See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Roman Villa, occupied from first to fourth centuries, with increasing prosperity. Different phases of construction revealed during excavations in 19th and 20th centuries, including an octagonal bath-house, and mosaic floors in some rooms.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1002558: Roman villa 300yds (270m) SSW of Holcombe Farm

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY39SW/8
• Old SAM County Ref: 613

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• VILLA (I to V - 70 AD to 409 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, SY39SW2 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV343124.

Other details: Plan.

Hutchinson, P. O., 1848-1894, Diaries (Un-published). SDV339321.

Visited on 14/07/1857 and 19/05/1865. Reference to two mosaics, one bought at auction in 1854 and given to Exeter Museum; and one bought on 05/04/1860 and relaid in his house "The Chancel", Sidmouth. The adjoining room to the one with the mosaic had floors of lime and sand, another was floored with red tiles. An octagonal bath 3.5 feet deep and 11.5 feet wide with benches around also noted, together with remains of walling, fires and finds of tiles. Other details: Plan in manuscript at 19/05/1865.

Newberry, W., 1852, Untitled Source (Monograph). SDV343122.

Other details: Illustrated.

Unknown, 1852, Untitled Source, 265 (Article in Serial). SDV343121.

Tucker, G., 1854, Untitled Source, 49-50 (Article in Serial). SDV343114.

Roman villa, 300 yards south-south-west of Holcombe Farm. In a field called Church Ground, was a heap of overgrown ruins which tradition suggested was a church. Investigation in 1850 uncovered a tesselated pavement within a room, and two other chambers; in 1851 further work revealed a bath 12-13 yards south of the pavement, octagonal in form.

Swann, J. S., 1880, Notes on the Discovery of a Roman Villa at Holcombe, 462 (Article in Serial). SDV343112.

In 1870 more of the bath-house was uncovered; an octagonal central plunge bath with rooms, two apsidal, radiating from it. Finds of occupation material and building debris included a copper coin of Constantine II (317-340), and a very well preserved pillar of oolitic limestone.

Ministry of Public Building and Works, 1967, Roman Villa, 300 Yards South-South-West of Holcombe Farm (Schedule Document). SDV343126.

Site of Roman villa where substantial remains of a tessellated pavement were unearthed in mid 19th century. Nothing is visible above ground except scarping on the south-eastern slope to make th site more level, although there are slight traces of the 19th century trenching and the pasture is very patchy in texture. Visited February 1967. Other details: Map.

Pollard, S. H. M., 1970, Holcombe Villa: 2nd Interim Report, 6-7 (Article in Serial). SDV343118.

The first season's work in 1969 had concentrated on the excavation of the fouth century octagonal bath house, two adjoining rooms and a corridor. In 1970 the rest of the main villa building was excavated, together with a complex of underlying builidings, and also a ditch which ran under the villa almost at right angles to its main axis. The occupation of the site was shown to have extended at least from the first century AD to well into the fouth century, with a general background of growing prosperity and importance, culminating in what must have been an imposing and luxurious extablishment, but the probable importance of the site in the Celtic first century must not be overlooked.

Pollard, S.H.M. + Bosanko, P., 1970, Interim Report, 1-2 (Article in Serial). SDV343125.

Wilson, D. R., 1970, Interim Report, 297 (Article in Serial). SDV120076.

Pollard, S. H. M., 1971, Holcombe Romano-British Villa Excavations, 1-2 (Article in Serial). SDV343123.

Wilson, D. R., 1971, Interim Report, 278-9 (Article in Serial). SDV343120.

Wilson, D. R., 1972, Interim Report, 344 (Article in Serial). SDV343119.

Fox, A. + Pollard, S., 1973, A Decorated Bronze Mirror From an Iron Age Settlement at Holcombe, Near Uplyme, Devon, 16-41 (Article in Serial). SDV343115.

Other details: Plans, photograph.

Pollard, S. H. M., 1974, A Late Iron Age Settlement and a Romano-British Villa at Holcombe, Near Uplyme, Devon, 60, 106-7 (Article in Serial). SDV343116.

After the Roman conquest the site was probably not re-occupied until 70 AD, and until about 180-200 AD the inhabitants still lived within the Iron Age enclosure. Four rectangular timber-framed houses were built, two of which succeeded each other on the same site. Circa 180-200 AD an aisled house with stone wall foundations and a single partitioned room was erected; at the same time a large irregular timber outbuilding was built (this of short life). The house was later extended to the south by the addition of three rooms and a linking corridor. In the later third century more elaborate extensions were made including corridors/verandahs and opus signinum floors. The villas greatest prosperity occured in the fourth century: it was again extended (two rooms with elaborate mosaics were added) and joined to the octagonal bath-house which was constructed at this time. Further developments and alterations occured in the latter half of the fourth century including the making of the north end of the house into a large kitchen. Third and fourth century middens inside and outside the building contained fine wares whose date range may extend into fifth century. Latest coins on the site were two issues of Valentinian, with terminal date of 375 AD. Finds were numerous and varied (see excavation report); included evidence of iron-working throughout the period of occupation. Other details: Plans, photographs.

Silvester, R. J., 1981, Excavations at Honeyditches Roman Villa, Seaton, in 1978, 65-7, 81-2 (Article in Serial). SDV120056.

Comparison of pottery found at Honeyditches and in the ditch at Holcombe may suggest a post-Conquest date for the latter material.

Pearce, S. M., 1982, Church and Society in South Devon, AD 350-700, 1-18 (Article in Serial). SDV336077.

Barker, K., 1982, The Early History of Sherborne, 111-2 (Article in Monograph). SDV343117.

The four estates that comprised Lyme in 1086 may have derived from a single Roman salt-producing estate based on Holcombe Villa. Other details: BAR 102.

Robinson, R., 1986, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1986 (Un-published). SDV345664.

Ling, R., 1997, Mosaics in Roman Britain: Discoveries and Research since 1945, 285 (Article in Serial). SDV343113.

Plunge bath has tesserae on the sides.

Quinnell, H., 1998, Later Prehistoric Pottery Survey (Report - Survey). SDV336212.

Around 50-999 sherds of pot of Conquest period recovered during rescue excavation. No other ceramics found, but non-ceramics, a copper alloy object. Now at Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter. Other details: DBID: 1426.

Exeter Archaeology, 2003-2004, East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Archaeological Survey, Site No. 1532 (Archive - Survey). SDV351568.

Site of Roman villa 274m south-southwest of Holcombe Farm. Also enclosure of Iron Age or Roman date. Scheduled Monument.
SMR.

Todd, M., 2005, Baths or Baptisteries? Holcombe, Lufton and their analogues, 307 (Article in Serial). SDV361693.

Author suggests octagonal building interpreted as bath suite can, by analogy, be re-interpreted as baptistery.

Cosh, S.R. + Neal, D.S., 2005, Roman Mosaics of Britain, Volume 2: South-West Britain (Article in Monograph). SDV351646.

After its discovery in 1850, the mosaic was left exposed and by 1870 had been totally destroyed.The mosaic is described thus: 'Within a broad border of two bands of ornament, was inscribed a circle, about ten feet in diameter, with foliated ornaments in the spandrels, and enclosing a singular figure composed of four circles intersecting each other, with a hexagon in the centre of all' .

English Heritage, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009: South West, 98 (Report - non-specific). SDV342694.

Extensive significant problems, ie under plough, collapse.

Gerrard, J., 2010, Finding the Fifth Century; A Late Fourth and Early Fifth-Century Pottery Fabric from South East Dorset, 293 - 312 (Article in Serial). SDV361538.

Reference to unstratified finds of pottery type 12 vessels in Exeter and Holcombe.

English Heritage, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010: South West, 89 (Report - non-specific). SDV344777.

English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011: South West, 94 (Report - non-specific). SDV355280.

Extensive significant problems, ie under plough, collapse.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.