rose (NAU), 22 January 1990.

November 2012. Trial Trench.
One small, shallow, undated pit was recorded during excavation of a single trench.
The pit was truncated by a modern service trench for a drainage pipe and contained no finds. One environmental sample was taken from the feature, but the only plant remains observed were small fragments of wood charcoal.
Alluvial deposits present in the trench were investigated via a sondage and were seen to increase in depth at the northern end of the trench, revealing the natural incline of the river terrace valley.
See report (S9) for further information.
H. Hamilton (HES), 26 June 2013.

July-September 2014. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of excavation of stantion pits for warehouse extension.
No archaeologically significant features were exposed and no finds were recovered. The deposits exposed confirmed that the site had lain on the margin of the Waveney flood plain. An alluvial silt was exposed beneath the topsoil that was at its deepest in the southern part of the site. Across much of the site this deposit sealed a peaty, more sandy, riverine silt. Localised modern disturbance was noted at the southern and eastern margins of the site.
See report (S10) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 19 October 2016.

Monument Types

• PIT (Unknown date)
• FINDSPOT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• BUILDING (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FLOOR (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PIT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• ROAD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• WHARF? (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• BLADE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• BLADE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• FLAKE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• MICROLITH (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• MICROLITH (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• SCRAPER (TOOL) (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• SERRATED BLADE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BOTTLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FIGURINE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• QUERN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SHOE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SPINDLE WHORL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• VESSEL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

Related records - none

Find out more...

• Make a pair of Roman sandals (Crafty Idea)
• Parish Summary: Scole (Parish Summary)