NHER 9288 (Monument record) - Roman cemetery and prehistoric finds

1947. Excavation.
Roman cremation cemetery identified in field east of Hill Farm. Initially found by [1] who did slight digging. Excavation continued by [2] for Norfolk Research Committee (NRC) in October-November. Fourteen cremations were found, at least one in a wooden box. Finds included pottery of mainly 2nd-century date and a Sestertius of Antonius Pius. Information from (S1) and file notes. See copy of unpublished report by [2] for further details (S2). Brief reports on this work also appeared in (S3) and (S4).

According to (S5) the excavation also produced an "…extensive Early Bronze Age surface industry". The exact nature of the flints recovered is not recorded.

The pottery sherds recovered by [1] were donated to the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1947.180). The NCM also holds finds from the NRC excavation, including a selection of the worked flints (NWHCM : 1948.41). The museum's records list the worked flints as Mesolithic, suggesting there is a degree of uncertainty regarding the date of this assemblage.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 24 March 2014.

1971. Excavation.
Further excavation of Roman cremation cemetery by [3]. This work revealed inhumations and cremations of 1st-early 2nd century date. Evidence of wooden coffins secured with iron nails, one in aa large box-like structure with an iron knife and a small jar. One of the cremations contained a handmade urn of Iron Age type repaired with lead rivets (S6). See (S7) for discussion of the Roman burials from this site.

This work also recovered a number of prehistoric finds. These were examined by F. Healy and listed as comprising:
53 worked flints, including 1 flaked flint axehead, 12 blades, 39 flakes, 1 ?notched blade, 1 ?saw fragment and 1 'chunk'. No dates are suggested for these flints (although the number of blades suggests an Early Neolithic or earlier component).
Scattered Middle Neolithic Peterborough Ware pottery sherds. These sherds are illustrated and described in detail in (S8). Originals of the drawings are held by HES (S9)-(S16). See also fabric descriptions in file.
1 Early Bronze Age complete bipartite vase Food vessel. Found in, and to one side of an ovoid pit. This find is also noted in (S17).

According to Healy the excavation also revealed two vertical-sided shafts, similar to those that had been excavated on Eaton Heath (NHER 9544). One was clay-lined, 1.30m in diameter and excavated to a depth of 4.70m (but not bottomed). Neither produced any finds. It is possible that these 'shafts' were naturally formed solution features - an interpretation that Healy subsequently suggested for the features on Eaton Heath.
E. Rose (NAU), 26 January 1982. Amended and expanded by P. Watkins (HES), 24 March 2014.