Church Farm Romano-British settlement

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a Romano-British settlement, probably dating from the late Iron Age and Romano-British periods. The presence of an embanked and ditched rectilinear enclosure has been established by trial excavation and geophysical survey - this enclosure has been interpreted as the core of a local farmstead. The monument is situated in improved pasture and comprises infilled ditches containing and enclosing buried archaeological deposits. The enclosure measures about 95m from NNE to SSW by up to 65m transversely over ditches of considerable breadth and depth and of various chronological phases. Pottery evidence points to the multi-period occupation of the site: from the Iron Age pottery likely dating the construction of the ditches, to the diverse Roman material dating the Romano-British occupation of the site from the 2nd century AD to the later 4th century AD. Although not necessarily a continuous occupation, there are very few rural Romano-British farmsteads in Wales with demonstrable multi-period occupation.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of Romano-British rural settlement and social organisation. The monument forms an important element within the wider context of Romano-British society in Wales and the structure itself may be expected to contain archaeological information in regard to chronology, building techniques and functional detail. The importance of the site is further enhanced by its archaeological documentation and its great potential to contain a pottery assemblage of considerable interest and importance (the assemblage gathered during the excavations of 2000 displaying considerable chronological variation).

The area scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is rectangular on plan and measures 100m from NNE to SSW by 70m transversely.