More information : (SY 93528276) Roman Villa (R) Site of (NAT) (1)
Roman villa site. Tesselated pavement found. (2)
The site marked on OS 6" 1929 is indicated on the ground by broken bits of brick. 100x to the North was a further building and is indicated on the ground by a mass of roofing tiles. The site marked on OS 6" is of the tesselated pavement. No mention has been made of a hypocaust being found (a).
Six inches below the surface of the ground a pavement of red tile and white stone was found. It was excavated by Mr Lawrence Pike and proved to be the foundations of a large building. Fragments of Kimmeridge shale, coins, bones, horns etc were found. The flooring is 10ft square and is composed of small square blocks of hard stone measuring 1" - 1 1/2" each way. A regular pattern is laid down. The groundwork is white surrounded by a deep border of red. Within the red border are a number of small square patterns of white stone with 4 red pieces in the centre. About 20 years ago a discovery of a similar nature was made in the same field. The foundations of a room have also been found 100 yds from this spot. This room would appear to have been 12 ft. square (b).
The sites of these buildings lie in a flat field at the Northern foot of a hill and would appear an odd topographical position for a Roman Temple. The field was under crops and was not perambulated. The site of the 2nd buiding referred to was taken from J B Calkin's Corr 6" and lies 50.0m only to the North of the pavement site.
Additional reference (c). (3)
Area of both sites perambulated, field now under root.
A. (O.S. published site). The sole finds in this spot consisted of small fragments of Roman brick and one sherd of medieval pottery.
B. North of the published site and spread over an area approx. 20.0m. x 20.0m., is a heavy scatter of Roman brick, ridge and roofing tiles. Fragments of coarse grained pottery of grey-black ware were picked up - also one rim of well fired red ware. No Samian was discovered. A small quantity of medieval pottery was also found. The centre of this area was surveyed to SY 93498279.
No tesserae were found at either site.
Authys b and c measurements incorrect. 100x N. of A. would place B in the next field - which is clear of all forms of antiquity. No historical information was encountered whereby the type of these buildings could be ascertained. Whilst the tesselated pavement would tend to indicate a house of some means, further proof would seem to be required prior to its placing in the villa category. Authy 3 incorrect, this is an excellent topographical position for a farm or villa, there is, or has been, no suggestion that this is a temple site. No indication of a road was found in the proximity of these sites. Present location of finds from early excavations unknown.
"Pottery found is of 1st c. date." (d). (4)
In 1869 the plough struck something that proved to be a stone column with base and capital, 4ft long & 5" in diameter, accompanied by a small one handled vessel full of Coal Money. Many fragments of shale lay around, with broken pottery, mortar & plaster of which some pieces were coloured, and a large quantity of stone. The column is in the possession of Mr Pike of Wareham. Mr C R Smith has suggested that it may have formed part of the Arcade of a Roman building. (5)
Site of Roman villa or large house. (6)
East Creech Roman villa. The site, long under plough, is marked on O.S. by an antiquity symbol at SY 93538275. (The symbol first appeared on O.S. 25 in. Dorset LVI.1 (1887), referring to 'Roman coins, pottery and other remains found A.D. 1885', and need not indicate the site of the structural remains found in 1869 and 1888.) A slight ridge, from which the ground falls away in all directions save W., runs E. on the long axis of the field to some 15 yds S. of the map symbol, and for the last 60 yds. the crest is slightly flattened, suggesting an artificial platform some 7 yds. wide, with some loose heath stone rubble in the E. end. Around the point marked by the symbol and to the N., much Romano-British material occurs over an area some 50 or 60 yds. square, especially about SY 93518279, consisting of heathstone, Purbeck limestone, clay roof and flue-tile fragments, wall-plaster, a few large red tile and limestone tesserae, pottery, and Kimmeridge shale waste. The adjoining marshy field to S. has banks and probably drainage ditches of doubtful age, but recent test-borings for clay are not thought to have revealed occupation. After deep ploughing in 1869, internally-plastered walls were traced by the tenant, Mr Pike, who found a Tuscan column (see illus) about 4ft. high, apparently of Purbeck stone. A pavement with simple lattice design executed in coarse tesserae of red tile on a 'white' ground, and measuring about 16ft. by at least 11 ft., was found in 1888, while Hutchins (d) records 'many small thin triangular or kite-shaped stones of different dimensions having fine points and thin edges', suggesting opus sectile. A note in Dorset County Museum states that about 100 or 150 yds. N. of the pavement 'was found a basement, of stone, containing the lower courses of (apparently) a stoke hole, from whence issues a side channel, having a side branch, and showing evident marks of fire. This may be the basement of a hypocaust.' This feature, apparently 12 ft. square according to The Builder, may alternatively have been a corn-drying oven; its position is doubtful since a disused clay-pit already existed in the area specified. Some tesserae are in Poole Museum. Recent surface finds (Dorset County Museum 1936.18; 1963.1) show occupation from at least 2nd to 4th century. Turned Kimmeridge shale armlet cores occur, and Hutchins records a vessel full of them from a neighbouring field. A shale industry is possible, and although some arable was probably available on the mixed downwashed soils at the foot of the Chalk ridge, the latter was never here occupied by 'Celtic' fields. (7)
SY 934827. East Creech Roman Villa. Scheduled. (8)
(SY 93528275) ROMAN BUILDING (R) (site of) (NAT) (9)
The OS siting lies in a level though undulating arable field which is at present under pasture. Nothing visible on the ground. The farmer regularly ploughs the site but he has not observed any noteable features. (10)
DO 7 Listed as the site of a Roman villa, now in very poor condition. (11)
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