Monument record MLI60745 - Norton Disney Roman Villa

Summary

Norton Disney Roman villa, to the west of Hill Holt Wood.

Type and Period (11)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

A Roman fortified villa in Abbey Field, Norton Disney. Ploughing of the site in 1933 revealed part of a Roman mosaic, which prompted excavation of the site by Oswald. The site was probably occupied from 70 AD to 360 AD, with the site progressing from crude wooden structures to a rich basilican building, defensively ditched in the final phase and finally overwhelmed. The excavations continued until 1937 and identified a considerable number of features and finds, including the remains of 3 skeletons, much samian ware, castor ware and other pottery, objects of glass, bone, bronze and pewter and 22 coins of the emperors Severus to Magentius. A large collection of the material recovered during the excavations was deposited with Newark Museum, including a further 8 coins, believed to have been recovered from the site either during or shortly after the excavations were completed. Catalogues of the material held at Newark have been produced. A collection of glass photographic slides of the excavation are held by the Collection Museum in Lincoln, and a catalogue of these slides has also been produced. A further collection of photographs of the excavations, taken by Reverend Maxwell in 1935, are held in the Collingham and District Local History Society Archive. The site is now arable land with much Roman debris on the surface. {1}{2}{3}{4}{5}{6}{7}{8}{9}{10}{11}{12}{13}{14}{15}{16}{17} The site was field walked between 1971 and 1975, and numerous finds were recovered. These included a further 212 coins, a stone hammer, brooches (types including 1 head stud brooch, two dolphin brooches and an early 'ribbed' brooch), rings (including a bronze example with a blue glass bezel), studs and clasps. A bronze arrowhead was also recovered which may be Bronze Age or Roman and may be exotic, perhaps originating in the Near East. {18} A number of aerial photographs of this area are held at the Historic England Archive. These photographs show extensive cropmarks of Roman and possibly earlier settlement activity, and include a shot of the site taken by OGS Crawford in 1933, prior to Oswald's excavations. {19}{20}{21} The villa was surrounded by two phases of a 3rd and 4th century, curvilinear, double-ditched enclosure with a substantial gatehouse. If seen as a cropmark the enclosure would be easily confused with an Iron Age or non-villa settlement. There is no evidence for post 4th century activity, which could be an indication of consolidation of landholdings and the resultant abandonment of the settlement. {22} Fragments of Roman tile were collected in January 2018, from the surface of the fields in the area around the Norton Disney Roman villa site. The fragments were thought to comprise pieces of floor tile and possibly flue-liner material. {23}{24} An assessment of the available aerial imagery and lidar data for the area around the villa site was conducted in June 2018. This analysis supported and expanded slightly upon the remains previously identified by the National Mapping Programme project, giving some extra detail of features and ditches within the villa site. {25}

Sources/Archives (25)

  •  Article in Serial: 1933. 'Roman Relic Near Newark' in the Lincolnshire Echo. 04/10/1933, p.1.
  •  Article in Serial: 1933. 'Lincolnshire Relics of Great Antiquarian Importance' in the Lincoln, Rutland and Stamford Mercury. 06/10/1933, p.10.
  •  Article in Serial: 1933. 'Site of Roman Villa Discovered on Lincs Farm' in the Nottingham Journal. 06/10/1933, p.7.
  •  Article in Serial: 1933. 'Site of Roman Remains at Norton' in the Lincolnshire Echo. 06/10/1933, p.1.
  •  Article in Serial: 1933. 'Remains of Roman Villa Unearthed Near Newark' in the Newark Advertiser. 11/10/1933, p.12.
  •  Article in Serial: C.W. Phillips. 1935. 'The Present State of Archaeology in Lincolnshire: Part 2' in the Archaeological Journal. vol.91, pp.112, 176.
  •  Article in Serial: 1935. 'Discoveries at Norton Disney' in the Lincolnshire Echo. 05/07/1935, p.4.
  •  Article in Serial: 1936. 'When the Romans Were in Nottinghamshire' in the Nottingham Evening Post. 28/12/1936, p.4.
  •  Article in Serial: 1937. 'Fate of Roman Country Mansion' in the Nottingham Evening Post. 16/02/1937, p.5.
  •  Article in Serial: Adrian Oswald. 1937. 'A Roman Fortified Villa at Norton Disney, Lincs.' in the Antiquaries Journal. vol.17, no.2, pp.138-78.
  •  Index: North Kesteven Records. Norton Disney. NK47.15.
  •  Index: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Card Index. SK 86 SE: 5.
  •  Scheduling Record: HBMC. AM 7. SAM 81.
  •  Index: Newark Museum. 2018. Catalogue of Coins Recovered From Norton Disney Roman Villa Site. -.
  •  Index: Newark Museum. 2018. Catalogue of Finds Recovered From Norton Disney Roman Villa Site. -.
  •  Photograph: City and County Museum. 1998. Norton Disney Roman Villa Site Excavation Photographs. LCNCC 1998.12.
  •  Photograph: Reverend Maxwell. 1935. Norton Disney Roman Villa Site Excavation Photographs. Archive EF/AA/MAX/2.
  •  Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. SK 86 SE: E.
  •  Aerial Photograph: O.G.S. Crawford. 1920-46. RCHM. 9745.56.23 (1933).
  •  Aerial Photograph: 1945-84. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY COLLECTION. YV65 (22/06/1959).
  •  Map: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1992-1996. National Mapping Programme. SK8560: LI.703.5.1-8.
  •  Article in Monograph: Helen Winton. 1998. 'The cropmark evidence for Prehistoric and Roman settlement in west Lincolnshire' in Lincolnshire's Archaeology from the Air. pp.53-4, 58.
  •  Electronic Communication: Ken Sadler. 2018. Information from Ken Sadler. 23/01/2018.
  •  Electronic Communication: Richard Parker. 2018. Information from Richard Parker. 22/03/2018.
  •  Report: Air Photo Services. 2018. Norton Disney, Lincolnshire. -.

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Grid reference Centred SK 8596 6020 (315m by 288m) Estimated from sources
Civil Parish NORTON DISNEY, NORTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Nov 9 2021 11:11AM

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