Wadeford Roman villa lies in the parish of Combe St Nicholas in south Somerset, in the Isle valley on the lower slopes of the Blackdown Hills. It appears to have been a modest rural villa of the type common in this part of Somerset, likely occupied from the later 2nd through the 4th century AD, set within an agricultural landscape dotted with similar small to medium villas around Chard and Ilminster.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The site forms part of the dense pattern of villa estates in south-western Somerset that exploited fertile mixed-farming land in the later Roman period, a region also notable for its proximity to the Fosse Way and the markets of Ilchester (Lindinis). It is not a major or unusually wealthy villa, but contributes to understanding the rural economy of the civitas of the Durotriges.
A tessellated pavement and Roman building remains were recorded at Wadeford in the 19th century, with further finds including pottery, building material and coins, but the site has not been the subject of modern systematic excavation, so its plan, full extent and chronology remain poorly understood.
Wadeford Roman villa lies in the parish of Combe St Nicholas in south Somerset, in the Isle valley on the lower slopes of the Blackdown Hills. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a villa site from the Roman period in Britain.
Wadeford Roman villa is classified as a Roman villa — 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.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Combe St. Nicholas (1.1 km), White Staunton (2.7 km), Roman villa N of Whitestaunton (2.9 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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