Iron Age to Roman Settlement Discovered Following Rare Sword Find
An extensive settlement established over 2,000 years ago, including possible evidence of a Roman villa, has been discovered during an excavation in Gloucestershire.
Archaeological excavations have revealed an extensive settlement dating from the Early-Middle Iron Age through to the first and second centuries AD during the Roman period.
The excavation near Willersey, funded by Historic England and directed jointly with Cotswold Archaeology, reveals possible evidence of a Roman villa, which may also have a pair of flanking wings, one at either end of a central range. However, more fieldwork would be needed to confirm this.
Once Historic England has the final report on the archaeological work, it will be able to consider whether to recommend to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that the site be protected as a scheduled monument.
Iron Roman cavalry swords
The dig follows the discovery of two iron Roman cavalry swords, possibly displaying traces of their scabbards, during a metal detecting rally in the north of the Cotswolds in March 2023.
The swords were originally reported to and identified by the Portable Antiquities Scheme, who arranged with the finder, metal detectorist Glenn Manning, and the landowner for them to be donated to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester.
The swords were X-rayed at Historic England’s science facility at Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth. The X-rays clearly show that the swords were constructed differently: one has evidence of decorative pattern welding running down the centre, whereas the other sword is plain. The pattern-welded sword would have been more expensive to produce and therefore higher status.
Although historically important, at the time of discovery they were not protected by laws such as the 1996 Treasure Act as no gold or silver were discovered within the assemblage that contained the two iron swords, several copper alloy scabbard fittings and strap fittings and a fragmentary copper alloy bowl.
It is believed these long swords or ‘spatha’ were used by the Romans on horseback from early in the second century AD through to the third century AD. They are contemporary with the villa. How they came to be there though, is currently unknown.
The swords will be going on public display at the Corinium Museum from 2 August.
Key findings
The archaeological team has discovered evidence of settlements spanning several centuries, including:
- Three, possibly four, Iron Age ring ditches measuring up to 18.5 metres in diameter
- A substantial rectangular enclosure measuring 68m x 55m with a 5-metre-wide ditch
- Remains of Roman limestone buildings, perhaps representing a winged villa – however more archaeological work would be needed to confirm this
- Finds of Roman building materials including ceramic roofing and box flue tiles, and painted wall plaster
Additional discoveries
In one trench an Iron Age burial, including an iron band around the body’s upper right arm, was excavated, whilst in close proximity a horse skull had been buried in a pit. Whether these were contemporary is as yet unknown.
The bones of an arm and a separate hand were found in the fill of the enclosure ditch in a different trench.
This excavation provides valuable insights into the nature of settlement patterns from the Early Iron Age through to the Roman period in Gloucestershire. This new evidence will help us to understand more about what happened around the period of the Roman Conquest, which must have been a tumultuous time.
I am very proud of how much our team of volunteers, professional archaeologists, and metal detectorists achieved in 15 days, despite the heavy January rain.
We turned a ploughed field, the swords, and geophysical anomalies into the story of a settlement spanning hundreds of years – the first stage in telling the history of these fields and their cavalry swords.
It’s a privilege to acquire such rare artefacts. This valuable addition of Roman weaponry at the museum broadens the story of life in the Cotswolds during the mid to late Roman period. Wiltshire Conservation has identified the scabbard remnants and this adds another dimension to this discovery.
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