NHER 1903 (Monument record) - Possible site of Roman villa

1946. Aerial photograph discovery of villa.
1957. Finds of Roman building material, foundations, pottery, etc (S1).
1966-1967. Roman statuette and coins found (S2)-(S3).
1960s-1970s. Roman pottery, tile and millstone found.

1968. Excavation of Roman villa.
Pottery, metalwork and coins found, including Romano-Saxon ware.
'Romano-Saxon' pottery sherds are probably from the Roman kilns at Much Hadham, the products from which reached Norfolk during the later 4th century.
D. Gurney (NLA), 5 December 2006

See full details in file.
E. Rose (NLA), 12 November 1990.

1968. Excavation.
Two sections cut through ditch, which was traced for over 100ft (30m). The average width of the ditch was 11ft (3.4m), average depth 7ft (2.1m), and the sectioned parts were found to be 'V' shaped, with a neatly cut 1ft (30cm) drainage channel running along the bottom.
One certain and several uncertain postholes were located on western lip where upcast seems to have been thrown. Trial trenches to the west recovered dressed flints, tegulae, imbrices and hypocaust flue tiles occasionally, with one fragment of painted plaster.
The primary silting level of the ditch and sandy fill above it contained animals bones but no datable pottery. A possible recut to 4ft (1.2m) contained domestic refuse and later third century pottery sherds. The original cut is not thought to be later than AD 250. The recut was covered with sterile gravel, some of which had been removed at some later point and the site again used as a rubbish dump. Distribution suggests that rubbish was frequently dumped. At the bottom of the deposit lay a coin of Constantine the Great, and within the deposit lay a coin of Constans, struck 337 to 341. This level also contained many animal bones and oyster shells with cockle, mussel, whelk and winkle. A decorated bone panel to fit a casket, two copper alloy bracelets, and a deposit of broken iron tools including a pilum or ballista bolt head were also recovered together with several hones. The pottery comprised predominantly cooking pots, jars, mortaria, flanged bowls and dishes. Late Castor, calcite-gritted and polished red ware was common.
The state of wear of the coins suggests a dumping date of around 360 to 380 or later. The excavators thought that the nature of the discoveries suggests that this site was connected with the nearby fort of Brancaster.
Information from (S4). See drawing (S5), which depicts several of the artefacts recovered.
R. Fillery-Travis (NLA), 23 May 2007.

Brief summary of finds made since the 1960s (perhaps with some material from HER 1905) includes Beaker, Romano-British, Late Saxon, medieval and post-medieval pot sherds, Romano-British tiles, quern and spindle whorl.
See list in file.
A. Rogerson (HES), 17 December 2010.

September 2025. Northwest Norfolk Aerial Investigation and Mapping (AI&M) Project.
Despite checking the relevant prints held by the Norfolk Air Photo Library, the cropmark described above, which is interpreted as relating to the site of a Roman villa, is not convincing as an archaeological cropmark. The area of paler ground seems to be aligned with the railway line to its south and with modern patterns of agricultural activity visible on the same photographs. It has been mapped by extent, rather than in detail, from S6.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 23 September 2025.