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Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Record Details

NHER Number:	23082
Type of record:	Monument
Name:	Possible site of Roman settlement and multi-period finds

Summary

Fieldwalking at this location in 1986 and metal-detecting in 2010 and 2024 recovered prehistoric worked flints, including a Neolithic scraper; concentrations of prehistoric flint 'pot boilers'; Roman, medieval, Early/Middle Saxon, Middle Saxon, Late Saxon, medieval, medieval/post-medieval and post-medieval pottery sherds; medieval and post-medieval coins; a post-medieval jetton; a post-medieval token and a number of other, undatable and Late Saxon to post-medieval metal objects. These metal finds include a Late Saxon harness link; medieval to post-medieval dress accessories; a medieval/post-medieval whittle-tang knife, spur rowel, copper alloy vessel fragments and piece of copper alloy scrap sheet and a post-medieval hooked sword-belt mount, belt or harness mount, casket key, Jew's harp, book clasp, pastry jigger and lead powder flask nozzle.
It is suggested that this site was part of a Roman settlement that continued into the area of NHERs 23897 and 24763.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:	TF 8976 1224
Map Sheet:	TF81SE
Parish:	FRANSHAM, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

March 1986. Field L190. Field walking in good conditions.
Three ares of pot boilers, one 20m east to west x 14m north to south in area 39, one 22m east to west x 35m north to south in area 40, third extending in from adjacent field 188.
Worked flint.
Medieval sherds including Grimston, late medieval/early post medieval, and early medieval.
Early Saxon or Middle Saxon sherds, also Ipswich ware.
Post medieval sherds including Bellarmine, 16th century, glazed red earthernware.
Roman coarsewares and corky ware.
Undated sherds.
See (S1).
Found and identified by A. Rogerson (NAU)
E. Rose (NAU) 20 November 1986.

This site, as well as NHER 23897 and NHER 24763, is recorded as RB7 in (S2). The Iron Age sherds found on the site suggest a pre-Roman origin for the settlement.
See (S2) for more details.
S. Spooner (NLA) 19 December 2005.

January-February 2010. Metal-detecting (includes material from HER 23081).
Undatable copper alloy ring.
Neolithic flint scraper;
1 Roman pottery sherd.
1 Middle Saxon pottery sherd.
1 Late Saxon pottery sherd.
2 medieval coins and 14 pottery sherds.
Medieval/post-medieval buckle, whittle-tang knife with bolster, 3 copper alloy vessel fragments and piece of copper alloy scrap sheet.
2 post-medieval coins, 1 jetton, 1 token, 4 pottery sherds, 2 buckles, a hooked sword-belt mount, belt or harness mount, casket key, Jew's harp and book clasp.
See lists in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 10 March 2010. Expanded by P. Watkins (HES), 5 July 2025.

October 2024. Metal-detecting. [1].
3 Roman pottery sherds.
Late Saxon (Anglo-Scandinavian) harness link.
8 medieval pottery sherds, a buckle and strap end.
Medieval/post-medieval spur rowel.
Post-medieval button, a pastry jigger and lead powder flask nozzle.
Information from PAS import.
Extended to whole field. Previous extent recorded as Context 1.
P. Watkins (HES), 29 May 2025.

Monument Types

FINDSPOT (Unknown date)
BURNT MOUND? (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
SETTLEMENT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
FINDSPOT (Early Saxon to Middle Saxon - 410 AD? to 850 AD?)
FINDSPOT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
FINDSPOT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
FINDSPOT (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

POT (Undated)
RING (Unknown date)
POT BOILER (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
SCRAPER (TOOL) (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
POT (Roman - 200 AD to 409 AD)
POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
HARNESS FITTING (Late Saxon to Medieval - 1000 AD to 1100 AD)
BUCKLE (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
KNIFE (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
VESSEL (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
POT (Medieval - 1100 AD to 1400 AD)
STRAP END (Medieval - 1300 AD to 1400 AD)
BUCKLE (Medieval - 1350 AD to 1500 AD)
SPUR (Medieval to 17th Century - 1350 AD to 1700 AD)
BUTTON (Medieval to 16th Century - 1500 AD to 1600 AD)
BOOK FITTING (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
BUCKLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
HARNESS MOUNT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
JEWS HARP (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
KEY (LOCKING) (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
STRAP FITTING (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
SWORD BELT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
SWORD BELT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
PASTRY CUTTER (16th Century to 19th Century - 1600 AD to 1900 AD)
POWDER FLASK (16th Century to 17th Century - 1600 AD to 1700 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---	*Fieldwork: Fransham Survey. L190. AJGR.
---	Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---	Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>	Archive: Fransham Field Walking Boxfile.