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Southern perspectives: A characterisation of Roman rural settlement in South Wales Llantwit Major Roman Villa, by Alan Sorrell (1949) Dr Alex Smith
Southern perspectives: A characterisation of
Roman rural settlement in South Wales
Llantwit Major Roman Villa, by Alan Sorrell (1949)
Dr Alex Smith
West Glamorgan
Mid Glamorgan
South Glamorgan
Gwent
Type and extent of
archaeological
investigation
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
pre- 1950 1950-1969 1970-1989 1990-2009 2010-2014
Nu
mb
er
of
reco
rds
Date of publication
number of records
• Over 90% of all records are
from excavation
• Average area of excavation c.
0.5 ha
• Much higher density of
excavation in SE Gwent
Eight regions of analysis:
• South (897)
• Central Belt (1507)
• East (302)
• West Midlands (200)
• South-West (123)
• Upland Wales & West
(121)
• North-East (363)
• North England (139)
Over 3650 sites recorded
(most individual settlements)
Project Update
2015
Rural Settlement Project site
types in South Wales
CaerwentCaerleon
0
10
20
30
40N
o.
of
site
sSouth Wales
0
20
40
60
80
100
No
of
site
s
Severn and Avon Vales 0
20
40
60
80
No
. o
f si
tes
Cotswolds
Settlement numbers
over time
Farms and villas in
South Wales
• 31 farms (12 enclosed, 1
unenclosed, 18 unclassified
in final form)
Llanmaes (Lodwick & Gwilt 2011)
Nash (Meddens &
Beasley 2001)
RAF St Athan,
Vale of Glamorgan
Middle-late Iron Age
Mid Roman
(Barber, Cox and Hancocks 2006)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
LIA L 1st AD 2nd AD 3rd AD 4th AD
No
. o
f fa
rms
in u
se
Farm classification over time
enclosed open unclassified
Central Belt
Region
Lack of excavated complex farms west
of Gloucester
Complex farms
Villa forms
‘Enclosed villa’ at Whitton Lodge,
South Glamorgan
Nucleated settlement
MonmouthAbergavenny
Caerwent
Usk
Great Bulmore
Lower Machen
Caergwanaf
Cowbridge
Neath
Caerleon
Cardiff
Archaeological work at Great Bulmore
© Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust
Nucleated Settlement across England and Wales
• Nucleated settlements in
South Wales part of wider
pattern in central & southern
parts of Roman province
• Located on border of different
zones – reflected in the
military associations
Rectangular buildings
Circular buildings
Buildings in
South Wales
• 115 buildings recorded from
34 sites
• 41 circular buildings
• 74 rectangular buildings
• All circular buildings derive
from farms
Circular and rectangular buildings across England and Wales
0
5
10
15
20
25
LIA AD 100 AD 200 AD 300 AD 400
No
. o
f si
tes
wit
h b
uil
din
gs
Circular
Rectangular
Changes in building style over time (South Wales)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
LIA AD 100 AD 200 AD 300 AD 400
No
. o
f si
tes
wit
h b
uil
din
gs
Severn & Avon Vales
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
LIA AD 100 AD 200 AD 300 AD 400
No
. o
f si
tes
wit
h b
uil
din
gs
Cotswolds
Circular building Rectangular building
0
2
4
6
8
10
12N
o.
site
s
Types of building (South Wales)
* Excludes villa buildings
Late Iron Age and Roman rectangular buildings at Newhouse Park, Chepstow
© Cardiff Archaeological Consultants
Material Culture
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
% o
f S
ou
th W
ale
s S
ite
s (n
. =
50
)
South Wales
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
% o
f C
en
tra
l B
elt
Sit
es
(n=
10
90
)All Central Belt
Quantities of objects
by site type: coins
and brooches
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Roadside
settlement/vici
Farm villa
me
an
fre
qu
en
cy o
f o
bje
ct t
yp
e b
y h
a
coin
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Roadside
settlement/vici
Farm villa
me
an
fre
qu
en
cy o
f o
bje
ct t
yp
e b
y h
a
brooch
Finger rings, hairpins
and objects associated
with food processing
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Roadside
settlement/vici
Farm villa
me
an
fre
qu
en
cy o
f o
bje
ct t
yp
e b
y h
a
Finger rings & hairpins
finger ring
hairpin
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Roadside
settlement/vici
Farm villa
me
an
fre
qu
en
cy o
f o
bje
ct t
yp
e b
y h
a
food processing
Summary
• Settlement patterns in South
Wales show great continuity from
late Iron Age with little
‘disruption’ from conquest.
• A ‘ribbon’ of farms and villas
along the Gwent & South
Glamorgan coast flanked by
forts/roadside settlements
further inland.
• Settlements in this zone show
many similarities with those
further east in the Central Belt
• Differences (e.g. lack of complex
farms) possibly due to this area
being v much on a boundary zone
with areas further north and
west, where settlements exhibit
very different patterns.
