Abstract/Summary

To locate the source(s) of the Roman building materials re-used in the church of St John the Baptist, Reedham, Norfolk, survey by ground-penetrating radar within the church and churchyard identified areas of potential interest. These were investigated by small-scale excavation. Roman fabric employing Leziate grey quartzite rock, and brick and tile, was found in two locations about 25 m apart. The style of Roman build is consistent with that of a military structure such as the Saxon Shore fort at Brancaster built using the same stone as at Reedham. Tenth-century pottery was found incorporated in patches of mortar flooring located in one trench within the outline of a rectangular structure, c. 11.5 m by 3.75 m, partly confirmed by excavation and aligned parallel with the north wall of the nave. Radiocarbon dates give an approximate terminus post quem for the mortar floor of the mid-seventh to mid-eighth century. The trench was situated opposite a stretch of nave wall built solely of Roman brick and tile and cut by an arch of c. 1200, subsequently blocked c. 1300. Our results suggest an early medieval side chapel or porticus built against the north wall of an early (mid-seventh to mid-eighth-century) medieval church.