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Summary

Roman Military Establishment, to the north of St Loyes. Exeter.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MILITARY BUILDING (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD (Between))

Full description

Stead, P. + Payne, N., 18/06/2013, Land at and adjacent to Fairfield House, St Loyes, Topsham Road, Exeter (Report - Excavation). SDV351651.

An open area excavation of the wider development site was undertaken by Exeter Archaeology in 2010 (Steinmetzer and Salvatore 2010). This exposed parts of the northwest and southwest defensive circuit of a subsequent Roman military establishment, together with extensive evidence of internal buildings. Cut features, predominantly associated with later Romano-British land division were also identified.

A later excavation carried out by AC archaeology (2013) exposed Four buildings. All were of post-trench construction with trenches typically measuring 0.35m-0.45m wide and 0.20m-0.25m deep, with steep sides and a flat or slightly rounded base. All had been backfilled with clean redeposited natural
subsoil comprising a mix of red breccia clay and river terrace gravels. A large number of siltfilled
post-pipes were identified within the trenches, indicating the positions of the wall posts. Spacing between posts varied, but was generally 0.45m-0.70m.

Building 154
Located towards the east edge of the site, this building was rectangular in plan and measured 14.6m long by 4.5m wide, with its long axis aligned NE-SW. A doorway set centrally within its southwest end wall gave access to a square room (4.5m x 4.6m) within the southwest end of the building. A line of five postholes marked the position of an internal structure built against the northwest wall of the room (64, 66, 68, 239 & 241). Virtually all of the northeast half of the building had been removed by a cellar associated with Fairfield House, thus preventing the recovery of the full plan of the building. No significant dating evidence was found, although a flint scraper and a possible tessera were recovered from the fill of a post-trench.

Building 108
This building lay parallel with, and immediately to the southeast of building 154; their rear walls set 1.1m apart. Rectangular in plan, it was significantly shorter and wider, measuring 12.2m long by 5.8m wide. The entrance was via a probable doorway in the northeast wall that gave access to a short, 2.4m wide corridor with a room to the northwest, measuring 3.5m x 5.1m. Two further rooms lay to the southwest, measuring 2.2m x 5.8m and 5.7m x 5.8m in plan. No internal features within the building were present; a small number of amphora sherds were retrieved from one of the post-trenches.

Building 237
This building lay 4.6m to the southwest of 108, on the same northeast-southwest alignment. It
consisted of two parallel post-trenches (179, 180) defining a building 12m long by 1.9m wide. There was no evidence of post-trenches indicating fixed end walls. A number of amphora sherds was recovered from post-trench 179.

A single post-trench (161), in which at least two post settings were identified, appeared to link
buildings 108 and 237. The function of this wall is unclear as it divides what could otherwise be considered an open area between the two buildings.

Building 238
Orientated northwest-southeast, building 238 was aligned perpendicular to buildings 154, 108 and 237. It measured 5.1m wide by at least 5.2m long (its full length could not be established as it extended beyond the eastern limit of the site). It was entered via a doorway at the northeast end of its northwest end wall and contained at least two rooms, the first measuring 5.1m x 3.2m.

Buildings 238 and 237, were set perpendicular to each other and were physically attached at one corner, possibly defining northeast and northwest building ranges with an open area between.

Pits and postholes were also identified during this excavation. Four Linear post settings to the northeast cannot represent a building or structure contemporary with military buildings as one posthole cut through a post-trench forming part of building 238. The current view that they fall within the immediate post-military period therefore remains valid. Two other postholes, both located within a Roman military building, were found to contain brick fragments in post-medieval breccia dervied fabrics. Two pits both contained Roman pottery ascribable to either the Roman military or later civil period. One pit was undated.

The investigations have produced better than anticipated results, including a complete floor plan of one Roman military building and the partial plans of three more, representing a significant addition to our understanding of the layout of the military establishment. Other than their common form of post-trench construction, the buildings show little uniformity of design with no evidence for barracks. The absence of industrial features such as hearths or furnaces, suggests that the excavated buildings are perhaps more likely to represent stores and/or offices. The positions of the doorways indicate open areas both to the northeast and southwest of the buildings.

No further evidence has been found for the occupation or use of th esite during the later post-military Roman period other than (possibly) the three identified pits.

Devon Archaeological Society, 2010, Roman Fort Discovered in Exeter. (Article in Serial). SDV358507.

Exeter Archaeology have been excavating on a development site at the former St Loye's College off Topsham Road.

Following demolition of most of the former college buildings the archaeologists moved onto a large open site in the early summer of 2010 and very soon confirmed two sides of a Roman fort. These ditches would have fronted the rampart defences for the fort. Both ditches displayed profiles typical of Roman military encampments. The outer ditch has a classic Roman military V-shaped profile whilst the inner ditch has a Punic profile.

For more details see library linked document.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV5387 - SLAG (Undated)
• FDV5386 - COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FDV5383 - GLASS VESSEL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FDV5384 - SCRAPER (TOOL) (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FDV5382 - SHERD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FDV5385 - TESSERA (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FDV5388 - TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Events

• EDV6189 - Archaeological Excavation and Proposal for Further Works, Land at and adjacent to Fairfield House St Loyes, Topsham Road, Exeter (Ref: ACD649/3/0)

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