NHER 5653 (Monument record) - Roman town and Early Saxon cemetery, Brettenham and Bridgham

Roman township straddling Peddars Way, with Early Saxon cemetery.

18th century.
Coins and urns found, mentioned by Blomfield in (S1).

Before 1847.
Roman coins, brooch, bead, pottery found.

1869.
Bronze Age quoit headed pin found.

1907.
Early Saxon inhumation with shield boss, spear, and knife found in Roman rubbish pit.

1927.
Roman copper alloy brooch found, decorated with an enamel horse and rider.

1932 to 1933.
Excavation of Roman rubbish pits by NCM.
Site occupied from late 1st to 4th centuries.
See (S2).

1945.
Roman sherds found.

1946.
Roman sherds and coins found.

Before 1952.
Roman knife, made of iron and bone, found.

1961.
Roman sherds and building material, including roof tiles.

1965. Field Observation (monitoring).
Cropmarks of buildings, hearths and rubbish pits were observed following ploughing.
One inhumation and several urnless cremation burials of likely Roman or Early Saxon date were encountered within the upper 18 inches of ploughed soil. It has been suggested that the cremations are likely part of an Early Saxon cemetery discovered immediately north of this location in 1907. A wrist clasp and an iron key were found in the vicinity as well as a sherd of Iron Age pottery.
Information from (S15).
M. Langham-Lopez (HES), 16 April 2013.
Updated H. Hamilton (HES), 17 February 2015.

1966.
Rectangular cropmarks noted after ploughing.
Inhumations with Roman and Saxon pottery, trial excavations by NCM recovered large amounts of pottery(see drawing S16).
Beaker sherds found elsewhere.

The Early Neolithic and Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age worked flints and pottery sherds from this site are described in (S60), in which drawings (S61)-(S65) are reproduced. The Neolithic pottery is also noted in (S66).
Finds now held by Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1966.145).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 November 2015.

1971.
Roman sherds and bricks found.

1972. Stray Find and Metal-Detecting.
Early Saxon cemetery with gravegoods, including two iron shield bosses, two socketed iron ferrules, an iron socketed spear-head, two gilt-bronze mounts (likely late-6th century) (S17), and brooches.
Metal-detecting finds include Roman objects, a Bronze Age spearhead (S18), and a silver Iron Age coin.
Finds are now in the Norwich Castle Museum (270.972 and 329.972).
See (S57) for further information.
M. Langham-Lopez (HES), 30 May 2013.
Updated H. Hamilton (HES), 17 February 2015.

7 October 1975. Fieldwalking by E. Rose (NAU).
Roman sherds and building material.

Mid 1970's.
Roman patera found with handles missing (S19) [1].

1976.
Roman sherds.

Before 1977. Metal-detecting.
Roman coins, silver sceatta, Iron Age brooch and Roman miniature axe (S20).

1977/1978 Winter.
Roman metalwork (S21) found while metal-detecting.

1978. Metal-detecting.
Copper alloy francisca axe (S22)
Roman brooches and coins.
Early Saxon brooches (S23) (S24), wrist clasp (S23) and skull. The brooches recorded on (S23) include an Early Saxon annular brooch, Small-long brooch, and S-shaped brooch. No other records are available for these finds. See [4].
Early Saxon gilt copper alloy florid Cruciform brooch with Style I decoration including beaked heads and masks.
Information from PAS import.
Amended by A. Beckham (HES), 27 July 2018 and 2 October 2018. Amended by E. McDonald (HES), 3 August 2018.

1970 to 1980. Metal-detecting.
Roman brooches (S25 and S26).

1979. Metal-detecting.
Roman and medieval sherds and tile found.
Roman and Iron Age coins.
Roman coin hoards (S27 and S28).

1979. Metal-detecting.
Roman inscribed belt.
See published note (S59) and drawing (S29).

1980. Metal-detecting.
Iron Age coin, Roman knife handle.

1980.
Four Iron Age coins [2].

Early 1980s.
Metal parts of buckle drawn by K. Penn.
See illustrations (S30) to (S53).

Early 1980s.
Early Saxon bucket fittings.
See illustration.
A. Rogerson, (NLA) 30 January 2001.

1981. Metal-detecting.
Roman lead seal.

1982. Metal-detecting.
Roman coin forgery [1], Iron Age coins, medieval and post medieval coins, and Beaker sherd.
Iron Age and Roman metalworks (S52, S53 and S54).

1989.
Cropmark of possible ring ditch.

1990 to 1992. Metal-detecting.
Neolithic axe (S55).
Iron Age and Roman coins and metalwork.
Early Saxon brooches.

1990. Casual find.
1992 -1997. Metal-detecting.
5 Iron Age, 224 Roman and 1 post medieval coin.
1 Iron Age/Romano-British and 6 Romano-British brooches, Romano-British pewter vessels, Romano-British finger ring and medieval jetton.
See summary list, 24 coin sheets and 5 map copies in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 3 July 2007.

1993. Metal-detecting.
Iron Age coin, Roman coins and brooch.
E. Rose (NLA), 10 November 1993.

Before 23 September 1994. Metal detecting. (TL98SW 78).
44 Roman coins.
1 medieval coin.

Before October 1994. Metal detecting. (TL98SW 69).
41 Roman coins.
See Lists in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 6 June 2001.

Before 9 November 1999. Metal-detecting. From 2 areas.
1 Iron Age coin.
50 Roman coins.
2 post medieval coins.
Roman, medieval and post medieval metal finds.
See lists in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 28 April 2001.

25-27 July 2000. Geophysical Survey.
Geophysical survey of part of settlement.
See report (S58) for plans and further details. The results of this survey are also summarised in (S14).
D. Gurney (NLA) 22 August 2000.

Early 2001 or before. Metal-detecting and surface finds.
Roman sherds.
16 Roman coins (3 pierced).
Roman tiles.
Roman, Early Saxon/Middle Saxon, Medieval and undatable metal objects.
Middle Saxon sherd.
Medieval and post medieval sherds.
See lists in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 15 June 2001.

August 2001. Geophysical survey.
Located the southwest corner of enclosure ditches surrounding the settlement, and with it, numerous pit type responses.
See report (S5) for further details. The results of this survey are also summarised in (S13).
D. Gurney (NLA), 22 August 2001.

Before 11 November 2005. Mechanically excavated trenches.
Roman finds from topsoil of one trench and from cut feature therein.
See lists and sketch section drawing in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 18 November 2006.

January 2011. Norfolk NMP.
Cropmarks of the substantial Roman settlement and possibly associated ditches are clear on aerial photographs (S6-S12) across a larger area than previously recorded.
The main concentration of archaeological features is centred on TL 9391 8440, and stretches over an area measuring approximately 384m by 537m. Within this area, it is possible to make out several possible rectangular enclosures and field boundaries.
At least one possible rectangular building is visible, centred on TL 9394 8440. It measures at least 19m by 9m externally, but its relationship with the possible section of the Peddar’s Way (NHER 54566) that runs across the centre of the site is unclear.
It is certainly clear that there is more than one phase of activity on the site, and an earlier phase may be suggested by more ephemeral ditch features visible centred on TL 9389 8434, in the vicinity of a small ring ditch or possible hut circle, measuring approximately 3m by 4m in diameter.
A great number of pits of varying size are also visible on the aerial photographs, the clearest/most convincing of which have been mapped. Some of these pits may relate to the Roman activity on the site, either domestic or funerary, others may be Anglo-Saxon in date.
In addition to the previously known archaeology, linear ditches to the north of the known settlement area, such as those centred on TL 9362 8485 and TL9375 8459 have been added to the existing area, although the features are faint and rather ephemeral. To the east, a blurred ditch feature is visible running southwest-northeast from TL 9405 8453 to 9416 8472, however it is difficult to say whether it is associated with the Roman settlement.
To the southeast, however, a series of linear ditches are visible, centred on TL 9413 8441 which do appear to be on the same alignment as those visible within the previously recorded settlement area (S7).
To the south, linear ditches which appear to be a continuation of those in the northern field, together with a possible linear bank, were visible centred on TL 9390 8423. It was not possible to ascertain whether these features correspond with any recorded during the geophysical survey of this field (S5) as they are slightly beyond the survey area. A further linear ditch was visible on one set of photographs only (S10), on the same alignment as the blurred ditch in the eastern field, perhaps suggesting that these two features relate to a different phase in the site’s history.
The cropmark of a possible ring ditch recorded in 1989 (S12) was not considered to be archaeological. It is difficult to be certain of some features within this area, however, due to the exceptional geological patterning which obscures the archaeological features on many of the aerial photographs.
E. Bales (NMP), 19 Jan 2011.

See [3].
H. Hamilton (HES), 17 February 2015.