Monument record ERL 032 - Eriswell High Warren

Scatter: pottery and building debris (S1). Surface finds over circa 100m square. Trenched in 1953 across area of dark soil and maximum finds. Layer circa one and half to two feet thick of black occupation between sandy topsoil and solid chalk. Much painted plaster, especially at N end of trench.

Coins (Hadrian, Tetricus I), pottery (samian, Nene Valley, shell gritted), bronze bracelet, bone pin. Tile including box; daub; op sig (S2,S4). Excavation notes in G Briscoe archive ? Mapped site just crosses parish boundary into Lakenheath.

Card index in Cambridge University Museum records pottery (Accession no. Z 21948) from Eriswell villa site on Lakenheath Warren, quoting ? incorrect grid reference of TL 770 779 (S3). Presumably relates to Briscoes excavations.

From NHRE Record:

TL 780798. In 1953 a gamekeeper reported a scatter of Romano-British sherds (including Samian) had been brought up in rabbit scrapes on an unploughed portion of the warren over an area of about 4-5 acres. Also found were a sestertius of Hadrian, pieces of glass, tile and oyster shells.

A trial trench across part of the area revealed painted wall plaster, bronze coin of ? Tetricus, bronze bracelet, burnt stones, tiles and nails from a black occupation layer. (S5)

No evidence of a Roman building was found on field perambulation or on inspection of OS air photographs (a). The area lies on natural sandy heathland under rough grass and scrub. No trace of the trial excavation made by G Briscoe (now deceased) was seen but a small piece of Roman brick was found together with one sherd of Romano British pottery at TL 870797. According to authority 1, the finds are in Mildenhall Museum.

The gamekeeper, believed to have made the original finds, is now dead and no further information was obtained from the present keepers. (S6)