Billingford Settlement

Settlement

The monument includes the buried remains of a Roman roadside settlement or small town to the east of the River Wensum, to the west of the village of Billingford and to the south of the road between Billingford and North Elmham. Surface finds of Roman material have been made over an area of around sixteen hectares, on both sides the main east-west road to the east of where that road probably crossed the River Wensum.

Air photographs show a number of parallel ditches, possible property bondaries, angled to the line of the Roman road; [possibly aligned with an ancient trackway running south-east to north-west from Venta Icenorum (Caistor-by-Norwich) to the Metaris Aestuarium (The Wash)].

Pottery found at the site spans from the second to the fourth centuries AD, likewise the coinage recovered, though the greater proportion is of the fourth century with only two or three others being attributed to the second century. Iron-slag was also found.

Parts of two Roman parade helmets thought to be of third century date, have been dredged from the River Wensum about half a kilometre downstream of the probable bridging point, at Worthing.

The site of a possible villa lies c.3.22 kilometres north of the settlement [between Bintree and Twyford?].

References for Billingford

  • Roman Britain by Peter Salway (Oxford 1981).

Roman Roads near Billingford

Probable road: NW (24) to Holme E (14) to Brampton (Norfolk) WSW (12) to Kempstone Probable road: SE (18) to Venta Icenorum (Caistor St. Edmund, Norfolk)

Sites near Billingford Settlement