Bill Wyman Discovers 200 Roman Coins and Hidden Farmstead on Suffolk Estate

The discovery began when estate workers unearthed a medieval jug during routine maintenance on Wyman’s Suffolk property in 2024, sparking his curiosity about the land’s deeper past.

Rather than pocket the jug, Wyman adopted a systematic approach to metal detecting, learning the Portable Antiquities Scheme’s code of practice and logging each find with precise coordinates and condition notes.

Over 12 detecting sessions, he recovered more than 200 Roman coins, ranging from the 1st to the 4th century AD, revealing a continuous occupation that hinted at a larger settlement.

Analysis of the coins’ distribution, combined with surface features, led Wyman to identify the footprint of a Roman farmstead, later entered into the Suffolk Heritage Explorer as monument MSF6324.

"The site’s inclusion in the county’s historic environment record means it will be considered in any future planning decisions," said a spokesperson for Suffolk County Council’s heritage unit.

The discovery has already drawn the interest of local farmers, one of whom noted that the coins have sparked a renewed sense of pride in the community’s ancient roots.

Wyman plans to continue his responsible detecting, hoping to further map the extent of the farmstead and contribute to the broader understanding of Roman Britain in eastern England.