| Summary : The remains of a Roman villa at Eling Farm, discovered in 1863 following the ploughing of a recently cleared copse. Excavations seem to have occurred on several occasions in the later 19th century. Finds include a hypocaust, part of a tessellated pavement, plus quantities of pottery, animal bones, floor tiles and roof tiles. A second site was discovered circa 150 yards away, although some sources suggest that this site may have been known since at least 1839. Buildings and parts of ditched enclosures, visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs, are almost certainly the remains of part of the villa complex. The cropmarks appear to represent the foundations of buildings arranged on three sides of a possible courtyard and three further possible buildings are visible to the east and south of this. A number of ditched boundaries appear to form parts of enclosures but there relationship to the buildings is unclear and they may be earlier or later features. |
More information : ['A' : SU 53257521] ROMAN VILLA [GS] (Remains of)
ROMAN VILLA [GS] (Site of)
ROMAN VILLA [GS] (site of)
['B' : SU 53407498] ROMAN VILLA [GS] (Site of)
[Note - the siting of 'B' is not published on OS 6"s, 1882 or 1960]. (1-4)
The remains of a Roman villa, discovered at Eling Farm, were
reported in April, 1863, (5). The villa had been noticed
in plouging the site of a recently-cleared copse. A part of a
tesselated pavement, a hypocaust, many potsherds, bones and floor
and roof tiles were found. S. Palmer hoped to excavate the site after the harvest. [No references to the contemplated
excavation by Palmer were found in later volumes of J.B.A.A.]
In 1880, W. Money (6) refers to the villa in terms that clearly
show that part had been excavated and left open [confirmed by
the OS 6", 1882, published description] and he goes on to state
that, c. 150 yards away, there had been found another Roman
building, of less substantial character, were postsherds, iron
objects and a coin of Constantine had been found. In the ONB
(7) Money describes the northern site ['A'] as found in 1870
and the southern site ['B'] as found in 1879. [These dates
possibly indicate the re-excavation of both sites, not the
initial discovery.] both sites appear to have been known, even
earlier than 1863, for an account of 1839 (8) refers to
supposed Roman foundations, found in sinking a chalk-pit, in a
field called Green Ditch, at Everington, [Presumably 'B' sited
in a quarry and near Everington Barn] and to Roman tiles and
coins found in a wood nearby. [Presumably 'A', reported in
1863, to have been in a copse] Peake refers to the northern
site as a villa, and to the southern site, 100 or 150 yards
away as a small building or villa. A Durobrivian pot, a glass
bottle and four bronze figures from the site were in Reading
Museum (9).
Money (6) says the portion remaining of the villa occupied an
area of about 70 feet by 45 feet, and that a considerable part
of the border of the mosaic pavement survived, with a pattern
of twisted guilloche and an outer edging of plain red cubes. (5-9)
Villa, evidently of corridor type. (10)
both sites are under pasture. At 'A' there is a scatter of
surface brick etc. but nothing was found to confirm the site of
`B'. The farmer and ploughman were aware of site `A' only. (11)
SU532752 Eling Roman Villa. Scheduled (13). (12-13)
Additional reference. (14)
Buildings and parts of ditched enclosures, visible as cropmarks
on aerial photographs, are almost certainly the remains of part
of the villa described by the previous authorities. The cropmarks
appear to represent the foundations of buildings arranged on
three sides of a possible courtyard and three further possible
buildings are visible to the east and south of this. A number of
ditched boundaries appear to form parts of enclosures but
there relationship to the buildings is unclear and they may be
earlier or later features. (15-16)
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