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Summary

A hoard of coins (2 gold, 261 silver and 1 copper) of c.1 - c.2 century. Romano-British pottery sherds were also scattered over the field.

Monument Type(s):

• DITCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SETTLEMENT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• ENCLOSURE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• CAUSEWAY (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BOUNDARY DITCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PLATFORM (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD)
• MOUND (Early Bronze Age to 5th century Roman - 2500 BC? to 409 AD?)
• BARROW (Early Bronze Age to 5th century Roman - 2500 BC? to 409 AD?)
• RING DITCH (Early Bronze Age to 5th century Roman - 2500 BC? to 409 AD?)
• WINDMILL MOUND (Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD)
• MOUND (Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD)
• BOUNDARY DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds:

• COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• COIN HOARD (1st century AD to 2nd century AD - 43 AD to 200 AD)
• PENANNULAR BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• QUERN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SHERD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• STAMP (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• STEELYARD WEIGHT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Events:

• Fenland Survey Project, 1976-1989
• Aerial Investigation Mapping Project, East Cambridgeshire (Ref: P7767)

Protected Status:

• Scheduled Monument 1006885: Roman site near Old Fordey Farm, Barway
• SHINE: Cropmark enclosures of a possible Roman date, Old Fordey Farm, Soham

Full description

1, Roman sherds C2 - C4 and pennanular bronze brooch and puddingstone quern (at TL/5428/7520) found October 1951. Roman sherds C3 - C4 (at TL/5440/7510) found October 1952.

2, (Area centred TL/5434/7518), Ditch system visible in grass similar to that at Bullocks Haste, Cottenham (Cambs 34 NE 1). In the 1937 floods this site remained unflooded. Field first ploughed Autumn 1950. APs taken 08/10/1951. The ditches are clearly visible as sandy lines in the plough and there was a large complex of Samian, Mortaria and Castor ware, TL/5444/7516. Concentrations of sherds were found at TL/5433/7524, TL/5439/7520, TL/5439/7520, TL/5437/7515 and TL/317-/523-. A fragment of puddingstone quern, TL/5417/7503, and third Brass of Nerva (TL/5412/7500);

5, Gold and silver coin hoard from behind smallest square enclosure on 1953, AP Inquest 1958. Began with Mark Antony, mostly denarii. Early coins worn, but later coins well preserved. Commodus and wife, AD 180 - latest coins.

6, The most interesting features of the hoard are the two aurei of Nero and one each of Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, as well as a copper as of Nero and a silver drachma of Trajan from Lycia.

S2, Ploughed 1950, much pottery and puddingstone quern. One Samian sherd, maybe C1. Rest included stamp DOM(ITUS). Also late Samian including C)RACUNA.F and SANVILLII. Mortaria - late C1 from Verulamium, late C2 and C3 from Hartshill, late C2 or early C3 from Colchester, E Anglian type and group, C4 from Nene Valley. All colour coated is from Nene valley, continuous through C3 and early C4. Later dates are rare. Coarseware also is common up to C4.
R7, 1980 - Roman bronze pin and lead weight (steel yard ?) with iron shaft for suspension.

S4, A hoard of coins (2 gold, 261 silver, 1 copper) of C1 - C2 was found in this field during hoeing weeds between sugar beet in June1950. This was the first year that the field had been ploughed. Roman sherds are scattered over the field and substantial numbers were found around the hoard. The site is on a low bluff of sand near its E edge where it levels out into peat. A 'causeway of pointed stakes' is reported by the owner in the neighbourhood. There is probably a Roman settlement nearby of the type of which so many were discovered by air photography in the war. NB the owner was told that scheduling would not interfere with agriculture and was to give notice in the event of plans to bulldoze, build, etc.(1). Site under wheat so impossible to see any artefacts (2).

O2, Visited site. No earthworks visible. Pottery scatter found in ploughed field. Less than 10 minutes on site produced Romano-British pottery - 25 body sherds and 4 bases (including Samian and grey wares), 3 tiles. No sherds above 8cm in size, but do not appear heavily abraded.

9. Enclosures and droves. Probable paddock area. (R Palmer 16/01/1989).

10. The area, dark stained with occupation debris, yielded small pieces of stone from hearths and yards, domestic animal bone, fragments of quern and sherds covering the middle period of occupation in the second and third centuries. Fenland Survey, ref SOH S3.

15-17. A Roman settlement is visible on historic aerial photographs as earthworks and was mapped as part of the East Cambridgeshire Aerial Investigation and Mapping project (ECB6189). Located in fields between Old Fordey Farm and New Fordey Farm and centred at TL 54333 75166, the site comprises rectilinear ditched enclosures, linear earthwork banks and ditches which are aligned NW-SE and SW-NE, with a double-ditched trackway aligned NW-SE. Another linear double-ditched trackway bisects this, aligned NNW-SSE. Other features bisect or truncate others, suggesting phased settlement,. Centred at TL 54333 75166 is a slightly ovoid mound, about 7.3 metres at its widest, is encircled by a ring ditch about 2 metres wide. The function and date of this is uncertain but may represent a medieval or post-medieval mill mound, or possibly a Roman burial. Three Roman burial mounds were found at Overton Hill in Wiltshire (NHLE 1008461), two of which were also around 7 metres in diameter and surrounded by a ditch. Visible as earthworks of historic aerial photographs taken in 1947, these appear to have been plough-levelled by 1953.

<1> Bromwich, J., OS Corr 6in (Map). SCB9529.

<2> OS Corr 25in (Map). SCB9556.

APs, CPE/ UK/1952, 25/03/1947 (Aerial Photograph). SCB852.

1959, JRS 49, p. 123 (Article in serial). SCB6808.

<5> 1960, Numismatic Chronicle, p. 237 (Serial). SCB8557.

<6> Bromwich, J., 1962, The Cambridgeshire skirtlands. Antiquity 36:59 (Article in serial). SCB754.

<7> Untitled Source (Bibliographic reference). SCB1294.

<8> Burnett AM and Bland RF ed, 1986, Coin Hoards from Roman Britain 6 (Bibliographic reference). SCB1602.

<9> NMR APs, TL5475/1 - 5 (Aerial Photograph). SCB8328.

<10> Hall, D.N., 1996, The Fenland Project, Number 10: Cambridgeshire Survey, The Isle of Ely and Wisbech, SOH S3 (Bibliographic reference). SCB16086.

<11> Burnett AM, 1984, Coin hoards from Roman Britain, volume 4 (Bibliographic reference). SCB66779.

<12> Bland, R. & Burnett, A.M, 1988, The Normanby hoard and other Roman coin hoards (Bibliographic reference). SCB66781.

<13> Bland, R. & Orna-Ornstein, J., 1997, Coin hoards from Roman Britain, volume 10 (Bibliographic reference). SCB66780.

<14> 1958, OS 6 inch map (Map). SCB8918.

<15> East Cambridgeshire AIM, 2020, RAF/CPE/UK/1952 FS 2072 25-MAR-1947 (Geospatial data). SCB68907.

<16> East Cambridgeshire AIM, 2020, NMR TL5475/1 25-JUL-1953 (Geospatial data). SCB68908.

<17> East Cambridgeshire AIM, 2020, NMR TL5475/4 UNKNOWN (Geospatial data). SCB68909.

Sources and further reading

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