Monument record MLI50991 - Romano-British Villa, New Ten Acre Covert, Sudbrooke

Summary

Romano-British Villa to the north of New Ten Acre Covert, Sudbrooke.

Type and Period (15)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Full Description

Site of a Romano-British building, probably a villa. {1} A bronze hand from a Roman statue was discovered during dyke cleaning in 1982. It is probably from a statue of a god or goddess, as it seems to be holding the shaft of a spear in its hand. Mars and Minerva both often appear holding spears in ancient sculpture. Systematic fieldwalking in 1982 established a wide scatter of Roman pottery in the plough soil. Other finds included tile (including hypocaust and roof tile), coloured wall plaster, tesserae of clay and stone (including limestone and marble), brick, glass, bone, oyster shell and iron nails. {2}{3} A geophysical survey of the site was undertaken in 1994. The site at Sudbrooke proved to be of medium to high magnetic susceptibility with a number of magnetic anomalies being found. These included twenty-four linear or curvilinear anomalies and two possible circular anomalies. From the evidence of the survey, it appeared that the site continued to the south under the wooded area, and to the east. {4} A programme of systematic fieldwalking and limited excavation was undertaken following the geophysical survey. The fieldwalking recovered numerous Romano-British artefacts, including tesserae, oyster shell and pottery. Limited excavation was undertaken towards the north of the site. The excavation produced evidence for drainage gullies and a single post hole. {5} A possible sculptural stone column fragment reported to be from the site was photographed and recorded. The stone column stands 110.5cm high and may be a baluster or perhaps a leg from an item of stone furniture. The column remains in private ownership and has been re-used as a garden ornament. {6} Fluxgate gradiometer and resistivity surveys were undertaken on the site in 2005. The survey results complemented existing evidence of settlement activity, which appears to have been focussed around a possible villa complex. Within the survey area, a number of linear and rectilinear anomalies were recorded. These could indicate sections of in-situ walls or robber trenches. Others may be traces of enclosure ditches. It also seemed likely that elements of magnetic and resistance variation related to spreads of demolition rubble and areas of burning. {7} A two day metal detecting survey was undertaken on the site of a potential Roman villa. Forty-five artefacts were recovered. The evidence would indicate that the site was founded shortly after the arrival of the Romans in Lincolnshire in the later 1st century AD, and remained in use throughout the Roman period, ending sometime in the late fourth or early fifth century. The nature of the finds are consistent with what would be expected from a domestic site such as a small villa. Culturally the artefacts are very Roman, rather than Romano-Celtic, and the lack of potential Iron Age features showing on the geophysical survey could suggest that the site was founded as a Roman settlement, rather than being a Romanised pre-existing native site. {8} Four trial trenches were excavated in February 2005, focussing on the eastern end of the site, following the results of previous metal detecting and geophysical surveys. Further settlement related features, including wall foundations, beam slots, post holes and pits were encountered. The dating evidence from these features suggests occupation during the late 1st to 2nd centuries, although a few 4th century coins suggest some later activity at the site. A series of linear boundary/drainage features were also identified, suggesting the presence of field systems associated with the possible farmstead. Tentative evidence of metal working was also seen in an area sited away from the main focus of settlement. A small amount of high status material was recovered from the site, including imported Samian ware, amphora fragments, fragments of opus signinum and a single tessera, as well as quantities of domestic pottery, butchered animal bones and charred cereal remains. It is suggested that this site represents a farmstead or small villa established by a legionary soldier, retiring on a grant of land in the wake of Lincoln's promotion to colonia status. {9}{10} The site became the focus of a multi-season project of open area excavations, initiated by Bishop Grosseteste University College, and facilitated by Lindum Heritage: The first season of open area excavations at the Roman site near New Ten Acre Covert took place in summer 2005. Two areas were investigated (Areas A and B). A mortar floor and other possible structural remains were encountered in Area A whilst a large quantity of demolition material including painted wall plaster was seen in Area B. Finds included ceramics of 1st to 3rd century date. The second season of open area excavations took place in summer 2006, with another two areas being investigated (Areas C and D). The possible building uncovered in 2005 was investigated further and remains of a hypocaust system were discovered. The room had robbed limestone walls and a mortar floor and may have been part of a baths complex. It appears to have had painted wall plaster (large quantities of this were found in demolition deposits nearby, including some possible figurative and geometric designs) and possibly a monochrome floor mosaic. The northern wall foundation was deeper and may have been an external wall. There was evidence of further rooms continuing to the south and east, although these lay outside the current excavation area. The building appears to have been deliberately demolished, and there is some tentative evidence of possible re-use of the site. Pottery from the site dated from the 1st to 3rd centuries AD and included some Gaulish Samian ware and once piece of Iron Age tradition gritty ware. Excavations in 2007, within a 20m by 15m area (Area E), revealed further remains of the building recorded in the 2005 and 2006 excavations. The remains included a smaller room (also containing evidence of a hypocaust system) to the south-east and a probable furnace room to the east. An opening in the wall between the newly discovered rooms could have represented a flue, while evidence of burning in the more northerly room might indicate use as a furnace room. Further work on the northern (probably external) wall of the building, revealed intact masonry east of the robbed section recorded in 2006, and a limestone and mortar surface recorded at the south-eastern corner of the visible part of the building could indicate the presence of yet another room. The 2007 excavations also revealed the north-western extent of a possible plunge bath in the area immediately south of the previously recorded building. The building, which incorporated a lead pipe (interpreted as the outflow of the bath) in the north wall, was probably contemporary with the other elements of the possible baths complex. The south-eastern extent of a third building, which had been subjected to extensive robbing, was located on the western side of Area E; a surviving section of wall was recorded on the eastern side of the building. The skeletal remains of an infant - possibly dating to the early Roman period - were found buried on the northern side Area E, cut by the north wall of the building revealed in 2006. A large ditch-like feature might also belong to an earlier phase of activity. During excavations in 2008, further evidence of the masonry structure was revealed. There is a bath suite which includes three linked heated rooms, a furnace and a plunge pool. There is a large amount of decorated mosaic and painted plaster wall evidence. The walls of the structure have been extensively robbed. Two neonate or infant burials were revealed in a refuse layer which may predate the structure. {11}{12}{13}{14}{15} Areas of magnetic noise and several discrete magnetic anomalies were recorded in September 2013, in the field to the immediate south of the villa site. It was thought possible that the anomalies represented further parts of the Romano-British settlement activity in this area. {16} Subsequent trial trenching, conducted in October 2013, resolved most of the recorded magnetic anomalies as being either modern disturbance or of natural geological origin, including a large palaeochannel, most likely the remains of a former course of Nettleham Beck. The trenching did record the remains of a probable Roman hard, however, identified as a compacted surface of rounded stone at the edge of the former palaeochannel. A single sherd of probably early Roman pottery was recovered from a subsoil deposit immediately overlying the surface. {17}{18}

Sources/Archives (18)

  •  Verbal Communication: Paul Everson. 1994. -.
  •  Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. TF 07 NW: CA, CC.
  •  Correspondence: J. Owen-Day and A.J. White. 1982. PARISH FILE. SUDBROOKE. -.
  •  Report: Landscape Research Centre Ltd. 1994. Magnetometer Survey at Sudbrooke. -.
  •  Report: Bee, T.W.. 1998. Keyhole Excavation at Sudbrooke. -.
  •  Photograph: BEE, T.W.. 1998. PARISH FILE. SUDBROOKE. -.
  •  Report: Pre-Construct Geophysics. 2005. Land at Sudbrooke. -.
  •  Report: Portable Antiquities Scheme. 2005. Results of the Metal Detecting Survey at Sudbrooke. -.
  •  Report: Pre-Construct Archaeology (Lincoln). 2005. Land off Scothern Lane, Sudbrooke. PCA site code: SUD05.
  •  Archive: Pre-Construct Archaeology (Lincoln). 2005. Land off Scothern Lane, Sudbrooke. LCNCC 2005.58.
  •  Report: Bishop Grosseteste University College. 2006. Archaeological Excavations at Sudbrooke (Roman Villa). BG site code: SUDA05.
  •  Report: Bishop Grosseteste University College. 2007. Interim Report on Archaeological Excavations at Sudbrooke (Roman Villa). BG site code: SUD06.
  •  Report: Bishop Grosseteste University College. 2008. Interim Report on Archaeological Excavations at Sudbrooke (Roman Villa). BG site code: SUD07.
  •  Report: Bishop Grosseteste University College. 2009. Interim Report on Archaeological Excavations at Sudbrooke (Roman Villa). BG site code: SUD08.
  •  Archive: Bishop Grosseteste University College. 2006. Excavations at Sudbrooke (Roman Villa). LCNCC 2005.58.
  •  Report: Allen Archaeology Ltd. 2013. Land at Poachers Lane, Sudbrooke. AAL site code: SUPL 13.
  •  Report: Allen Archaeology Ltd. 2013. Land off Poachers Lane, Sudbrooke. AAL site code: SUPL 13.
  •  Archive: Allen Archaeology Ltd. 2013. Land off Poachers Lane, Sudbrooke. LCNCC 2013.173.

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Grid reference Centred TF 0362 7649 (492m by 490m) Estimated from sources
Civil Parish SUDBROOKE, WEST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Mar 21 2021 8:35PM

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