Roman villa, Great Copt Hill, Great Bowsers Farm (EHER 4760)

Site of a Roman building, the probable site of a villa, excavated in 1852; a possible bath building and hypocaust were found. A scatter of building debris covers an area of about 37.0m north-west to south-east by 20.0m transversely, and includes box tiles, bricks, plaster and roofing tiles at a density of about five sherds per square metre.

Small dwelling house on Great Bowsers Farm around one mile north west of the village. Excavated in 1852. Nothing 'now' visible except stray tiles etc. on the surface. <1> Excavated in Autumn 1852 by R.C. Neville. The building measured 52 x 17ft. One half was heated and the other "had rudely formed pavements of fragments of pottery and broken brick rolled into the natural clay". The floors were at the same level as the main floor of the hypocausted rooms. Neville commented that the tiled floor could hardly be original. There was a diagonal cut across the northern half carrying a land drain. Neville suggested the drains used an original passage but this "seems difficult". Some dividing walls in the northern half are close together but Neville didn't consider the possibility that this may indicate different periods. He regarded them as supporting hypocaust floors and some rooms did have pilae. One room was full of ashes and soot, interpreted as the furnace. There were indications of a corridor or veranda on the east side. A projecting wall was shown on the plan at the south west corner but trenching revealed no other buildings. There was much painted plaster but no tessellated pavement. One coin (illegible 3rd brass) in the ashes of the furnace. Possibly the building was the bath block of a larger house, almost entirely of wood, as at other Essex sites. This house was hardly the house of the people buried in the Bartlow Hills. The house in the Bartlow (Cambridge) was similarly small (see) but more of this site may be left to be found. It is noted that the remains are much robbed. <2> <3> Finds also included pottery, tiles, glass and a bronze 'ligula'. In 1952 fragments of tegulae, imbrices, box-flue tile, bricks and sherds of grey ware found on the surface centred at TL 57784347. No foundations visible. nothing on APs. Debris from Roman building visible in 1977. The scatter covers an area c37m x 20m, including box tiles, bricks, plaster and roofing tiles at a density of around 5 sherds per sqm. <4> 1952. Field survey. Fragments of tegulae, imbrices, box-flue tiles, bricks and sherds of grey-ware, found on surface of Gt. Copt Hill field, centred TL 57784347. No foundations visible. <5> 1977. Field survey. Debris from a Roman building is visible at the published site. The scatter covers an area of about 37.0m NW-SE by 20.0m transversely, and includes box tiles, bricks, plaster and roofing tiles at a density of about five sherds per square metre. Scatter surveyed at 1:2500. <6> Aerial photography. Nothing visible on APs. <7> See also: <8> - <13>