Roman BritainVerlucio
Roman Settlement · Civilian

Verlucio

Roman Britain
Pleiades ID: 79736
Site type
Settlement
Category
Civilian
Latitude
51.4117
Longitude
-2.0520
Overview

History & context

Verlucio was a Romano-British roadside settlement at Sandy Lane, Wiltshire, situated on the Margary 53 road running between Cunetio (Mildenhall) and Aquae Sulis (Bath). Occupation appears to span the later 1st to 4th centuries AD, with the settlement developing as a linear ribbon of buildings flanking the road, supplemented at some point by a partial defensive enclosure of unclear date.

Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →

Significance

Historical significance

Named in the Antonine Itinerary (Iter XIV) as a station between Cunetio and Aquae Sulis, Verlucio functioned as a minor road-station and local market centre serving the surrounding agricultural hinterland in north Wiltshire, an area rich in villas. Its inclusion in the Itinerary suggests it offered official posting or mansio facilities.

Archaeology

Archaeological record

The site has never been extensively excavated; knowledge derives largely from aerial photography, geophysics, and fieldwalking, which have revealed ditched enclosures, building platforms, and the line of the road, alongside surface finds of pottery, coins, and tile. Antiquarian discoveries in the 18th and 19th centuries recorded burials, masonry, and a possible bathhouse or substantial building, but precise structural detail remains limited.

About this site

Questions & answers

What is Verlucio?

Verlucio was a Romano-British roadside settlement at Sandy Lane, Wiltshire, situated on the Margary 53 road running between Cunetio (Mildenhall) and Aquae Sulis (Bath). It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a settlement site from the Roman period in Britain.

What type of Roman site is Verlucio?

Verlucio is classified as a Roman settlement — a civilian site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.

What other Roman sites are near Verlucio?

Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Nuthills Roman villa (0.5 km), Roman road in Spye Park (0.7 km), Round barrow 1260m NNE of Baltic Farm, 75m south of Roman Road, forming part of a barrow cemetery situated on North Down (8.3 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.

How can I research the history of the area around Verlucio?

Aubrey Research generates detailed historical reports for any location in Britain, incorporating Roman heritage, Domesday Book records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and much more. Enter a nearby address to begin.

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