NHER 7495 (Monument record) - Possible Roman iron smelting site and Mesolithic worked flints

August 1954. Excavation.
Excavation by D. R. Howlett of iron bloomery site revealed by ploughing. Possibly Roman. Finds recovered included a copper alloy chain (found with lump of cinder/slag and possibly Iron Age), a large lump of iron bloom with fragments of clay bars attached, a possible iron ore fragment, various fragments of iron bloom, slag and burnt clay and much charcoal. See list in file. The finds from this excavation were donated to the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1954.206), which also holds a sample of the possible raw material (a ferruginous sand; NWHCM : 1955.16). Information from (S1). See also photos of excavation (S2), chain (S3) and slag (S4). Although unpublished, this work was reported in (S5) and (S6). Compare with (S7) - see file for additional notes on parallels.

This excavation also produced a small assemblage of Mesolithic flints. These were also donated to the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1954.206) and are listed by (S8) and (S9) as comprising 1 microblade core, 5 blades/flakes and 1 microlith. These finds were also examined by R. Jacobi, who recorded the blades/flakes as 3 bladelets, 1 flake and 1 retouched flake (S10). The microlith is figured in (S11).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 May 2014.