ROMANO-BRITISH SUFFOLK 



pieces of Medermendig lava, a plain hrome fibula, bits of wire, a triangular embossed ornament 

 in bronze, a small figure carved in chalk, without the head, about 3 in. high, probably of 

 Mercury, and one small brass coin of Claudius Gothicus (a.d. 268-70) [Aniiq. xxiii, 224. 

 'Proc. of Camb. Antiq. Soc. 1891 ;' ibid, xxiv, 20, 'Quarterly Notes,' Haverfield]. A strigil 

 was found here later [Proc. Suff. Arch. Inst, viii, 218]. 



Trimley. — A large urn of greyish yellow ware, now in the Ipswich Museum, was found here. 



Wainford. — Various fragments of Roman pottery, some pieces of so-called Samian ware, and 

 calcined bones were found here in 1856 [Proc. Bury and West Suff. Arch. Inst, iii, 413 et seq.]. 

 N;ar the bridge over the Waveney were found in 1856 Roman coins and a flint arrow-head, 

 and in 1893 a coin of Philip the Arabian (a.d. 244-9) ^""^ o"^ of Antoninus Pius 

 (a.d. 138-61) [Raven, Hist, of Suff. 30]. 



Walton Castle. See Felixstowe. 



Wangford. — (Near Brandon). A spindle-whorl of pottery and the ' head of a glass pin,' now in 

 the British Museum, were found here. 



Welnetham, Great. — ' A few years since were found, in digging, abundance of Platters and Pot- 

 sherds of Roman earth, some of which had inscriptions upon them, as also Coals, Bones of Sheep 

 and Oxen, with many Horns, a Sacrificing Knife, Ashes and Urns, Evidences that some 

 Heathen Deity had an Altar here' [Lysons, Mag. Brit. 1730, v, 246]. This statement is 

 repeated, with the omission of the last few words respecting the pagan worship, in Camden 

 [^Brit. (ed. Gough), ii, 81]. In the adjoining hamlet of Sicklesmere two Roman refuse pits 

 were found, containing, among other miscellaneous traces of occupation, fragments of Roman 

 pottery of various kinds, including so-called Samian ware ; also building tiles, pieces of furnace 

 slag, remains of bones, odd pieces of metal, bronze and iron, bone bodkins, a fibula, a knife and 

 several coins, three in bronze of Faustina II (a.d. 147-76) and two silver denarii of Severus 

 Alexander (a.d. 222-35). It was thought at the time of the discovery, from the scarcity of 

 animal bones, that they were not the pits of a camp, but that, as they were evidently co-existent, 

 they belonged to two distinct dwellings. The presence of oyster-shells and so-called Samian 

 ware indicated prosperity and civilization. Three more refuse pits were found shortly after- 

 wards in digging for gravel, not far from the others, so that a settlement probably existed near 

 the spot. A quantity of pottery was found in a neighbouring field. The so-called Samian 

 pottery was identified by Dr. C. H. Read of the British Museum, as the work of potters of 

 Lezoux of the ist century, the marks being belinnici . m. aelianus m. and divixtus. It 

 has been suggested that this was the site of 'Villa Faustini,' Colchester being ' Colon ia ' 

 [Antiq. xl, 292 (1904) ; ibid, xlii, 248-50 (1906)]. 



Westhall. — A space about 2 acres in extent of a field called Mill Post Field, bordered on the east 

 by a water-course, showed in every part, at a depth of i ft. 6 in., much burnt soil and a great 

 quantity of broken pottery. One piece only of so-called Samian ware was dug up, part of a 

 plain patera. Enamelled horse trappings of Celtic character were found about the centre of the 

 space at a depth of 2 ft. from the surface. They appeared to have been contained in a bronze 

 vessel of the same character, and with them were six hollow bronze cylinders if in. long, a 

 small blue glass bead, a bronze lamp with a crescent-shaped ornament over the handle, and a 

 brass coin, said to be of Faustina (a.d. 138-41) \_Arch. xxxvi, 454 et seq. ; Arch. Journ. 

 xii, 276]. 

 Westleton. — In 1 845 on Scotts Hall Farm was dug up a coarse earthen pot \ in. thick and from 

 8 to 10 in. high, containing eighteen or twenty pieces of Roman coins, some iitvf silver and 

 the rest brass. The coins were too much decayed to be identified. Near this pot was a 

 smaller one, but empty [Davy, SufF. Coll. B.M. MSS. vii, 19083, fol. 132]. 

 Wherstead. — Roman coins were found in 1810 south of Wherstead Park, and south-west of 



Vicarage and Redgate lanes [O.S. 6-in. Ixxxii, NE.]. 

 VVhitton. — In Castle Field, near Ipswich, in 1854, when the present house and buildings on the 

 site were erected, traces of a Roman villa were found. It was situated on the brow of a hill 

 overlooking Ipswich, which is to the south, and it lies behind the modern house of Mr. Orford, 

 which is between it and the high road. Nothing is to be seen but some fragments (in a newly 

 planted orchard) of a floor of coarse buff sandstone and red tesserae, probably that of one of the 

 corridors of the Roman house. No plan of the foundations that were found, or notes respecting 

 it, appear to have been made when the new farm-house was built, but all the Roman building 

 material dug up seems to have been used in the substructure of the modern building. Part of 

 the pavement of one of the principal chambers of the villa was, however, fortunately preserved 

 and is now in the entrance hall of the museum at Ipswich. It is the only specimen of Roman 

 mosaic existing in Suffolk. A drawing made shortly after its discovery shows a central square 

 surrounded by seven concentric bands of varying widths ornamented for the most part with 

 simple braids, or with straight or curved sided triangles, the bands being separated from each 



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