NHER 4079 (Monument record) - Roman small town or village and multi-period finds

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Summary

Stray finds, fieldwalking and metal-detecting between 1957 and 2014 have revealed a Roman small town or large village beside the junction of two roads (NHER 2796). Roman artefacts collected include pottery, coins, metalwork and metalworking debris. The large amount of metalworking debris suggests considerable industrial activity. Other objects discovered include Neolithic or Bronze Age flint artefacts and fragments of Early Saxon brooches, along with medieval and post-medieval pottery and metalwork.

Protected Status/Designation

None recorded

Location

Map sheet	TF81NE
Civil Parish	KEMPSTONE, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

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Full Description

Roman small town or village beside the Brampton to Denver Road (NHER 2796).
Area of about 12 hectares (S1).

1957.
Roman sherds and slag found.

1968.
Further finds Roman sherds and slag.

1975 to 1976.
Roman sherds and slag.

1979.
Roman and medieval sherds on surface and in ditch digging.

1980.
Roman sherds and Neolithic/Bronze Age flint found.

1988 to 1990. Metal detecting.
Early Saxon brooches (S3, S4, S5 and S6), Roman and medieval metalwork and coins.
See full list, site plans (S2) and coin lists in file.
E. Rose (NAU), 3 August 1990.

March 1991. Metal detecting. [1].
Roman and medieval coins, Roman mount.
See file for details.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 29 April 1991.

12 October 2009. Metal detecting.
7 Roman and 1 medieval coin, Romano-British and undatable metal objects.
See lists and map in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 11 February 2010.

May-September 2014. Metal-detecting. [2].
Undatable copper alloy casting waste.
1 Roman pottery sherd, a lock pin, domed stud or mount from a casket or box, and lead steelyard weight.
1 medieval coin, a padlock and unidentified copper alloy object.
Information from PAS import.
Objects identified by HES but not recorded on PAS database:
7 Roman coins.
See coin sheets in file.
A. Beckham (HES), 3 December 2014. Amended E. McDonald (HES), 8 November 2019 and P. Watkins (HES), 1 February 2023 and 18 November 2023.

Associated Sources (15)

--- SNF97838 Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
--- SNF62181 Monograph: Ashwin, T. & Davison, A. (eds). 2005. An Historical Atlas of Norfolk.. p.33. pp 28-29.
--- SNF86740 Photograph: 1991. LBV 15-16, Romano British head..
--- SNF9788 Photograph: EWZ 3-4, EXJ 4-5.
--- SNF99172 Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Miscellaneous. Kempstone.
--- SNF87260 Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Roman. Kempstone.
--- SNF57722 Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
--- SNF8804 Secondary File: Secondary File.
--- SNF2273 Serial: 1957. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries. No 4. p 3.
<S1> SNF5871 Monograph: Wade-Martins, P. 1980. Fieldwork and Excavation on Village Sites in Launditch Hundred, Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. No 10. p 30.
<S2> SNF51276 Map: Finder's Map.
<S3> SNF91697 Illustration: Penn, K. 1988. Drawing of an Early Saxon copper alloy knob from a cruciform brooch. Film. 2:1.
<S4> SNF91698 Illustration: Penn, K. 1988. Drawing of an Early Saxon copper alloy brooch fragment. Film. 2:1.
<S5> SNF80884 Illustration: Penn, K. 1988. Drawing of an Early Saxon copper cruciform brooch headplate. Film. 2:1.
<S6> SNF80883 Illustration: Penn, K. 1990. Drawing of an Early Saxon copper alloy knob from a cruciform brooch. Film. 2:1.

Site and Feature Types and Periods (11)

Object Types (38)

LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
CASTING WASTE (Unknown date)
CASTING WASTE (Unknown date)
METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Undated)
BEAD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
FURNITURE FITTING (Roman - 43 AD to 150 AD)
FURNITURE FITTING (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
HARNESS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
LOCK (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
MIRROR (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
STEELYARD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
STEELYARD WEIGHT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
VESSEL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
VESSEL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
POT (Roman - 200 AD to 400 AD)
COIN (Roman - 271 AD to 274 AD)
COIN (Roman - 275 AD to 286 AD)
COIN (Roman - 330 AD to 335 AD)
BROOCH (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
BELL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
SPUR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
STRAP FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
PADLOCK (Medieval - 1200 AD to 1500 AD)
UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1200 AD to 1400 AD)
COIN (Medieval - 1280 AD to 1281 AD)
BUTTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Related NHER Records (0)

Record last edited

Apr 20 2026 11:54AM