EWHURST
Surrey, England.
Roman villa at
Rapsley, 11.2 km SE of Guildford, discovered in 1956
and excavated 1956-68. Five periods were distinguished,
from ca. A.D. 80 to ca. 350.
The first was identified only by the presence of Flavian
pottery, and there was no sign of pre-Roman occupation. In the second period (ca. 120-200) a timber building (9.9 x 4.8 m) was erected and enclosed by a ditch.
In the third period (ca. 200-220) this was replaced by
structures with footings at least of stone, comprising a
bath block (20.4 x 11.4 m) separated by a fence from
an aisled building (30 x 12 m); there was also a small
apsidal building (nymphaeum?), and the whole complex
was defined on the S by a boundary wall and ditch. The
main house does not appear to have been located. In the
fourth period (ca. 220-280) the aisled building was reconstructed and another aisled building (22 x 10 m)
erected at right angles to it; the bath block was converted into a dwelling house and one room in it was
given a geometric mosaic. In the fifth period (ca. 280-330) a small building was attached to the outside of the
boundary wall and three new rooms were added to the
house. No late 4th c. pottery was found and only one
4th c. coin.
The fact that the design of the mosaic is closely similar to one from Silchester suggests a link with the
Atrebates rather than the Regni. Cattle raising was important, but the villa was evidently connected with the
tile kiln excavated in 1936 at Wykehurst Farm, 0.4 km
to the S, and much kiln waste was found. The finds included fragments of a pottery mural crown.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Villa: R. Hanworth,
Surrey Archaeological Collections 65 (1968) 1-70; Wykehurst kiln:
R. G. Goodchild, ibid. 45 (1937) 74-96.
A. L. F. RIVET
