Monument record MDR4664 - Roman pottery kilns, Lumb Brook, Hazelwood
Type and Period (2)
- POTTERY KILN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- ROASTING HEARTH (Roman - 201 AD? to 409 AD?)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
SK 32944674. Members of the Erewash Valley Archaeological Research Committee excavated six Roman pottery kilns on a site some 100 yards west of Lumb Grange, in 1972-3. The kilns were situated upon the edge of the steep bank of Lumb Brook. Their principal output was Derbyshire Ware, but jars and wide-mouthed bowls in a smoother fabric were produced as well. A lead-smelting hearth was also excavated. Two ornamental gritstone pillars, re-used, suggest the presence of a Romanised building in the vicinity. (1)
In 1971 W A Webster found a number of Roman pottery sherds embedded in the northern section of the steep bank of the Lumb in a secluded dell known as 'Depth o' Lumb which is 0.8km north-east of Hazelwood (SK 32944576). In 1972, after the formation of the Erewash Archaeological Research Committee, test trenches were excavated at the top of the bank where the pottery had been found. Eventually 6 Roman pottery kilns were found in a line along the top of the bank within an area measuring 18m x 6m. A lead-roasting hearth was also found constructed in the hollow formed by the stokehole which had served Kilns 3-6, after these had gone out of use. The hearth appears to have been too small to smelt lead in any significant quantity and on the evidence available it would seem that only the first stage of the lead-smelting process - the roasting of the ore - was carried out here sometime during the second and third centuries. (2)
A study of the pottery made at the Lumb Brook kilns suggested production from the mid to late second century to the late third century. The study of the forms suggested a 'strong ancestral link' with the forms made at the Derby Racecourse. Local clay sources appear to have been utilised and fabrics could be readily distinguished from the Derby Racecourse products. (3)
Sherds of Roman Derbyshire ware were identified at SK 3295 4676 during survey in August 2008. Evidence of the 1970s excavations were still visible as an area of disturbed ground. (4)
Sources/Archives (4)
- <1> SDR5803 Article in serial: East Midlands Committee of Field Archaeologists. 1978. East Midlands Archaeological Bulletin, 1978. No. 12. p 3.
- <2> SDR20670 Article in serial: Brassington, M & Webster, W. 1988. 'The Lumb Brook pottery kilns, Hazelwood: an interim report', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Volume 108, pp 21-33.
- <3> SDR20671 Article in serial: Leary, R. 2003. 'The Romano-British pottery from the kilns at Lumb Brook, Hazelwood, Derbyshire', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Volume 123, pp 71-110.
- <4> SDR20660 Unpublished document: Jurecki, K (ARCUS). 2008. Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site Landscape Project: Cromford and Belper Survey Transects. Level 1 Survey.. B2/3.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 3292 4672 (77m by 85m) (Centre) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | HAZELWOOD, AMBER VALLEY, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR407
- EDR3959
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jun 4 2015 9:45AM