Record Details

NHER Number:8798
Type of record:Monument
Name:Woodrising Roman villa

Summary

This is the site of a Roman villa, which was revealed during deep ploughing in the 1940s, when large scatters of tile, brick and pottery were revealed, as well as Roman glass, tesserae and coins. Several pot boiler sites have also been discovered, which seem to be associated with the villa. The cropmarks of a rectangular enclosure are visible on aerial photographs.

Images

  • A piece of Roman Samian pottery from Wood Rising villa, Cranworth  © Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service

Location

Grid Reference:Not displayed
Map Sheet:TF90SE
Parish:CRANWORTH, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

Site of Roman villa.

1947.
Ploughing revealed traces of villa; roof and flue tiles, window glass, pottery, including 2nd century samian ware and coarseware, a fragment of a rotary quern and a part of a glass vessel.

A number of the finds recovered around this time were brought in for identfication by the finder's granddaugher in 2013 and are now recorded in the PAS database [1]:
8 Roman coins.
1 post-medieval coins.
Information from PAS import.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 2 October 2013.

1952.
Four pot boiler sites located near the source of a spring.

1973.
Surface find of Roman coins and tesserae.

1974. During ploughing.
Two large scatters of Roman roof and flue tile, mortar and brick fragments, and some pottery to the northeast and southwest of what seems to be a gravel metalled courtyard. A pot boiler site was also ploughed up.

1990. NLA air photography.
Cropmarks of a rectangular enclosure.

See list of finds in file.
M. Flitcroft (NAU) February 1993.

Monument Types

  • RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE (Undated)
  • SITE (Undated)
  • BURNT MOUND (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
  • BUILDING (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • IRON WORKING SITE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • SITE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • VILLA (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

  • POT BOILER (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BRACELET (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BRICK (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • FLUE TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • KNIFE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • METAL WORKING DEBRIS (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)
  • TESSERA (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • VESSEL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • VESSEL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • WHETSTONE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 64 AD to 117 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 260 AD to 286 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 275 AD to 378 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 320 AD to 330 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 326 AD to 326 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 326 AD to 328 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 330 AD to 335 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 341 AD to 348 AD)
  • COIN (17th Century - 1625 AD to 1634 AD)

Protected Status

  • Scheduled Monument

Sources and further reading

---Aerial Photograph: TF9703 M-AG.
---Article in Serial: -. 1948. Roman Britain in 1947. Journal of Roman Studies. Vol XXXVIII pp 81-104. p 91.
---Article in Serial: Clarke R. R. 1952. Roman Norfolk since Haverfield. A Survey of Discovery from 1901. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXX pp 140-155. p 149.
---Designation: [unknown]. Ancient Monuments Form. SAM Record. DNF432.
---Illustration: Finds Illustrations.
---Newspaper Article: Norwich Mercury. 1948. Early man settled at Wood Rising. 31 December.
---Publication: Corbishley, M.J.. 1983. [unknown].
---Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 90 SE 1 [3].
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Publication: Walters, V.. 1976. AM7.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Roman. Cranworth [2].
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Illustration: [Unknown]. Drawing and partial reconstruction of Roman Samian sherd from Woodrising Villa. Paper. 1:1.
---Illustration: [Unknown]. Sketches of Roman pottery sherds from Woodrising Villa (Apling Collection). Paper. 1:1.
---Illustration: [Unknown]. Sketches of Roman pottery sherds from Woodrising Villa (Apling Collection). Paper. 1:1.
---Illustration: [Unknown]. Sketches of Roman pottery sherds from Woodrising Villa (Apling Collection). Paper. 1:1.
---Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
---Designation: English Heritage. 1994? -2011?. English Heritage Digital Designation Record. Record. DNF432.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Miscellaneous. Cranworth (Woodrising).

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