Probable site of Roman villa at Hatches Farm (EHER 6234)

J.G.S Brinson excavated the site of a suspected Roman villa in 1949 for the Roman Essex Society. The site produced tegulae, imbrices, box-flue tiles and tesserae, strengthening the interpretation as a villa. The excavation did not record any structural evidence of a building, however and suggested that a substantial masonry building probably exists in the immeditae vicinity. The excavation did record a gravel-paved area which was interpreted as a possible 'trodden surface' or otherwise natural, and a ditch which produced 3rd-4th century pottery. In 1976, P.J. Drury reappraised the excavation using Brinson's notes and postulated the site to have 2nd century or earlier origins. In 1978, S.A. Butcher reconsidered the 'bronze harness-mount' recovered from the excavation and suggested it is almost certainly a Romano-British brooch. Subsequent perambulation of the field in 1950 and 1975 identified a heavy scatter of Roman building material, further suggesting the presence of a substantial building.

1949. Archaeological excavation. Excavation of suspected Roman villa in 1949 by J.G.S Brinson for the Roman Essex Society. A report in <1> mentions finds of 'fragments of tegulae, imbrices, box-flue tiles and inch square red brick tesserae, together with numerous sherds of pottery on the surface of a freshly ploughed field at Hatches Farm'. Trial trenches were dug 'but no traces of a structure were located. Instead at a depth of eighteen inches, a gravel-paved area was encountered, bounded on one side by a shallow ditch and on the other side by a pond containing decayed vegetable matter'. Finds from the paved area and the ditch included 3rd-4th century pottery. Samian forms were rare, 'the notable exception being a late type of lion-headed mortarium, Dragendorff form 45'. A bronze harness mount was found in the pond. Source <2> suggests that the gravel was natural, though it could have been a trodden surface. Above it, a layer of soil contained tile, of various types (see list above). The shallow ditch had a similar fill. The 'decayed vegetable matter' in the pond was peat. It 'contained a wooden stake and worked stone, two similar fragments of stones were apparently found in a nearby stream bed. It seems probable that a substantial masonry building remains to be found in the immediate vicinity, but further interpretation of these features would be mere speculation'. The pond could be a fish pond but a retting pit is also a posssibility. The finds could not be traced but source <2> reproduces a drawing of pottery made in 1951. The pottery was apparently divided into six groups according to fabric and included: a red colour coated Oxford mortarium, a form known in Hadham ware, samian forms 27, 35 or 36. The latter, with other pottery finds, 'suggest a 2nd century or earlier origin for the site although the majority of the material found seems to be, as Brinson suggested, of 3rd-and 4th-century date. Source <2> has plan and section of site. <1> <2> <3> 1950. Field survey. 1950 OS card reports a 'heavy scatter of Roman building materials, flints and a few fragments of coarse gritted ware on the surface'. Signs of soil disturbance in the southern part of the field east of the site could be due to old gravel workings. <3> See also <4> <5>. Cropmarks of the site were recorded for the NMP <6>. NRHE data transfer: (TL 78052 407) Probable Roman villa site. Preliminary signs consisted of a scatter of building materials, tegulae, imbrex, box flue tile, etc., and pottery. Excavated in August 1949 by the Roman Essex Society. No building structure was revealed but a gravel-paved area was uncovered, bounded on the north by a shallow pond in which a bronze harness mount was found. A shallow ditch on the south side of the gravelled surface produced quantities of 3rd and 4th century coarse ware, and a few fragments of Samian ware, (Dragendorff. f45). <7> <8> Note: Source <7> is probably the same as source <1> but it has not been possible to view the source to verify the difference in page numbers. April 1975. Field survey. Field perambulation indicated a heavy scatter of Roman building material at TL 7805 2407 including tegulae and tesserae on a gentle north facing slope. Finds suggest a substantial Roman building, possibly a villa. <9> Reappraisal of Brinson's 1949 excavation, based on his notes (<2>). A 2nd century or earlier origin for the site is suggested, although most of the pottery is of 3rd-4th century date. The 'bronze harness-mount' mentioned by Brinson (<7>) is almost certainly a Romano-British brooch, probably of 3rd-4th century date (<5>). ES 8 Rodwells No 21 Surface indications suggest the presence of a villa. <4> <10>