NHER 1865 (Monument record) - Possible Roman or medieval watch tower

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Summary

Iron Age and Roman pottery fragments and Roman building material are recorded as being found since the 1930s. A stretch of flint and mortar wall was thought to be Roman in date but is more likely to be medieval. The raised location of the site has led to suggestions that there may have been a signal station or watch tower here in Roman or medieval times.

Protected Status/Designation

None recorded

Location

Map sheet	TF94SE
Civil Parish	STIFFKEY, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

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Full Description

Before 1935. 'Roman material found on Warborough Hill (NCM), see (S1). Late Roman military site'.
R. R. Clarke (NCM).

Reference (S1) checked; mainly page 426; refers to pottery, building material and metalwork and suggests a signal station. E. Rose (NAU) 1981.

1957 coarse Roman pot base found 49cm (1 foot 7 inches) below surface in edge of gravel pit south of barrow on Warborough Hill. Reported in (S4).

1958 V-section ditch seen by R. R. Clarke (NCM). Reported in (S4).

Above from NCM card presumably originally by R. R. Clarke retyped.

14 May 1985. Immediately south of barrow, 8m of several courses of a wall, flint and mortar, running north to south. Looks Roman but nothing found to date it. (note also on card for NHER 1863).
J. J. Wymer (NAU), 15 May 1985.

1 June 1991. Flint wall seen 14 May 1985 still survives in worked face of quarry. Noted as some 90cm high. See letter (S2) and report in file.
D.Gurney (NLA), 8 July 1991.

3 August 1991. Site visit. Two loose mortar samples taken for analysis. Results (S3) (see file) suggest a medieval date.
D.Gurney (NLA), 26 November 1991.

October 1995. Found in rabbit scrape on top of hill just below the wall. Two sherds Roman grey ware. Further down (near base of) the slope, five sherds flint-gritted Iron Age pottery.
D. Gurney (NLA), 18 October 1995.

Associated Sources (10)

--- SNF43 Designation: [unknown]. Ancient Monuments Form. SAM Record. DNF210.
--- SNF75757 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1952. Thornham find may be Roman Signal Station.
--- SNF87260 Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Roman. Stiffkey [2].
--- SNF57722 Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
--- SNF57204 Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 94 SE 9.
--- SNF8804 Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1> SNF1845 Article in Serial: Clarke, R. R. and Apling, H. 1935. An Iron Age Tumulus on Warborough Hill, Stiffkey, Norfolk. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXV Part III pp 408-428. pp 408, 426, 428.
<S2> SNF68111 Correspondence: Perryman, P. (English Heritage). 1991. Letter to D. Gurney (NLA). 4 July.
<S3> SNF68112 Unpublished Document: Morgan, G. C. (University of Leicester). 1991. Stiffkey, 1865, mortar analysis. 4 October.
<S4> SNF2273 Serial: 1957. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries. No 4. p 4.

Site and Feature Types and Periods (9)

Object Types (4)

POT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Related NHER Records (0)

Find out more...(1)

Stiffkey (Parish Summary)

Record last edited

May 11 2023 3:08PM