More information : (SU 79524712) Roman Villa (Site of) (R)
(SU 79364710) Roman Well (R) (1)
A mosaic pavement was found, in 1817, at Barley Pound Farm, during ploughing. The floors of two other adjoining apartments were found, one tesselated, the other tiled. The field, and another next to it, contain building foundations, Ro. bricks, tiles and pottery. `A few Ro. coins, of small brass, have been found...an Antoninus Pius in fine preservation and a Constantine are in the possession of Mrs. Debrett' (a). A sampler in silk, featuring the pavement, is in Crondall Church. (2-3)
`Enthusiasts' have discovered a `Roman Well' and `amphitheatre'... but these may be discounted.. as applying to the site in Barley Pound (SU 74 NE 8). (4)
There was dug up in the year 1869, at Barley Pound, Crondall, a hoard of c.300 Roman coins of the latter half of the C3rd. All or the greater part of it, was purchased in 1873 or 4 by Mr. Hawgood, a furniture dealer in East St., Farnham, where Webb saw a number of the coins, probably more than 200, and purchased many of them. (5-6)
SU 79504712. The site of this villa was being ploughed at the time of field investigation and at the point indicated the multiple plough (apparently for the first time) struck and broke through a floor of red brick tessarae, one inch square, laid on chalk and rubble. Several pieces of this floor were lifted intact by the plough but on a subsequent visit it appears that the pieces were broken into individual tessarae by cross-ploughing. There is an abundant scatter of tessarae, roofing tiles and tile, including combed tile, in this area. No trace of the alleged Ro well was found. An incomplete sampler and a complete marquetry pattern are preserved in Crondall Church and show an elaborate design in mosaic. It would seem reasonably probable that the coin hoard was found at the villa or in the immediate vicinity. (7)
The site of the villa is indicated by a scatter of building debris at SU 79504712. No trace of the well was seen. (8)
A Roman marble head in Crondall church (SU 74 NE 1) is locally thought to have come from this villa. (9)
HA 31 Listed as the possible site of a Roman villa. (10) |