Page:VCH Suffolk 1.djvu/368

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A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK Bury St. Edmunds. Three coins were found here, one brass of Maximin (a.d. 235-8), one brass of Magnentius (a.d. 350-3), one silver denarius of Antoninus Pius (a.d. 138-61) [Proc. Suff. Arch. Inst, ii, 21 1], and some Roman flue tiles were found at Kirtlinge (? Cowlinge) [ibid, i, 232]. Greeting. — A black urn and red pot-shaped vase were found here [Chart, Watling Coll. in pos- session of Miss Nina Layard], Debenham. — Here was found a silver coin of the Emperor Carausius (a.d. 286-93). O" '^^ reverse are two figures holding a standard, and circumscribed expectate veni [Ipswich yaurn, 9 February 1828 ; Gent. Mag. 1828, pt. i, 164]. Dennington. — In a field south of Dennington Place Roman coins were found in 1843 [O-S- 6-in. xlviii, NE.]. DuNWiCH. — ' The antiquity of this place is rendered very probable by this, that " Roman " coins are often found here . . .' [Lysons, Mag. Brit. (1730), v, 191]. 'Mr. T. Martin ex- hibited some brass instruments, supposed to be a species of fibulae or bodkins, and a young Hercules in lead (?) which was found in a burying-ground near Dunwich ' [MS. Min. Soc. Antiq. viii, 67]. In the collection of Mr. Frederick Barne of Dunwich, amongst other relics of Dunwich is a large brass coin of Nero (a.d. 54-68), well preserved [Suckling, Hist, of Suff, ii, 262]. The Rev. Greville Chester said that in June 1858 he observed in various places in the face of the cliff, within 5 ft. of the top . . . numerous pieces of coarse blue, black, and brown pottery, some of which were manifestly of Roman manufacture, while other fragments were perhaps Saxon. Of one variety I found fragments lying together almost enough to form an entire urn. Animal bones, with teeth of the ox, sheep, and deer, were also numerous. In one place I discovered a rounded seam of black earth full of bones, ashes, charred wood, cockle, oyster, and whelk shells, with broken fragments of Roman pottery. This apparently was an ancient rubbish pit. I saw an imperfect small brass coin of the Lower Empire, which was picked up near this spot. Among the objects collected by Mr. Chester on this site were some keys, apparently Roman, especially one of bronze, and a bow-shaped fibula [Arch. "Joum. xv, 155]. It has been suggested that Dunwich was the site of the station Sitomagus in the 9th Iter of Antoninus, as it answers to the distance, 32 miles, from Venta Icenorum (Norwich or Caister ?) [Wright, Celt. Rom. Sax. 135 ; 'Joum. Brit. Arch. Assoc, xxxii, 2i6, 217]. Numerous fragments of Roman tiles and bricks are to be seen in all the ancient edifices of the place [ibid.]. The inclosure of the Grey Friars abounds in fragments of Roman tile and other debris [Arch. Journ. XXXV, 82]. In the Museum at Ipswich are some objects of bronze, doubtfully Roman. Easton. — Near Wickham Market. A Roman vault or grave was found in March 1850, at 'Rose's pit,' by men digging for gravel. The vault was 4 ft. from the surface and about 2 ft. deep and I ft. 6 in. wide. In it were five urns, some bones and teeth ; and a horn. Everything was destroyed. In March 1851 another urn was found in this pit, and in 1853 seven or eight more small Roman urns, one of which was full of bones and ashes. These fell to pieces on exposure to the air. From the same pit was picked up a bronze fibula of common type [youm. Brit. Arch. Assoc, viii, 159-60]. Some Roman coins with a flint arrow-head were turned up in a brickfield here ; the coins were destroyed by the plough [Journ. Brit. Arch. Assoc. X, 383]. Easton Bavents. — The remains of a boarded Roman well were observed in the clifF on the sea- shore in the autumn of 1888, about 10 yards north of where some old farm-houses formerly stood. A considerable quantity of pottery is said to have come from this well [Proc. Suff. Arch. Inst, vii, 304]. Elveden. — Excavations were made in 1888-9 *>" the site of an ancient burial ground near Elveden, and three large urns of brown ware were discovered. They had been deposited with their necks downwards, and covered with a circular situla, of which some of the metal mountings remained. Burnt bones were found outside the circle of the situla, but none were yith the urns. Some ornamentation of Celtic style on the mountings led to a controversy as to the date of the remains, but it was concluded that they were Roman [Joum. Brit, Arch. Assoc, xlv, 81 ; Arch. Rev. iv, 68 ; Antiq. xix, 1 81]. ExNiNG. — 'Mr. Martin had some Roman coins and fibulae found here in 1720' [Camden, Brit. (ed. Cough), ii, 81]. Several coins of Trajan (a.d. 98-117), one of Maximian (a.d, 286- 308), one of Faustina (a.d. 138-41) were found on Newmarket Heath in the 1 8th century [Excursions in Suff. i, 19, 91]; and a. fibula and coin, now in possession of Lord Lowther, were found in levelling the course [MS. Min. Soc. Antiq. xxxvi, 42]. Several interments were found in a gravel pit in Exning parish in 1832 and the following years. In 1832 pieces of 304