More information : TF 083068. Probable site of a Roman villa covering an area of about 5 acres, with a droveway, five small rectangular enclosures (perhaps cattle corrals) and the massive post-holes of a basilican building. Excavations showed the latter in its first phase to be 140 feet long by 29 feet wide, apparently constructed in the mid-3rd century. The side walls were lightly built of stone; the gable ends more substantial. The nave was 19 feet wide, defined by timber colonnades. This building was demolished towards the end of the 3rd century and replaced by another of the same width and 113 feet long with colonnades of more massive timbers. It was demolished circa 370 AD, and shallow enclosure ditches were cut across the site. Each building contained corn-drying ovens. ploughing of the field has indicated that a large stone building decorated with painted wall-plaster was situated to the north-west. Evidence of earlier occupation of the site comes from a small gravel-pit partially filled with ash and slag, waste products of an iron-smelting furnace. (1)
Air photography by Dr St Joseph revealed cropmarks including two rows of post pits of a "great aisled building". The site has been examined by digging and is presumed to be a third century Roman villa or farm, partly of timber and partly stone. The posts supported the roof of a basilican building, about 4.8m by 8.75m. The outer walls, largely built of stone, had their foundations much disturbed by stone robbing and not even the foundation trench appears on air photographs. (2)
Barn-like structure, entirely agricultural in use and of a type usually constructed of timber. The dwelling house on which it depended lay further to the north-west in the same field (but has not yet yielded intelligible crop-marks). (3)
There are no surface indications of either the site or excavation. (4)
Additional reference. (5)
Scheduled listing. (6)
The Roman villa refered to by authority 1 has been mapped from good quality air photographs. The following features were visible as cropmarks:-
The basilican building described by authority 1 was visible on AP's as 2 lines of large pits with a length of 30m centred at TF 0805 0660. This aisled barn sits within a partially visible ditch defined system of 5 conjoined enclosures, on average 20m by 20m. Within these enclosures were the faint cropmarks of two potential hut circles or small buildings. Various pits were also visible in the background but in an area where the background geology shows up as cropmark pitting it was not possible to discern whether any of the pits were archaeological or not. To the north east of the main complex of enclosures were further partially visible conjoined enclosures on average 10m by 10m, centred at TF 0798 0671. A substantial double ditched linear feature appears to form a boundary to the south and west of the complex. (Morph No. LI.777.45.1-6) The grid reference of TF 083 068 given by the source of authority 1 is incorrect. The grid references given for the features described above are more accurately located and coincide with those given by the source of authority 2 which takes its grid references from the original air photography of the site. This description is based on data from the RCHME MORPH2 database. (7)
CA 13-15 Listed as the site of a Roman villa. (8) |