| Summary : The site of a Roman villa, excavated 1933-7, with cropmarks mapped by RCHME in 1995. Occupation appears to have begun during the mid-to-late 1st century AD and continuing into the second half of the 4th century. During this period, the villa passes through several phases, beginning with a series of timber structures and developing into a winged corridor villa with large aisled farmhouse and bath house. Three burials were found, including one over a threshold. The presence of ditches surrounding the buildings led the excavator, A Oswald, to suggest that the site had been fortified. Cropmarks at the location of the villa show a series of parallel ditches and a number of enclosures, but no evidence of any buildings was visible. Since the excavations, Roman material has continued to be found in the area, including a large quantity of coins. A large collection of material from the site is in Newark Museum. |
More information : [SK 85896028] Roman Villa [G.S.] (Site of) (1)
A Roman fortified villa in Abbey Field, (3) Norton Disney was
excavated by Oswald in 1933. Occupation was probably from
A.D.70 - 360, the site progressing from crude wooden structures
to a rich basilican building defensively ditched in the final
phase and finally overwhelmed (2) [See plan AO/LP/65/67]
Finds includes three skeletons, much Samian, Castor and other
pottery, objects of glass, bone, bronze and pewter and sixteen
coins. (Severus to Magnentius) (2-3)
Scheduled. (4)
Crawford's air photograph (5) shows faint traces of the
defensive ditch and confirms the O.S. siting. (5)
Newark Museum hold a large collection of material from this
site which is now arable land with much Roman debris on the
surface. (6)
Between 1971-5 another 212 coins were found, including some from the
Constantinian period and 3rd century radiates, as well as other
finds. (7-8)
Cropmarks at the location of the Roman villa described by the
previous were mapped from good quality air photographs. Several
parallel ditches were visible at TF 8586 6027, which possibly
corresponds to part of the defensive ditched enclosure described by
authorities 1-5. To the east of the ditches is an incomplete
enclosure, 65m wide, which contains a small pit and other smaller
incomplete enclosures. It also has other enclosures adjoining its
northern side. It was not possible to relate these structures to the
excavation plan, and there was no evidence of any buildings on the
air photographs.
(Morph No LI.703.5.1-8)
This description is based on data from the RCHME MORPH2 database.
(9) |