Record Details
| NHER Number: | 23080 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Site of Late Saxon pottery works, medieval windmill and multi-period finds |
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Summary
Fieldwalking suggests this was the site of a Late Saxon pottery works, producing Thetford ware during the late 10th and 11th centuries. It is extremely rare to find evidence of Late Saxon pottery production in a rural area. The site continues under NHER 23086. A windmill is recorded on this site in 15th century documents. Fieldwalking and metal-detecting on this site has also recovered prehistoric flints, including a Palaeolithic flint scraper, and pottery dating from the Roman to the post medieval periods. A 15th century Portuguese coin has also been found.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TF 91 12 |
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| Map Sheet: | TF91SW |
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| Parish: | FRANSHAM, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK |
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Full description
3 March 1986. Ordnance Survey field LF160. Field walking. Good conditions.
Large infilled pit in areas 9 and 10 but no sign of marsh indicated on (S1).
Local tradition says United States Army Air Force dumping in World War Two.
(S2) shows Swaffham Turnpike making great loop across field (dotted line on record map) but no surface indications.
Flints.
1 probable Roman sherd.
Late Saxon Thetford type ware including production debris.
Medieval sherds including Grimston, early medieval, and late medieval/early post medieval.
Undated sherds.
Found and identified by A. Rogerson (NAU)
E. Rose (NAU) 20 November 1986. Information from (S3). See also (S4).
A.Rogerson (NLA) notes documentary reference to windmill in southeast corner of field in 15th century, see (S8).
June 1998. Metal-detecting.
Found approximately on line of former course of turnpike (so perhaps from imported natural):
1 Palaeolithic flint scraper. See drawing (S5).
Identified by P. Robins (NCM), see description in file. This discovery was reported in (S6) and is also noted on (S7).
A. Rogerson (NLA) 10 August 1998. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 28 August 2014.
September 2000. Metal detecting.
Medieval Portugese coin.
See list in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA) 18 September 2000.
This site is recorded as LS20 in (S8). Most of the Thetford sherds recovered from the site are debris from pottery production, although no evidence of kiln structures has been found. Production may have taken place in the late 10th or early 11th century. Late Saxon pottery production sites are extremely rare in rural contexts.
See (S4) for more details.
S. Spooner (NLA), 16 December 2005.
Monument Types
- FINDSPOT (Undated)
- FINDSPOT (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 1000000 BC to 40001 BC)
- FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
- FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- FINDSPOT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
- POTTERY KILN (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
- POTTERY MANUFACTURING SITE (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
- FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- WINDMILL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- ROAD (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Associated Finds
- POT (Undated)
- LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
- SCRAPER (TOOL) (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 40001 BC)
- POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
- COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| --- | *Fieldwork: Fransham Survey. L160. AJGR. |
| --- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
| <S1> | Map: Ordnance Survey. 1883. Ordnance Survey 25 inch 1st edition. |
| <S2> | Map: Browne, J.. 1807. Great Fransham, Little Fransham and North Pickenham Enclosure Award and Map. |
| <S3> | Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. |
| <S4> | Archive: Fransham Field Walking Boxfile. |
| <S5> | Illustration: Robins, P. 1998. Drawing of a Palaeolithic flint scraper from Fransham. Paper. 1:1. |
| <S6> | Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1999. Archaeological Finds in Norfolk 1998. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIII Pt II pp 358-368. p 359. |
| <S7> | Record Card: Wymer, J. J. Wymer Index Card - Palaeolithic. Fransham. |
| <S8> | Thesis: Rogerson, A.. 1995. Fransham: an archaeological and historical study of a parish on the Norfolk boulder clay. |
Related records - none
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