More information : (SP 37381386) Roman Tiles found (NAT) (1)
SP 374 138. A Roman villa complex and Anglo-Saxon habitation site. Excavations in this area commenced in 1960 and are still in progress. Occupation was virtually continuous from the last quarter of the first to the middle of the eighth century AD.
Site 'A'. The first building was erected early in the second century for agricultural and industrial use. It was twice rebuilt, being converted for domestic use in the middle of the third century, attaining its greatest size in the middle of the fourth. Parts of it remained in use until at least AD 420 to 430. In the Saxon period it was used as a burial ground, nine graves being found.
Site B, contained the earliest structure in the whole area; a pre-
Flavian circular hut. A small stone dwelling house was built about AD70 to 90, this was enlarged and became the main dwelling until largely demolished in the latter half of the third century. A small workshop existed there from late in the fourth century until about 420 to 430. There is evidence of Saxon occupation in the late seventh and mid eighth centuries.
Site C, consisted of a Second century bathhouse, a fishpond, an enclosure wall, and paved area. The bathhouse was razed by the end of the second century. The site was not occupied during the Anglo- Saxon period, but was used as a burial ground; thirteen graves have been identified, forming a cemetery of twenty two burials with the nine at site A, (Illustration 6).
At Site D a timber structure was erected in the middle of the fourth century; the position of one wall has been identified.
Site E (see SP 31 SE 11).
Site F included a 500 ft length of a late Romano-British enclosure ditch containing deposits from the late fourth century to the middle of the eighth. A number of worked flints including three barbed and tanged arrowheads were also found. (The excavation report does not date these finds, but see H below).
Site G yielded iron ore and tap slag, suggesting Anglo-Saxon iron smelting.
Site H, a pit 10 ft 6 ins by 6 ft 6 ins and 3 ft 3 ins deep; found by metal detector survey, contained a number of worked flints probably dating from the Bronze Age. More flints including a tanged and barbed arrowhead, found in a gully west of building B, were assigned to the same period. A fragment of a possible Roman cast bronze statue was found in the top soil at H.
Site J is the continuation eastwards of the enclosure ditch F.
At Site K was the largest of the fishponds in the area, this pond was filled in about AD 200, and a circular building constructed above it.
Finds in addition to those above include numerous Roman coins; three Anglo Saxon coins; pottery, glass, stonework; artifacts of metal, bone and leather; wooden planks (from the pond sites); and both domestic and wild animal remains. (2-7)
The complete area of excavation is now under high crop and no surface archaeological remains are extant. The owner/farmer states that another season of digging is to commence after the harvest, he has nothing to add to the previous reports but he believes that Dr Hands (Exeter U) is to publish a comprehensive account at the end of this year. All finds are with the excavators. (8)
Romano-British carbonized wheat, ironwork, a mid 8th century silver sceat, and many other Romano-British and Anglo-Saxon finds from the excavatons at Shakenoak Roman villa, were presented to the Ashmolean Museum. (9)
SP 375138: The Roman and Anglo-Saxon sites at Shakenoak Farm, Oxfordshire, lie on both sides of a small stream in the Wilcote valley some one and a half miles south of Akeman Street (Fig 1). The excavations of 1960-7 have been discussed in four reports: Excavations at Shakenoak, Part 1; Sites A and D (1968); Part II: Sites B and H (1970); Part III: Site F (1972); and Part IV, Site C (1973). This is the final volume which completes the account of the excavations. Shakenoak was probably continuously occupied from the last quarter of the first century A.D. to the middle of the eighth century. Evidence for occupation before c.AD. 70-90 is confined to a few objects of pre-Flavian date, all of which came from Flavian or later deposits, and the undated remains of a pre-Flavian circular hut (Period B.1).
The occupation can be divided into four major periods, covering the whole of the Shakenoak excavation.
Earlier Roman Period.
A Flavian corridor house lying to the north of the stream underwent successive extensions during the second century. An aisled barn and a bath house were added to the south of the stream in the first half of the second century, and a series of three fishponds (Fishponds I-III) were constructed in the same period. Later in the second century the early second century barn was replaced by a larger agricultural building.
Later Roman Period.
A series of fundamental changes occurred during the first half of the third century, affecting all parts of the villa complex. The three fishponds were filled in or allowed to silt up at a date near AD200. The main dwelling house, Building B, underwent changes indicative of an alteration in the nature of the occupation combined with a decline in living standards, and was later partly demolished. Total demolition left this part of the site deserted from c.300 on, except for a small building, possibly a workshop, in the late fourth and early fifth centuries. The former bath-house was converted into an agricultural building very early in the third century, and was demolished by the middle of the fourth century. Building A was converted into a small dwelling house between A.D. 240 and 270, and underwent various modifications and extensions before ceasing to be occupied at a date c.420-430. A circular building (Building K) was constructed between Buildings A and B in about AD 200 and was abandoned in the middle of the century. The whole central area of the villa (sites A, B, C and K) was enclosed by a wall in the third century. Outside this central area there was a timber structure of the mid-fourth century (Site D), and at the end of the fourth century an enclosure ditch was dug to the north of the site.
Sub-Roman Period.
The final occupation of Building A ended in c.420-430, when there is evidence to suggest the presence of a "military", possibly "Germanic" element in the population (Shakenoak I, p. 96; Shakenoak III, pp. 74f., 78f.). Further evidence of this fifth century occupation came from the deposits in the enclosure ditch. This is the most difficult and controversial period in the history of Shakenoak.
Anglo-Saxon Period.
The enclosure ditch produced many objects indicative of agriculture -especially animal husbandry - as well as of woollen cloth production, iron smelting and smithing, mostly dating from the seventh and eighth centurys. Site B produced surface material from the late seventh and mid-eighth centuries. Sites A and C contained a cemetery of 22 inhumations of Post-Roman date, and a coin of the mid eighth century.
Sites H (Shakenoak II, p.42) and E (SP 31 SE 11) were of Bronze Age date. (10)
OX 42 Listed as the site of a Roman villa. (11) |