Monument record MLI50571 - Roman Villa, Walesby Top

Summary

Site of a Roman Villa at Walesby Top.

Type and Period (4)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Full Description

A Roman building at Walesby, probably a villa, was discovered and excavated in 1861. The sites lies on the west side of the Wolds and half a mile from a Roman road. Part of a hypocaust system was found within the building, which covered an area of about 8.75ha, along with a number of what were thought to be ash pits. Many finds were made including 2nd century to 4th century pottery, bricks, querns, iron implements, coins, and hypocaust and roof tiles. {1}{2}{3}{4} The villa site and surrounding fields were deep ploughed for a number of years from 1956 onwards, with large quantities of Roman finds being identified in the ploughsoil. These assemblages included a large quantity of 2nd to 4th century pottery and 9 Roman coins. {5}{6} Two pieces from a large, lead Roman tank were recovered during ploughing on the site in 1959. The pieces were stamped with images of a number of figures and decorations, with the chi-rho monogram on one of the fragments. The pieces were recovered in the field to the immediate south of the main villa site, at approximately TF 1470 9243. {7}{8}{9}{10} A cast bronze, bird's head terminal was found in 1973, whilst field walking on the site of the Roman villa. The terminal takes the form of an eagle's head, with the bird holding an object, possibly a berry, in its beak. The object was thought to have formed part of a vehicle mount. {11}{12} Further sherds of Roman greyware pottery were found on the site in 1976. {13}{14} Cropmarks of the villa complex have been discerned on aerial photographs of this area. The complex comprises a main north to south aligned block of enclosures covering about 2ha, with two wings extending downslope on the west, enclosing a central area devoid of cropmarks. The southern wing is visible for about 160m and subdivided into regular enclosures about 40m square; there is similar evidence from the north wing, but with less showing. To the south is a possible ancillary complex comprising a chain of conjoined irregular rectilinear enclosures running north to south and visible for some 300m. {15}{16}{17}{18}{19} The remains of a ploughed out earthwork mound within the main villa site has been scheduled as the remains of a Neolithic long barrow (see MLI52995). The interpretation of this feature as a long barrow is not conclusively held, however, and it may represent the remains of a spoil heap associated with the 19th century partial excavation of the villa. {20}

Sources/Archives (20)

  •  Article in Serial: Rev. W.B. Philpot. 1862. 'The Remains of the Roman Villa in the Parish of Walesby' in the Associated Architectural Societies’ Reports and Papers. vol.6, pp.135-8.
  •  Article in Serial: Rev. W.B. Philpot. 1862. 'The Roman Villa at Walesby, Near Market Rasen' in The Reliquary. vol.2, pp.49-54.
  •  Index: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Card Index. TF 19 SW: 4.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: J.B. Whitwell. 1992. Roman Lincolnshire. p.86.
  •  Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. TF 19 SW: D, M.
  •  Article in Serial: D.F. Petch. 1959-60. 'Archaeological Notes for 1958' in Lincolnshire Architectural and Archaeological Society Reports and Papers. vol.8, pp.16-7.
  •  Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. TF 19 SW: E.
  •  Artefact: City and County Museum Collection. LCNCC 1959.67.
  •  Photograph: Photographs of Walesby Roman Lead Tank. -.
  •  Article in Serial: D.F. Petch. 1961. ‘Archaeological Notes for 1959 and 1960’ in Lincolnshire Architectural and Archaeological Society Reports and Papers. vol.9, pp.13-5.
  •  Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. TF 19 SW: AR.
  •  Article in Serial: A.J. White (ed.). 1978. 'Archaeology in Lincolnshire and South Humberside, 1977' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. vol.13, pp.84-5.
  •  Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. TF 19 SW: D.
  •  Artefact: City and County Museum Collection. LCNCC 1976.265.
  •  Article in Serial: Dilwyn Jones. 1988. 'Aerial Reconnaissance and Prehistoric and Romano-British Archaeology in Northern Lincolnshire - A Sample Survey' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. vol.23, p.23, figs.8, 14.
  •  Index: Dilwyn Jones. 1988. Gazetteer of Cropmark Sites. p.17.
  •  Aerial Photograph: Paul Everson. 1975-90. RCHM. 2955/6 (1978).
  •  Aerial Photograph: Paul Everson. 1975-90. RCHM. 2975/28-32, 36 (1979).
  •  Map: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1992-1996. National Mapping Programme. TF1492: LI.248.2.1-2.
  •  Scheduling Record: ENGLISH HERITAGE. 1996. SCHEDULING DOCUMENT 27889. MPP22.

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 1466 9245 (383m by 597m) Estimated from Sources
Civil Parish WALESBY, WEST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Sep 5 2022 10:55AM

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