HER 5237 DESCRIPTION:-

Site of Roman building first noted by Baddeley who called it "Whitminster Villa". Found 3rd and 4th century pottery, patches of mosaic in situ. 10 coin hoard of AD 332-346 found before 1969 in associated with pottery vessel, with landowner, who has reported other Roman material, including portions of tessellated floors being ploughed up regularly. {Source Work 1493.}

Pottery, flue tile and tesserae from the site are preserved in Stroud Museum. {Source Work 862.}

The siting is accepted, there is a slight platform on the ground at this NGR, but its extent is undefined because field is under crop. {Source Work 862.}

Trial trenching within an area 30m by 15m revealed from early 2nd to 4th century. A scatter of tesserae suggests a main dwelling about 15m north or northwest of the kiln {Source Works 288 and 862.}

Samian sherds and tesserae from site in Gloucester City Museum. Detailed list of the 10 coin hoard in GADARG. This was discovered in 1965, before the villa itself. {Source Work 902.}

Photographs and plans in site file {Source Work 484.} Plans held in HER map chest with tithe maps.

1976 Numerous Romano-British sherds in small pits and a 6ft square area of cobbling with sherds above and below it. Investigation by W Charles (?) in 1976. {Source Work 1841.}

1976-77 Exploratory excavations 1976 to 1977 revealed wall foundations, two stoke holes with associated channels and a T-shaped corn dryer. Pottery in poor condition but appeared to range early 2nd to 5th century. Two 4th century coins and tesserae were found in the plough levels of trenches cut 20-32m north of the farm. {Source Work 902.}

2003 - A resisitivity survey was undertaken at Eastington by Nigel Spry of GADARG between 19th and 23rd October 2003. This was to identify the location of the supposed 'Whitminster' Roman villa. The results were inconclusive and further survey work is planned over a wider area. {Source Work 8128.}

2004 - Further work was undertaken by GADARG during April 2004. Eleven 0.25m square test pits were excavated. The structures that had been observed during the 1970s excavations were again revealed. Following the test pitting a 0.6m square pit was opened near to where the 1960s pavement had been recorded. A single white limestone tessera was retrieved.

2004 - During September 2004 GADARG revisited the site again and undertook another set of geophysical surveying. Although some ditches and ridge and furrow were recorded it has been decided that further work at the site is not necessary. The fieldwork archive has been deposited with Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service. {Source Work 8859.}

2007 - A modern archaeological watching brief was undertaken between Saul Junction and Bond's Mill Bridge on the Stroudwater Canal on 05-06/03/2007. 30 exploratory holes were excavated. 8 holes were monitored, one of which lay within the possible location of Whitminster Villa. No finds or features of archaeological interest were observed. {Source Work 8950.}

2015 An archaeological evaluation consisting of eighty-two trenches, some of which were targeted on anomalies identified by a preceding geophysical survey,was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in October and November 2015 on land at Junction 13 of the M5 in Eastington. The majority of the identified archaeological features were concentrated within the south central part of the site.

Ditches identified from the south central part of the site confirmed the presence of a rectangular enclosure identified by the geophysical survey (HER 48075) and dating to the 3rd to 4th-century AD. Within the enclosure, the truncated remains of a high status Roman building were revealed confirming the presence of what is known as Whitminster Roman villa (HER 5237). Part of a further Roman structure, identified during archaeological excavations undertaken in the 1970s, was also identified in this area along with evidence of probable Roman sand and gravel extraction in close proximity to the identified structures. To the south-east of the enclosure a field system, also identified by the geophysical survey, was identified and finds recovered from a number of ditches forming parts of this field system confirmed that it was broadly contemporary with the Roman enclosure to the north-west {Source Work 13940.}

2019 - This monument was previously recorded within the Historic England National Record of the Historic Environment. Additional information from that record, formerly held within the AMIE database, is quoted below:

"Rescue excavations in 1969, in advance of M5 construction, revealed further Romano-British remains to the west of the villa at SO 777068 (the field is called "Stanborough"). Of twenty-six pits located, thirteen were excavated and found to contain 1st to 3rd century pottery. A cobbled oolite platform incorporating fragments of sandstone tiles and quernstones was found in association with 3/4th century pottery and a 4th century minim, and overlying a 4th century occupation layer. The building materials and tesserae ploughed up could suggest a villa establishment, but this remains far from certain. Pottery, flue tile and tesserae from the site are preserved in Stroud museum. (1-5)

The siting (1) is accepted; there is a slight platform on the ground at this reference, but its extent is undefinable because the field is under crop. (6) " {Source Work 4249.}