Heritage: Looking for Swanmore’s Roman past

The recent discovery and excavation of a Roman temple and bath house at Exton is of national significance. The temple was of an uncommon hexagonal construction, initially of early to late Iron Age levels with the skeletons of a female horse and foal, so possibly dedicated to Epona – a Gallo-Roman fertility goddess and the protector of horses, ponies, donkeys and mules. The foal was found to have died perinatally, which may also have caused the death of the mare.

The water supply for the bath house came from the river Meon, which was diverted in the nineteenth century to be about 100 yards closer to Exton village, and the building had finely painted wall plaster. The Exton complex is rare, although there is also a Roman temple built over an Iron Age one on Hayling Island, but a useful piece of dating evidence was the find of a late Iron Age silver coin of Epaticcus – brother of Cunobelinus, king of the Catuvellauni, one of Britain’s Iron Age tribes – who died c.35AD. Intriguing questions remain as to whether there are further buildings close to the Exton complex, since geographical surveys indicate what may be more potential sites and nearby finds of two solidi – pure gold coins introduced by the Emperor Constantine in around 312AD. 

The Meon Valley is a rich source of Roman occupation with Roman finds in both Fareham High Street and Wallington, the remains of Roman villas in Lippen Wood north of West Meon and in Bottom Copse near Soberton (possibly related to the Roman sarcophagus which stands outside Soberton village church). There is also a track network up to Neatham near Alton – believed to be the site of the lost Roman settlement of Vindomis – and the road from Chichester passes through on its way to Silchester. Along the A272 the remains of Roman villas have been found in Bramdean and Stroud.

A Roman building was excavated some years before the Exton temple and bath house across the A32, at Shavards Farm. The outer wall had fallen onto the ground with the window apertures still intact. With the help of the Royal Engineers, who used special hydraulic equipment to cut underneath the foundations, the complete structure was salvaged, loaded onto a lorry and taken to the British Museum where today it is a key exhibit in the Roman Gallery.

By the first century AD, the main tribe in Sussex, Surrey and East Hampshire was the Atrebates; they originally came from the Artois region of Gaul and ruled from Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester). They were pro-Roman and their king, Commius, had supported Julius Caesar’s invasion in 54BC, with his descendants regarded as “client kings” by Rome. 

The Catuvellauni were largely based north of the Thames but Cunobelinus (died c.AD40) and his brother Epaticcus had expanded their territory south pushing the Atrebates to their last defensive line just north of Chichester, where the earthworks can still be seen today. The Atrebaten client king, Verica, fled to Rome to beg for support and the new emperor Claudius – keen on conquest to prove himself – saw this as an ideal opportunity to mount a full-scale invasion.

In AD43 the Romans sent four legions, auxiliary troops, plus horses and equipment in sailing boats; after landing in Kent, they defeated the British – led by Togodumnus and Caratacus, sons of Cunobelinus – at the battle of the Medway. We know that Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were conquered by the Second Augusta Legion under Vespasian, who became Roman Emperor in AD69.
In Rome the conquest was seen as a great victory and Claudius even changed his son’s name to Britannicus. A triumphal arch was erected to commemorate victory over the barbarians. And what did the Roman’s think of their new conquest? According to Tacitus it was a country where “the crops are slow to ripen but spring up quickly due to the moistness of the soil of the land, which yields gold, silver and other metals”.

The Chichester area became a main base for the Roman invasion, particularly around Fishbourne, where we know that there was a harbour for the fleet and warehouses built as early as AD43 to supply the Roman Army.Under Roman control the south east of England was managed by the client king Cogidubnus who was seen as a safe and loyal custodian. He was also useful in maintaining strong links with the local tribes. The palace of Fishbourne reflected his status and for administrative reasons the region was split into three main areas, each associated with one of the resident tribes: the Regni – of whom Cogidubnus was king – occupied the area around Chichester, the Atrebates around Silchester, and the Belgae around Winchester. During the revolt against Roman rule by Queen Boudica in AD60–61 it is clear that the tribes under Cogidubnus remained loyal to Rome. 
If they had joined forces with Boudica then it is likely that the Romans would have been defeated and lost Britain. 

Winchester was an important Roman administrative centre. All six main roads out of Winchester are directly built on the original Roman roads. 
Winchester Museum is worth a visit with Roman finds and the floor mosaic from Sparsholt Roman Villa. Clausentium (Bitterne) has been fully excavated and there are some Roman remains in the grounds of Bitterne Manor. The Roman connection is commemorated in some modern Bitterne road names, such as Vespasian and Rampart. 

We also know there was a port here since lead ingots (pigs) have been found in the river: the lead would probably have been mined in the Mendips and would have been exported to the continent via Clausentium for use in pipes, cisterns, bath linings and roofing.

It is also worth visiting Portchester, which was one of the original RomanSaxon shore forts and housed at times the Roman Fleet (Classicus Britannia). It is the only Roman fort north of the Alps with all its walls still standing to their full height. There are also some fine bastions for ballistae (stone throwers) around the walls. It is also from Portchester that King Edward III sailed for the battle of Crécy (1346) and Henry V for Agincourt (1415). Cogidubnus’ palace at Fishbourne is one of the finest provincial building complexes in the Roman world. Chichester’s street plan is that of the original Roman town and one can easily trace the Roman walls. On the south side these walls are original with later bastion towers. The amphitheatre was just outside the wall beyond the east gate. There is also a new museum with Roman finds and information. Further into Sussex is Bignor Roman Villa, which is believed to be the centre of a large estate growing food for the Roman Army. Silchester in the north of Hampshire has around a mile of original Roman walls still standing. The gateway towards Winchester and Chichester is well worth looking at. It is one of the few Roman towns that was never built on.The original amphitheatre, which held around 5000 spectators, was extensively excavated in the early 1900s and the finds include jewellery, coins and a jack plane, which can be seen in Reading Museum.

Further scientific excavations have been carried out over the years by Reading University.
The large Roman Villa at Brading on the Isle of Wight is now covered by a modern building with a restaurant. The villa complex is especially known for its mosaics of the four seasons. Rockbourne villa near Fordingbridge is also worth a visit.

Closer to Swanmore, when the golf club at Shedfield required an additional course 22 Roman pottery kilns were excavated. The new housing development in Wickham is also yielding Roman pottery finds.

Clearly there is much to visit locally and it is likely that other finds will be made in the area – perhaps, one day, even in Swanmore.

By Crawford Wright