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Northover House is a late Roman cemetery situated in Somerset, England, at grid reference ST 52165 22965. The site occupies 0.76 hectares and is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic England under reference 1006128. The cemetery dates to the later phases of Roman occupation in Britain, when inhumation burial became increasingly common amongst both Romano-British and immigrant populations.
The monument lies on bedrock of the Lias Group, a geological formation comprising mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone laid down during the Aalenian period of the Jurassic. This underlying geology would have influenced both the workability of the soil for grave-digging and the preservation conditions for human remains within the cemetery. The varied stone substrates of the Lias Group are characteristic of Somerset's geological landscape.
Late Roman cemeteries such as this represent important evidence for population patterns, burial practices and religious beliefs during the final centuries of Roman rule. The scheduled status of Northover House recognises its archaeological significance and ensures protection for deposits that may survive beneath the modern surface, preserving evidence of the individuals interred there and the communities they belonged to.
Northover House, late Roman cemetery is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1006128. View the official record →
Northover House is a late Roman cemetery situated in Somerset, England, at grid reference ST 52165 22965.
Northover House, late Roman cemetery is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1006128.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ilchester Roman town (0.5 km), Later Iron Age enclosure, Ilchester Mead (1 km), Roman villa at Lufton (5.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Northover House, late Roman cemetery's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Northover House, late Roman cemetery stands on Lias Group, bedrock that formed in the Aalenian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone.