NHER 11843 (Monument record) - Roman mortaria kilns

17 to 22 November 1976. Excavation. Dairy Farm. Contexts 1 to 39.
Pottery kiln 1.70m diameter. Stacking chamber floor of tile, mortaria and clay supported by central pedestal and multiple side buttresses, flue arch of clay and mortaria, oven chamber floor of clay, walls of clay. Apparently only one phase of construction. Stoke pit to the northeast, oval, 3.50m by 2.70m by 1.20 deep. No pottery in stacking chamber from last firing, but large amount of mortaria built into kiln structure also in flue and in stoke pit backfill. In latter also flagons in quantity and some bowls. Many mortaria stamped REGALIS, herringbone type (at least two varieties) and other as yet unidentified name stamps.
Excavated by A. Rogerson (NAU), N. Adams (NAU) and A. Gregory (NAU).
See published report (S1) for further details.
The archive associated with this work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1990.190).
A. Rogerson (NAU), 29 November 1976. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 28 April 2019.

May 1977. Geophysical Survey.
This survey was intended to examine the proposed site of a new farm building and the field immediately to the west.
Unfortunately the site of the new building was in use as a yard and impossible to survey due to the amount of metal debris. Scanning of the field up to a distance of 100m from the farm buildings revealed only weak positive anomalies that may have been pits but were equally likely to represent natural variations in the alluvial gravels.
See brief report (S2) for further details.
D. Gurney (NLA), 15 July 1996. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 8 March 2017.

1979? Dairy Farm (Boon's Farm on Ordnance Survey) on site of Roman kiln. Found in digging foundations for new sheds. Context 40.
16th century? Handle sherd from pitcher, and 13th century? Bung hole pitcher sherd in grey ware.
Information from [1].
A. Taylor (NCM), 1979.

May 1996. Casual Observation.
Narrow trench dug to find water pipe at [2].
Revealed much Roman pot including mortarium sherds, burnt clay and discoloured soil. South section of trench showed vertical edge of highly fired clay, part of a kiln in situ. Some pottery retained. For details and contexts see November 1996 work.
Reported by [1].
See (S3).
Visited by A. Rogerson (NLA) 2 May 1996.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 7 May 1996.

13 May 1996. Visit.
To plan and photograph, and to assess probable excavation requirements of the second kiln.
D. Gurney (NLA), 20 May 1996.

November 1996. Excavation.
Excavation funded by English Heritage of a Roman pottery kiln near to the kiln excavated in 1976 recovered further mortaria of four identifiable and named potters (Regalis, Lunaucis) and a fifth previously unknown. The cumulative evidence points to an earlier, undiscovered third kiln.
See report in (S4) for full details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S5).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.624).
D. Gurney (NLA), 1997. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 27 April 2019.

August 1997.
Trademark stamp from Ellingham found at Wallsend.
D. Gurney (NLA) 15 August 1997.