Ixworth was settled by the
Romans and was the site of a 1st-century fort. The fort is believed to have been built as a response to
Boudicca's revolt and appears to have been in use only until the end of the 1st century. and the
Peddars Way ran from Ixworth to
Holme next the Sea on the north coast of
Norfolk. The foundations of a Roman building with
hypocaust were discovered in 1834 and are believed to be a villa and bath house complex. An early pagan cemetery with Anglo-Saxon burial urns was discovered south-west of the church some time before 1849, and a number of other post-Roman archaeological finds have been discovered in the area. In 1856, the Ixworth Cross, a gold
pectoral cross covered in
garnets dating from the 7th century, was discovered in what is believed to be another Anglo-Saxon cemetery. The cross is decorated using
cloisonné work and was donated to the
Ashmolean Museum in
Oxford in 1909. The first recorded name for Ixworth is from 1025 as Gyxeweorde meaning "Enclosure of a man called Gisca". The village, which was in the Hundred of Blackbourn, was relatively very large at this time with 51 households. It was held by Robert Blunt or Blount in 1086, having formed part of the lands controlled by the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds in 1066. Remains of the priory include the almost complete east range whilst some of the west range can be found incorporated into a house, known as Ixworth Abbey. These remains are a Grade I listed building and include elements from the early 13th century. Four pairs of houses were built in 1893–94 for
Thingoe Rural District Council, encouraged by the Ixworth Labourers' Association. A former pumping station at Bailypool Lane off Stow Lane was given planning permission in 2012 for conversion to a residential dwelling. ==Modern Ixworth==