Possible Roman mill and villa at Stebbing Green (EHER 1238)

Surface finds of Roman pottery, brick, roof and flue tile and limited excavations which uncovered tessellated pavements indicate the site of a probable Roman villa. There was also some evidence for industrial activity on the site.

Monument description derived from merging EHER 1238 and 8001. Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Roman remains and pavement found 1938. <1> At TL 689233 in a large irregularly-shaped field between Boxted Wood and Tilehowe Farm, Roman remains were reported in 1938 by Mr W.H Harvey. The area is bounded by two straight lines of dark earth running NW-SE and 180 yards apart. The southern of these is a ditch, but the northern has no indication of a ditch. The intervening area is covered with broken pottery, tile, and remains suggesting industrial activity. This is thickest at the N end, where digging by Mr Harvey revealed a tessellated floor damaged by ploughing about 10ins below ground surface. The tesserae were almost all red with only a patch of white and a single black example and were set on an uneven bed of rammed earth carrying a thin layer of white mortar. <2> <3> In 19th century, field drain layers found a hard, smooth surface when laying an extra deep drain. This ran south from Broxted Wood for 100-150yds and was wider than the 3ft width of the trench. <4> Tesserae found in field close to Broxted Wood in 1930s by K. Bohannon. Bronze head found possibly in the 19th century by farm worker. <5> <6> 1948. Trial trenching. Trial trenches dug by the Felstead School Archaeological Society in 1948 uncovered part of a pavement of red brick tesserae almost entirely destroyed by ploughing. Rubbish pits were located 50 yards east of the pavement. Finds were not profuse; some were retained by the owner - farmer W.H Harvey, the remainder were donated to Colchester Museum in 1949. The remains indicate an Romano-British farmstead or villa of wooden construction similar to the 2nd century example excavated (by Brinson) at Great Chesterford. <7> - <10> January 1950. Field visit. Site visited when under stubble. Surface material includes fragments of tegulae, tesserae, box flue tile and oyster shells. Mr W.H. Harvey indicated a new spot where he discovered a pavement some 50.0m north-west of the point marked by Hull <1>. Harvey possesses many sherds of coarse grey Romano-British ware and some Samian ware as well as box flue tile with combed impressions. <11> April 1975. Field visit. Much evidence of Roman brick and tile at the published site, otherwise no further information. Mr Harvey is now deceased. <12> <13> 1980s. Chance finds. Chance finds by M. Cuddeford include Samian sherds, late Roman shell-tempered ware sherd (possibly late 4th century), Roman grey coarse wares, mostly abraded and grog-tempered ware large storage jars, a grey coarse ware sherd (possibly Roman or medieval). <14> 1988. Excavation. Spread of rammed clay with chalk defining presumed Roman timber building, though no traces of beam slots. The spread formed a rough L-shape, approx. 10m x 14m. Interpreted as floor make-up on which floor tiles were laid. Presence of many fragments of millstone grit in and around the building suggests it was a mill, (some of the fragments too large to have been from querns). No water-course found so assumed to have been animal powered mill, providing meal for the community centred on the Boxted Wood villa. Dog burial found beneath rammed clay floor. Seems to have been in operation during 3rd and 4th century. Robbed out at end of 4th century. Also found was a possibly unconnected ritual pit with disarticulated horse bones (no skull) in the top and wooden lattice on the floor of the pit (4.2m x 2.4m). <15> - <17> 1989. Visit. The field had long been known to contain finds, of which the most enigmatic was an allegedly life size bronze head rumoured locally to have been bartered for ale at a local pub in the 1920s. More definite evidence dates to 1938 when the field was steam ploughed for the first time. This activity brought considerable quantities of pottery, tile tesserae and other debris to the surface. The then landowner William Harvey dug down at a depth of ten inches he found a tessellated pavement. He notified the Colchester and Essex museum and Rex Hull came to visit the site (Hull reported that the area yielding remains was bounded by straight lines of dark earth 180yds apart). The intervening area is covered with broken pottery and tile. These are thickest at the northern end where the tessellated floor was found. Only a small area (about 1" square) remained with 1 and 1/2 white tesserae and there was one black one found loose among the red. Any further exploration was deferred by WW2, but in 1947 the field was deep ploughed bringing more debris to light. In 1947 the Felstead school archaeological society excavated five trenches and six test pits over the area of roman finds found previously. Trenches I-III and I-VI formed the extent of the remains of what had been clearly been a structure with flint rubble foundations and tessellated and concrete floors. Trenches IV and V about 50 yds to the south east of the finds scatter, were excavated over a large irregular area of black earth. This contained much material including broken pottery, roofing tiles and oyster shells. Almost all the pottery found in 1947 came from trenches IV and V. <18> 1999. Excavation. The area stripped for the borrow pit was mostly devoid of features or finds but at the extreme western end, adjacent to the pond, a spread of Roman finds, mostly pottery, but with some substantial fragments of Millstone Grit, was noted, measuring about 100m by 80m. <19> Listed as a villa. <20> Listed as the site of a Roman villa. <21> See also: <22> - <24> Site Assessment = Site now totally destroyed, has become an agricultural reservoir.