More information : [SU 3036 8247] ? Site of building
[Maddle Farm, Lambourn] much R.B. pottery and tile fragments.
Sarsen stones appear to underlie surrounding banks. (1)
The farmer said that the field had never been ploughed and that
he had encountered no evidence of a Roman building. No building
debris is visible at the site, nor is there anything visible on
R.A.F air photographs. (2)
At least one major Roman buidling with tesselated pavements
(SU 30368247), as well as subsidiary buildings and evidence of
corn drying and milling (SU 299828), has been found at Maddle
Farm. The majority of material recovered in field walking,
following ploughing has been of 3rd and 4th century date. The
associated field system. planned from air photographs, extends
over some 30 ha or 75 acres (and is part of an extensive area
of similar fields - SU 28 SE 2 associated with a "settlement?"
- SU 28 SE 3). (3)
"Maddle Farm Roman Settlement Monument 198" (4)
SU 301828: Trial-trenching of pottery scatters as part of a field survey of Roman settlement on the Berkshire Downs centre on the villa/settlement complex at Maddle Farm produced evidence of a mid fourth century farmyard midden and second century settlement refuse pits and ditch. (5)
SU 301 827 Maddle Farm Roman settlement scheduled 198. (6)
SU 301828. Maddle Farm Villa. Sample excavation revealed a series of Iron Age plough strips cut by some pre-Flavian ditches. In the late third century some structures including a succession of corndriers were built within a farmyard. The villa, built of chalk blocks, was erected in the period c180-240, and received various alterations during the next century. The latest coin was of Eugenius. Field-walking has indentifed a pattern of sherd-scatter resulting from manuring of fields. (7)
Additional bibliography. (8-9)
Parts of the Roman villa described by the previous authorites are
visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs. What appears to be
cropmarks of a possible chalk rubble spread forming three sides of a
rectangle measuring 40m by 25m, are centred at SU 3036 8247. Other
linear features adjacent to the villa may also represent parts of the
complex. This possible range of buildings is on a similar
alignment to the field system in which the villa is situated
suggesting they are contemporary. The villa sits at the south
eastern extremity of the visible parts of the field system. The
field system is described in SU 28 SE 2. (12)
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