NHER 44502 (Monument record) - Site of Roman settlement, A140 bypass

May 2002. Desk-based Assessment and Walkover Survey.
Assessment of A140 Long Stratton Bypass preliminary route options.
See report (S1) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 4 June 2015.

September-October 2003. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of site at southern end of proposed route of A140 Long Stratton Bypass (Trenches 1-22).
Revealed deposits of ‘dark earth’. This deposit comprised the demolished remains of Roman settlement and included quantities of Roman roof and floor tile and bricks. Midden-like rubbish deposits were also found containing animal bone, shell and large quantities of pottery. The animal bone recovered from the site included cut and chopped horn-cores which suggest the presence of work-shops in the area, producing combs, cups and spoons. Smithing slag was also present suggesting metal-working in the vicinity. Two trackways with metalled flint surfaces were also found, one is probably a ‘slip-road’ to probable settlement activity to the east, and the other may be the Roman road itself. To the east of these deposits dense concentrations of features were noted, including gullies, pits and ditches. These features probably represent the ‘back-yards’ of the settlement, with rubbish pits and small stock enclosures.
See report (S2) for further details. The results of this work are summarised in (S3).
The associated archive has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2017.437).
Previously recorded under NHER 39671. See NHER 44503 for details of site investigated at northern end of proposed bypass route (Trenches 25-28).
S. Spooner (NLA), 8 May 2006. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 8 June 2015 and 21 July 2019.

October/November 2003. Metal-detecting.
This site is a probable location of a Roman silvered furniture stud found during metal-detecting.
See NHER 39671 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 8 June 2015.

November 2015. Desk-based Assessment.
Assessment of large proposed development area.
See report (S4) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 5 May 2023.

August 2017-March 2018. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of possible development area.
This survey identified a band of archaeologically-significant responses adjacent to the A140. These comprise several groups of linear anomalies that appear to form sub-rectangular enclosures laid out perpendicular to the road and numerous discrete anomalies likely to represent associated pits, ditches and other remains. An increase in the density and amplitude of these anomalies close to the road may be indicative of surviving building remains in the form of footings and/or spreads of magnetic brick and tile. Given the results of the preceding trial trenching it is highly likely that these anomalies represent an extensive area of former Roman settlement. It is though noted that the full interpretation of these anomalies was complicated by magnetic disturbance associated with the modern road and magnetic interference caused by passing traffic.
An interconnected network of north-north-east to south-south-west and west-north-west to east-south-east aligned linear anomalies recorded across the entire site all correspond with former field boundaries depicted on the Stratton St Mary tithe map (S5). A pair of adjacent south-south-west and west-north-west to east-south-east aligned anomalies and associated positive responses at TM 1944 9063 correspond with a former lane shown on the same map. It is perhaps notable that one of the most distinct groups of roadside enclosures occurs immediately to the north of the junction between this lane and the A140. The fact that this cluster of features does not extend to the south of the lane at least raises the possibility that they represent an area of post-Roman roadside settlement.
See report (S6) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 23 May 2021.

August-November 2020. Trial Trenching.
Additional evaluation of proposed route of A140 Long Stratton Bypass. This phase of work saw the excavation of several additional trenches in this field, at either end of the area investigated in 2003.
Three trenches were excavated at the far southern end of the field (Trenches 1-3), with the two closest to the road both revealing a deposit that was seen as similar to the 'dark earth' recorded during the earlier work. This got noticeably deeper towards the road and produced a range of Roman finds including pottery, ceramic building material fragments, a brooch, and a key, along with fragments of animal bone and fired clay. Slots excavated through this deposit in the trench adjacent to the road revealed a number of intercutting pits of probable Roman date. The largest of these produced late Roman pottery and it was noted that the 'dark earth' deposit was much thicker at this point, suggesting it had accumulated in the hollow left after the pit was infilled. There was also some evidence for post-Roman activity, with two pits revealed at one end of the trench both producing early medieval pottery. Sherds of Late Saxon and medieval pottery were also recovered from the 'dark earth' layer.
Four trenches excavated at the northern end of the field, south of Parkers Lane (Trenches 4-7), revealed little in the way of significant remains, with only a single east-to-west aligned ditch identified. This feature produced finds of probable post-medieval date and corresponds with one of the former field boundaries depicted on 19th-century maps.
See report (S7) for further information and NHER 68109 for details of unstratified finds recovered during this work (for which the report gives no locational information).
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2021.2).
P. Watkins (HES), 23 May 2021. Amended 20 February 2024.