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Record Details

NHER Number:7498
Type of record:Monument
Name:Roman pottery kilns at Kempton Park Farm

Summary

Five 2nd century AD Roman pottery kilns were excavated in the 1950s.The kilns were probably used to fire coarse pottery and some mortaria. Pottery stamped with the names INGENU and ESAMI were recovered. These were probably the names of potters working on the site. One of the kilns contained a Neolithic polished flint axehead. This may have been put in the kiln as a good luck charm. Undated cropmarks of three ring ditches, a trackway and two possible enclosures can be seen on aerial photographs of the site.

Images

  • A Roman pottery kiln excavated in the 1950s © Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service

Location

Grid Reference:TG 187 228
Map Sheet:TG12SE
Parish:HEVINGHAM, BROADLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

1948. North of Thatched Farm.
Roman kilns revealed by deep ploughing. Black soil and traces of firing. Coarse black wares.

15/17 January and 22 February 1954. Excavation.
Four kilns (for mortaria?) by R.R. Clarke (NCM). Pottery mainly early 2nd century. All updraught. Two oval, one round, one amorphous. Pottery including wasters.
Reported in (S1).

April 1959. Excavation.
Fifth kiln by D.R. Howlett (NCM).
Probably early 2nd century. Two stamped mortaria. Mortaria possibly made in site. Neolithic axe found in kiln.

1961. Casual find.
Roman kiln furniture.
See (S2) and (S3).
See details in file.

Finds NCM 21.954 and 145.959.
E. Rose (NAU), 6 February 1990.

29 June 1995. NLA air photography.
Cropmarks can be seen of three ring ditches and an enclosure. The three ring ditches are in a line from TG 1873 2283 to TG 1886 2286. Next to the three ring ditches cropmarks of a double-ditched linear can be seen. This feature stretches for around 200m, between TG 1871 2279 and TG 1890 2284, and appears to be some form of trackway. It is parallel to the line created by the ring ditches. The enclosure is located to the southwest of the linear feature at TG 1865 2274. It appears to have an entrance to the northeast. Although this cropmark is visible it is incomplete (the southern part cannot be seen), and it is not as clear as the other cropmarks. In addition to the cropmarks already discussed, further short linear features can be made out in places; and three sides of a possible rectilinear enclosure is visible to the south of the double-ditched linear feature/trackway (approx centre TG 1884 2279).
H. Clare (NLA), 3 August 2001.

Monument Types

  • ENCLOSURE (Unknown date)
  • LINEAR FEATURE (Unknown date)
  • RING DITCH (Unknown date)
  • TRACKWAY (Unknown date)
  • FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • RING DITCH (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POTTERY KILN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POTTERY WORKS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

  • POLISHED AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • KILN FURNITURE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • KILN WASTE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Protected Status

  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Article in Serial: 1955. [unknown]. Journal of Roman Studies. Vol XLV, p 136.
---Article in Serial: Clarke, R. R. 1957. Archaeological Discoveries in Norfolk 1949-54. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXXI pp 395-416. p 404.
---Article in Serial: 1957. The structure of Romano-British pottery kilns. The Archaeological Journal. Vol CXIV pp 10-27. p 17.
---Article in Serial: 1960. [unknown]. Journal of Roman Studies. Vol L, p 228.
---Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1996. TG 1822A - H.
---Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TG 12 SE 10.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1954. [Articles on the finding of the Roman pottery kilns].
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1959. Another Roman kiln found at Hevingham. 11 April.
---Unpublished Document: Hartley, K. and Howlett, D.R.. 1959. Letters. Re INGENU and ESAMI pottery stamps from Hevingham.
---Photograph: Ashley, H.. 1954. CM 423-29 31, 33, 35 Hevingham pottery kilns.
---Photograph: Eastern Daily Press. 1954. Hevingham pottery kilns.
---Serial: 1959. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1959. No. 6. p 4.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Neolithic. Helvingham.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Roman. Hevingham [3].
---Monograph: Swan, V. G.. 1984. The Pottery Kilns of Roman Britain. Royal Commission on Historical Monuments Supplementary Series. 5.
---Article in Serial: Clarke, R. R. 1955. Norwich Museum Excavations 1954. Norfolk Research Committee Bulletin. Series 1 No 7 (for 1954) p 1.
---Article in Serial: 1960. Other Archaeological Excavations 1959. Norfolk Research Committee Bulletin. Series 1 No 12 (for 1959) p 2.
---Article in Serial: Clarke, R. R. 1960. Stone Implement Petrology. Norfolk Research Committee Bulletin. Series 1 No 12 (for 1959) pp 2-3.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
<S1>Serial: 1954. Council for British Archaeology Group VII Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries. No 1. p 2.
<S2>Illustration: Unknown. 1961. Drawing of Roman kiln furniture.. Paper. 1:1.
<S3>Illustration: Unknown. 1961. Drawing of Roman kiln furniture.. Paper. 1:1.

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