NHER 15502 (Monument record) - Ironworking site and pottery works

18 Church Hill
Formerly wrongly sited as NHER 3564.

1963.
Late Saxon sherds found 1 to 2m (4-6 foot) deep, stamped and plain sherds, also large lump iron bloom 60cm across; found in digging cesspit.
See (S1).

August-September 1977.
Same garden 4m from above. Excavation by occupier's son.
See (S1) in file.
Finds seen by A. Rogerson (NAU), 1979.

No attempt made to count, weight or analyse in detail, separate by depths etc. Impression gained was that 90 per cent are Thetford-type ware including a proportion of Grimston-Thetford Ware, and that there is very little medieval coarse or glazed, or post medieval. Twelve Ipswich Ware sherds noted, and five flint-gritted Iron Age or Early Saxon. Other
material claimed, not seen by A. Rogerson (NAU).

Two wasters Grimston-Thetford ware.
Sixty fragments iron slag.
Five fragments kiln material (bloomery?).
100 bone fragments, dog's skull; boar's tusk; bone pin.
Lump iron ore.
Over 100 fragments bloomery residue.
Five lumps molten lead.
One Roman flue tile fragment.
One Roman roofing tile fragment.
Two button scrapers.
Two flint flakes.
Also thirty rim sherds at Lancaster University.
A. Rogerson (NAU), November 1979.

Septmebr 2005.
The bloomery process was a technological development that only took place in the medieval period. Therefore if this is bloomery slag then it must date from the medieval period onwards and not the Late Saxon period as suggested.
M.Dennis (NLA), 8th September 2005.