COLLECTIONS ILLUSTRATIVE OF ROMAN OCCUPATION.

ROMAN VILLA AT HADSTOCK, ESSEX.

DISCOVERED BY THE HON. RICHARD NEVILLE, F.S.A.

DURING the autumn of the past year, the unwearied zeal, with which Mr. Neville has pursued the investigation of British and Roman vestiges in the neighbourhood of Audley End, was again crowned with success. His constant kindness and liberality have given us the gratification of bringing the results before the members of the Institute.

The discoveries made by Mr. Neville, with which our readers are already conversant, through the communications given in the Journal, were connected with the neighbourhood of the Roman station at Chesterford, on the borders of Cam

bridgeshire and Essex. The present notices relate to a locality in the county last named, of singular interest, on account of its vicinity to the remarkable range of hillsepulchres in the parish of Ashdown. The solution by the late Mr. Rokewode of the long-mooted question regarding the age of the Bartlow Hills, and the purpose with which they were raised, must be numbered amongst the most interesting discoveries of recent years in England.' The field in which the villa lately excavated by Mr. Neville is situate, lies about half a mile northward of those tumuli, which are plainly seen from the spot, and about a mile from Hadstock Church. At the lower end of the field runs the boundary line between the parishes of Linton, in Cambridgeshire, and Hadstock, in Essex. In the summer of 1846 an excavation was there commenced by Mr. Neville, and a small tessellated pavement, now in his museum at Audley End, was found. During the summer of the last year he determined to ascertain whether any foundations or further vestiges still remained, and he recommenced operations on August 6th,

1850.

During that and the succeeding month, the site of an extensive villa was brought to light, with various interesting

See the Memoirs on the Bartlow Hills, Archæologia, vols. xxv. p. 1; xxvi. pp. 300, 462; xxviii. p. 1.

details of ancient construction, of which admirable drawings and a plan were preserved by Mr. J. C. Buckler, as also a valuable descriptive report. Mr. Neville has not only placed all these at our disposal, but he has generously presented the accompanying illustrations.

A great part of the foundations had, unfortunately, been taken up some years since, for the purpose of repairing the highways. There are several persons in the neighbourhood who state their recollection that, some twenty years ago, a great quantity of stones were obtained from what appeared to be very thick and solid walls. The line was indeed perceived, during the late operations, where the earth had been formerly moved, and the foundations broken up. It afforded indications, with the vestiges actually brought to light, that this villa must have been unusually extensive.

The following memorials, by Mr. Buckler, will enable the reader to appreciate the interest and importance of these remains:

"At the distance of about 150 yards, in a south-easterly direction, from the isolated fragment of a massive wall of Roman workmanship, formerly noticed, have recently been brought to light the foundations of a villa, with which have been preserved a greater variety of interesting features than appeared in the remains of other examples of similar buildings discovered at Ickleton and Chesterford, and described in the Archaeological Journal, Vol. vi., p. 14. In those instances, the walls, wherever any portions of them remained, had been destroyed, to within about two feet of their foundation; but, in the present instance, the destruction which seems to have commenced at one angle, extending even to the uprooting of the foundations, was stayed ere the buildings were uniformly demolished to the level of the ground or principal floor; and in this example it is evident that the subterranean chambers suffered greater injury from the descent of the materials of the superincumbent walls, at the time of their overthrow, than from violence offered to them in any other way.

"The severity, with which the work of mischief commenced, precludes the possibility of knowing either the utmost extent or complete figure of the building; whilst the sparing hand, with which the sentence of destruction was finally carried out, has left so many intelligible remains in addition to a connected series of walls, that a considerable variety of

interesting particulars may be gathered therefrom, perhaps sufficient to justify the supposition that this had been a residence of superior character, indicated by the manner in which provision was made for the comfort and even luxury of the inhabitants.

Spacious apartments, requiring an ample extent in the outer walls, were not indispensable, at least there is no reason to believe that magnificence was ever contemplated in forming the plans of the different villas, of which frequent discoveries have been made in this district.

"The building, in its present condition, exhibits considerable regularity, consisting of two parts, the one of greater length extending from north-east to south-west; the other, joining it at right angles, and exceeding it in width, stretches towards the south-east, in which direction its termination is complete; but at the north angle, the remains present so confused an appearance, owing to the obliteration of some of the walls, and the dismemberment of others, that it would seem as if their final destruction, which had been commenced, was suddenly relinquished for the less laborious employment of covering up the remains with earth and rubbish.

"The site was singularly ill chosen, at least if an opinion. may be hazarded without knowing the nature and appropriation of the ground around. It was built on a slope, the transverse member, containing the baths and superior apartments, having a considerable ascent from its base, the ground descending from the other extremity of the building. The serious inconvenience of this choice of position seems to have been early felt; it was provided against by an alteration in the baths, and a more ready means of drawing away the water, which has never ceased to flow through the trenches, and was found in former times to be so seriously detrimental to the comfort of the residence, as to lead to changes involving considerable trouble. The full merit of these alterations cannot now be appreciated: they may have answered the purpose intended, but, judging from the appearances presented by the nature of the position and the means adopted by art to counteract the defect for which they were undertaken, it is not too much to declare that the utmost advantage of the site was not taken, and that by directing the course of the drains to the south-east, instead of towards the south-west, or the lowest level, the channel was deepened