More information : SK 943077. Two Roman buildings have been exposed by excavation on the south bank of the R. Gwash, SW of the village. One of the buildings is an aisled barn, postdating a ditch containing early 3rd cent. pottery. (1)
Other than the buildings reported in Britannia (Authy 1) a cobbled area and a well have been excavated. The complex would appear to represent farm buildings and a farmyard. At SK 94250769 a Ro. burial was uncovered by a grading machine, the inhumation was within a stone coffin which, together with the contents, were badly damaged but were removed to Nottingham University for an attempted precise classification. (2)
The excavated Ro buildings are visible at SK 94280765, they are surrounded by extensive earth moving and their destruction is fairly imminent. (3)
The aisled barn 23m long x 11m wide, and at least three other excavated Roman buildings on the site were situated on a series of terraces. A vestibule and party wall inside the barn was found to overlie a gully containing mid-4th century coins. On the terrace below the barn were two structures; one possibly a shed, containing a well c 5m deep; the other a small L-shaped building. The well contained a wooden patten, colour-coated pottery of c.270 AD and the bones of sheep. Other structures occurred on the next terrace, and all the buildings mentioned were sited with their east walls on a common line. Earlier features detected underneath the aisled barn included slight traces of a timber building. (4-6)
Empingham. SK 94270775. During the excavation of the Anglo-Saxon site [SK 90 NW 10], a romano-British blind-ended enclosure ditch was examined of 1st-2nd century date: finds included a headstud brooch of 90-100 A.D. [No further details]. (7)
The Roman villa at SK 943 077 lay 1km south-west of the modern village. The main house, with hypocaust and painted plaster lay north of the River Gwash and the other structures to the south. An aisled barn 23 x 11 metres was associated with two smaller structures and a well. The well, about 5 metres deep contained 20 sheep's skulls and lower limb bones. Also a wooden shoe patten and some pottery of c 270 A.D. were also recovered from the well. (8)
LE 29 Listed as the site of a Roman villa. (9) |