Finds span the ages

Roman and Iron Age pottery were among the artefacts taken to a finds day at Southwell Library.

More than 60 people attended the event, organised by Southwell Community Archaeology Group.

Items people had found or dug up in their gardens were assessed by a finds liaison officer for the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Nottinghamshire, Miss Anja Rodhe.

The chairman of the archaeology group, Mr Trevor Wight, said Miss Rodhe was pleased with the number of finds she was asked to assess.

He said: “She was interested in antiquities so an awful lot of things came in that were of interest to us but weren’t of interest to her because they weren’t quite old enough. For example, we had a lot of 18th and 19th Century material.”

Mr Wight said one of the most significant items was a large quantity of Roman pottery that was found near the site of the Roman remains in Southwell at the former Church Street site of the Minster School.

He said: “The amount of Roman pottery material was quite sizeable in the context of finds at Roman villas elsewhere in Europe so that was very interesting.

“It obviously has a connection to the villa but it needs a lot more researching.

“It seems likely some of the material was taken from the villa site and dumped where it was found, or it could have been a dump that was used by the Romans.

“When they found the large Roman wall on the site one of the puzzles surrounding it was that there was no pottery. It was all kept perfectly clean and it was as if this was done deliberately.

“If the building was of religious importance then it could be they took rubbish away to dump it, but that is purely speculation on my part.”

Other interesting finds included Saxon pottery, material believed to be Iron Age or older, and a coin dating back to the reign of Charles I.

Mr Wight said: “As far as the Iron Age material is concerned, we cannot really say anything more about it because there was so little and it was found in a private garden, so unless the person who owns it is interested in having it dug over we probably won’t know much more.”

The head of a Roman statue found in a garden in Westhorpe was also looked at by Miss Rodhe, Dr Will Bowden, the Roman specialist at Nottingham University’s department of archaeology, and Nottinghamshire County Council archaeologist Ursilla Spense.

They confirmed the head was Roman, although its origins were unclear.

Mr Wight said it was possible that someone had collected the head during a tour of Europe rather than it having a connection with the Roman remains in Southwell.

The location all the artefacts were found will be marked on a map that will be used to see if a pattern emerges.

Mr Wight said: “It was a really fantastic range of items that people brought in.

“It is a question now of making something of it.”

Anyone who has any artefacts can contact Mr Wight on 01636 812109 or by email at

info@southwellarchaeology.org.uk