Record Details
| NHER Number: | 7495 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Possible Roman iron smelting site and Mesolithic worked flints |
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Summary
In 1954 ploughing on Buxton Heath revealed a possible Roman ironworking site. A portion of this iron smelting site was subsequently excavated by the Norwich Castle Museum. This work recovered large amounts of iron working debris, including fired clay furnace debris, iron blooms, slag and much charcoal. It appeared that the raw material used had been a ferruginous sand. Unfortunately the only potentially contemporary find was a length of copper alloy chain (possibly Iron Age?). These evidence was however similar to that identified at other excavated Roman smelting sites. A small number of Mesolithic worked flints were also recovered.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TG 1792 2164 |
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| Map Sheet: | TG12SE |
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| Parish: | HEVINGHAM, BROADLAND, NORFOLK |
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Full description
August 1954. Excavation.
Excavation by D. R. Howlett of iron bloomery site revealed by ploughing. Possibly Roman. Finds recovered included a copper alloy chain (found with lump of cinder/slag and possibly Iron Age), a large lump of iron bloom with fragments of clay bars attached, a possible iron ore fragment, various fragments of iron bloom, slag and burnt clay and much charcoal. See list in file. The finds from this excavation were donated to the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1954.206), which also holds a sample of the possible raw material (a ferruginous sand; NWHCM : 1955.16). Information from (S1). See also photos of excavation (S2), chain (S3) and slag (S4). Although unpublished, this work was reported in (S5) and (S6). Compare with (S7) - see file for additional notes on parallels.
This excavation also produced a small assemblage of Mesolithic flints. These were also donated to the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1954.206) and are listed by (S8) and (S9) as comprising 1 microblade core, 5 blades/flakes and 1 microlith. These finds were also examined by R. Jacobi, who recorded the blades/flakes as 3 bladelets, 1 flake and 1 retouched flake (S10). The microlith is figured in (S11).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 May 2014.
Monument Types
- FINDSPOT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
- FINDSPOT (Early Iron Age to Roman - 800 BC to 409 AD)
- FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- IRON WORKING SITE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
Associated Finds
- BLADE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
- BLADE CORE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
- FLAKE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
- MICROLITH (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
- RETOUCHED FLAKE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
- CHAIN (Early Iron Age to Roman - 800 BC to 409 AD)
- BLOOM (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- KILN FURNITURE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| --- | Serial: 1954. Council for British Archaeology Group VII Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries. No 1. p 2. |
| --- | Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TG 12 SE 11. |
| --- | Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. |
| --- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
| <S1> | Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Roman. Hevingham. |
| <S2> | Photograph: Ashley, H. 1954. CM 531-3, Hevingham Roman iron working site. |
| <S3> | Photograph: Ashley, H. 1954. CM 551 Copper alloy chain from Hevingham Roman iron working site. |
| <S4> | Photograph: Ashley, H. 1954. CM 1248-9 Iron slag from Hevingham Roman iron working site. |
| <S5> | Article in Serial: Clarke, R. R. 1955. Norwich Museum Excavations 1954. Norfolk Research Committee Bulletin. Series 1 No 7 (for 1954) p 1. |
| <S6> | Article in Serial: Clarke, R. R. 1957. Archaeological Discoveries in Norfolk 1949-54. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXXI pp 395-416. p 414. |
| <S7> | Article in Serial: Tylecote, R. and Owles, E. 1961. A Second-Century Iron Smelting Site at Ashwicken, Norfolk. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXXII pp 142-162. p 142. |
| <S8> | Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Mesolithic. |
| <S9> | Monograph: Wymer, J. J. and Bonsall, C. J. (eds). 1977. Gazetteer of Mesolithic Sites in England and Wales with a Gazetteer of Upper Palaeolithic Sites in England and Wales. Council for British Archaeology Research Report. No. 20. p 207. |
| <S10> | Archive: R. Jacobi. -. Jacobi Archive. 10268. |
| <S11> | Monograph: Clarke, R. R. 1960. East Anglia. Ancient People and Places. 14. |
Related records - none
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