BILL Horner, an archaeologist with Devon County Council, gave a talk to members of Thorverton History Society about rural settlements in Roman Devon at the November meeting.

Bill’s job is to maintain sites of archaeological value in the county and give planning advice to councils. DCC has lots of information available on its website.

Many new sites have been found during the last 50 years. The late Lady Aileen Fox had identified the few that were known about but at that time even the Exeter fortress was suspected but unknown.

There was a perception that the Romans did not venture west of Exeter. Now, using different techniques many sites have been found including roads, fortlets, villas and military sites.

The Roman conquest started in 43AD under the Emperor Claudius. The invasion spread westwards and then northwards and into Wales. A military base was set up in Exeter with up to 5,000 troops. A bath house was discovered under the Cathedral Close during the 1970 excavations.

The Roman legion left Exeter in 75AD and moved northwards and the former fortress was turned over to the Romanised Britons to accustom them to see the benefits of the Roman civilisation. The former army base becomes a town known as Isca Dumnoniorium, town houses are built but there is still plenty of open space within the city walls.

The Romans brought a new building style. Rectangular buildings with tile or slate roofs. Villas were the homes of the elite. Ruralised farmsteads became more common but built in a Roman style.

Native British round houses continued to be built with an enclosed farmyard to keep stock in and others out.

Near Okehampton was a fort accommodating 500 auxiliary troops with a settlement alongside. There is a road leading to Crediton and then Exeter. Rectangular timber buildings were constructed along the road in the fort.

The villagers in the settlement were under military control and had to service the military needs.

Finds have included imported fine table ware, flagons for olive oil from Spain, glass and beads. There were bakers and taverns and street food was available.

At Topsham there was one first century fort near the harbour and many structures were built along the roadway into Exeter. These were a mixture of military and civilian. Under Topsham rugby club, cobbles were found that had been used as foundations for timber walls. Finds here included Samian ware, glass and jewellery.

At Pomeroy Wood, near Honiton, a lot of Roman pottery was found along with a small fort. This turned into a civilian development although some round houses continued to be built with foundation gullies and drainage ditches. Aerial photography has identified sites from crop marks.

At Stoke Gabriel there is a double ditch rectangular farmstead. At nearby Rewe there is a single ditch Romano British farmstead enclosure. This was excavated by the late John Uglow, a Thorvertonian and keen historian and archaeologist.

Other Exe Valley sites are at Overlands and Netherexe.

At Kingskerswell, Roman pottery was found in a test pit and when the new road was built a whole sequence of ditches were found.

At least six stages of development were uncovered from the Iron Age into the Roman period. Along with pottery they found brooches, beads, coins glass from bottles, roof tiles and a hypocaust system.

At Yettington near Bicton a complicated series of crop marks showed much development with finds from the Iron Age and Roman period. A geophysical survey at Mount Folly near Bigbury showed tracks and enclosures.

A large excavation by Exeter University at Ipplepen over the last few years has uncovered a number of farmstead enclosures from the Iron Age to the Romano British. Roads showed signs of rebuilding and repairs and our society enjoyed a talk on this in 2018.

Evidence of iron smelting and forging has been found along with open cast mining in the east of the county and at Holcombe Villa at Uplyme a fine bronze mirror was found.

At Seaton Down a hoard of more than 3,000 coins was found.

They were possibly in leather bags topped by three iron bars about seven inches long.

Robert Turner