ROMANO-BRITISH SUFFOLK 



Shpt ef lAt tona. 



Vespasian (a.d. 69-79), &c., had been dug up at different times \Arch. xxiii, App. 394-5 5 

 MS. Min. Soc. Antiq. xxxiv, 618 ; xxxv, 519]. Coins have been found on land called 

 Stoney Land, and in a meadow, the property of Mr. Churchyard, a small vase, a patera of 

 so-called Samian ware and more coins. The two fields are not far from each other \Proc. 

 Suff". Arch. Inst, i, 223]. Some urns and a small cup of green glass found here were exhibited 

 at a meeting of the Suffolk Archaeological Institute at Melford by Mr. Almack, at which 

 meeting a second brass of Vespasian (a.d. 69-79) was also shown [Ibid, ii, 96-97]. Drawings 

 of two vases of brown buff ware, wide mouthed and low, are amongst the Suffolk Illustrations 

 [{Fitch Coll.), xxv], and are also figured on a chart in the Watling Collection, now in 

 possession of Miss Nina Layard. The glass vase found in 1823 was presented bjr Sir 

 W. Parker to the British Museum in 1825. 

 Mellis. — The lower stone of a quern was found here [Proc. Suff. Arch, Inst, ii, 277]. 

 Melton. — The discovery of a Romano-British tile kiln was made here in December 1846, in a 

 field occupied at the time by Mr. Isaac Churchyard. Mr. Churchyard's bailiff, having observed 

 that the corn in a particular part of the field was much more luxurious than the rest, was 

 induced to examine into the cause of it ; he accordingly dug a hole on the spot. At the 

 depth of about 4 ft. he came to a considerable number of large tiles, laid in regular order upon 

 each other to the depth of 3 ft. or more ; between each layer of tiles was a layer of loam of like 

 thickness. Later Mr. Churchyard caused a more extensive opening to be made. At a depth 

 of about 5 ft. a level floor was discovered, apparently of clay, but hardened by the action of 

 fire. On the right-hand side of this floor, the tiles had been piled up in a regular way in 

 courses, to the depth of about 4 ft., and for the length of 10 ft. or more ; on the opposite side 

 of this pile was another of the same kind, but it does not appear to have extended more than 

 3 ft. or 4 ft. from the east end ; 

 the space between these two 

 piles was not more than 3 ft. 

 These piles were thoroughly 

 burnt and fit for use. At the 

 east end was a similar pile of 

 tiles in the state in which they 

 were when they came from 

 the manufacturer's hands ; 

 these had also the layer of 

 loam or clay between each 

 course ; the fire had never 

 reached them, and they were 

 as easily cut through with the 

 spade as they would have 

 been the moment they came 



out of the mould. Some hundreds, perhaps, of the tiles were extracted, and about forty or fifty 

 uninjured ones were preserved ; the following are their dimensions : length, 14 in. ; breadth, 

 lof in. ; thickness, i^ in. There were besides portions of roof and flue tiles, having the 

 opposite edges turned up about 2 in. The dimensions are : length, 6| in. ; breadth between 

 the turned up edges, 6 in. ; and the thickness f in. ; on the upper side lines were scored, in a 

 very rough manner, by way of ornament. The earth of which these tiles are made is of good 

 quality, but the manufacture is very coarse. The only other object found was a small 

 fragment of pipe, the diameter of which inside may have been about 2^ in., and the thickness 

 about f in. ; at one end there is a shoulder of about half the thickness of the pipe, which is 

 left in order that the next piece of pipe might be fitted into it. At the west end of the 

 excavation appeared a considerable quantity of wood ashes, and this was probably the mouth of 

 the furnace. The land slopes to the west, and the opening of the kiln was, no doubt, at that 

 point. The whole of the soil which has been removed is red, as if formed of powdered tiles, 

 mixed, however, here and there, with pieces of a hard, coarse, white substance, which, upon 

 being broken, have a disagreeable pyritic smell [Davy, Suff. Coll. B.M. MSS. xxxvii, 191 13, 

 fol. 194, a and h'\. 

 MiCKFiELD. — A black urn of ordinary type, a smaller one of red ware, and a bottle-shaped one- 

 handled vase of buff ware were found here [Chart, Watling Coll., in possession of Miss Nina 

 Layard]. 

 MiLDENHALL. — In 1 833 a glass vase containing ashes was found with other remains in the 

 parish ; it was destroyed by the labourers who dug it up, and two clay vessels con- 

 taining Roman coins were discovered not fiir from the same spot [Arch, xxv, App. 609 : 

 Proc. Suff. Arch. Inst, i, 24; MS. Min. Soc. Antiq. xxxvi, 312]. A bronze head was 



» 313 40 



u 



Plan of Tile Kiln at Melton 



