Possible Roman villa at Great Hall Field (EHER 4717)

Roman pottery and tile, recovered by metal detector users in 1980, was reported to J. Winmill and P. Christie of Henham.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: 1980. Metal detecting and field survey. Roman pottery and tile, recovered by metal detector users, was reported to Miss J. Winmill and Mrs P. Christie of Henham. They visited the area and identified two sites, one Roman, the other marked by medieval and later brick (see EHER 4715, 4716 for other sites). The pottery was mostly abraded or too small for dating purposes. Pottery included : two rim sherds (Oxfordshire products), one dated 240-400+, the other 270-400+. Miscellaneous fine ware sherds, oxidised, included a rim sherd of 3rd or 4th century date. Sherds in grey and black-burnished fabrics, in black wares these forms are thought to be dated post 120-130. Other sherds in coarse ware fabrics were dated mid 3rd to 4th century and 2nd or 3rd century. Other finds include: tegulae, floor and hypocaust tiles, tesserae, mortar, building stone, oyster shell and sandstone quern fragments. Coins found include: a bronze coin of Constantine II, a 4th century bronze coin, a commemorative issue of 330-7, of Bronze. The Roman site was previously unrecorded. <1> Quern fragments of a coarse grained red sandstone (stone to be identified). No original edge. One surface has well defined bi-directional grooving. The other surface is fairly rough. Maximum thickness 32mm. The finds were observed in ploughsoil after autumn ploughing. <2> 1989. Excavation. During the rescue excavation, an area on the hill slope was identified as having substantial quantities of Roman tile and pottery. On closer inspection an area approximately 20x20m was found to contain a substantial amount of large flints with mortar attached. Also visible were large patches of dark soil. These probably represent features being hit by the plough. The large quantity of roof tile compared to the flint would indicate a flint foundation with timber walls and tiled roof. Several tesserae were also recovered indicating the presence of a tile floor. <3>