Arecent paper made reference to the three iron beams found at the Chedworth villa. They were called ‘blooms’ and it was suggested that they were the product of the Forest of Dean ironworks. The place of origin may be correct, but it is no longer right to refer to these great objects as ‘blooms’. They had been manufactured for a definite purpose and had a definite structural part to play in building work, as is shown by a study of the find-spots, not only of the Chedworth examples, but also of others found in more recent years, and by their condition when found. Moreover they are also of interest as being probably the largest single objects yet known to have been manufactured by Romano-British smiths. Their function and manufacture has already been discussed by Dr. R. F. Tylecote, in spite of which many misconceptions still seem to survive about them. Indeed, I am grateful to Dr. Tylecote for discussing the Catterick examples with me soon after they were found; also to Mr. H. Cleere of the Iron and Steel Institute for arranging a study of the broken Catterick beam, and to Mr. L. Biek of the Ancient Monuments Laboratory for making the report available to me.