History of Chedworth Roman Villa

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Reconstruction of Chedworth Roman Villa Tony Kerrins Fig 7.30 Monograph — Reconstruction of Chedworth Roman Villa | © Tony Kerrins

The history of Chedworth Roman Villa spans nearly 2,000 years. Created soon after the Roman conquest of AD 43 as a few simple buildings, during in the 4th century it grew into a lavish villa designed for elite display and hospitality. After the Roman withdrawal from Britain in around AD 410, the villa declined, was abandoned and rediscovered in the 19th century. In National Trust care since 1924, ongoing archaeology here continues to reshape our knowledge of late Roman Britain.

Chedworth before the Romans

Before 43 AD, Chedworth - a sheltered site in a Cotswold combe (valley) overlooking the River Coln - was in the territory of the Dobunni, an Iron Age tribe. These people continued to live in the area after the Roman invasion, and may have lived at Chedworth as the site developed.

The Roman invasion and the building of Chedworth Roman Villa

After 43 AD, the conquered native tribes - like others in the enormous Roman Empire - were encouraged to adopt Roman customs, reducing the need for expensive military force to control the population.

The erection of buildings at Chedworth is evidence of this ‘Romanisation’. The site was probably chosen for its natural spring, and its proximity both to the Fosse Way, a Roman road, and the important military fort (later the second largest British city) of Corinium (Cirencester). The first complex at Chedworth comprised three simple, detached buildings, each divided into a few rooms, in a distinctly Roman style. Over the following two centuries these were unified into an elaborate residence for Roman Britain’s elite.

Roman baths at Chedworth Roman Villa West Wing showing mosaic floor and hypocaust system — The warm room baths at Chedworth Roman Villa West Wing showing mosaic floor and hypocaust system | © Ian Shaw

Who lived here?

Censorinus, named on a silver spoon unearthed in the 19th century, may have built or lived at Chedworth, but other owners and residents are unknown. We know, however, that the villa housed a complex, highly-structured household. The scale of the buildings, and the sophistication of their decoration, signify that Chedworth’s owners were very wealthy, likely amongst the wealthiest in Roman Britain, particularly by the 4th century, and possibly involved in local politics in nearby Corinium. Whether they were Romano-British, or from elsewhere in the Empire, is unclear; it is possible that Chedworth was a small part of land ownership spanning Britain and the vast Empire.

The male head of the household was known as the dominus, and was typically well-educated and wealthy. His wife was known as the domina. She supervised domestic servants, arranged social events, took care of elderly relatives and oversaw the education of any children. Whilst women could own estates in the Roman Empire, we do not know if a woman ever owned the villa at Chedworth.

Servants and enslaved workers

A wealthy Roman household included many servants for tasks ranging from collecting water to serving as secretaries or tutors. The number and skills of these servants reflected and expressed the wealth and status of the villa’s owner. Many Romans derived wealth from farming the land around their villas, so farm workers may have lived at Chedworth although, unusually, no farm buildings have been found there.

The Roman Empire perpetuated the most extensive and enduring slave system in pre-modern history, so it is likely that some of the servants were enslaved. Since, however, most of the evidence for slavery in Romano-Britain relates to the army and the early years of occupation, we cannot be certain. In addition, the nature of archaeological evidence makes the distinction between a slave and a servant difficult to discern.

Being enslaved was not in Roman times an absolute and irreversible condition. The enslaved could gain freedom as a reward for good deeds, long service and even friendship and, occasionally, could even purchase it.

Detail showing Bacchus and Ariadne in the mosaic in the Dining Room at Chedworth Roman Villa, Gloucestershire | © Ian Shaw

The villa as a setting for elite entertainment and socialising

The villa was the setting for lavish entertainment and socialising, to reinforce the owner’s importance, friendships and obligations. Some of the guests likely owned some of the other 4th century Roman villas that once surrounded Cirencester.

Social events included hunting parties for deer or wild boar, followed by restorative bathing in the private bath suites. Bathing was a social experience, and the rooms would have been filled with aromas, steam and conversation. Guests at dinners in the grand dining room reclined, chatted and enjoyed rich food and expensive wine. The room’s mosaic floor showed Bacchus, the god of wine, and his lover, Ariadne, surrounded by cupids representing the four seasons, a subject from Greek myth conveying the sophistication of the host.

The Nymphaeum at Chedworth Roman Villa, Gloucestershire | © James Dobson

Water and religion

A natural spring – which still supplies water to visitors today - fed the villa with a constant supply of fresh water. To protect this important water source, Chedworth’s inhabitants built a shrine (nymphaeum) around it, the water collecting in a stone-lined pool before being piped to various buildings. Originally pagan, later residents adopted Christianity, marking three coping stones around the pool with the Greek letters chi rho, an early Christian symbol. The adoption of Christianity in the Roman world was not consistent, however, and the state and people reverted periodically to paganism. Thus, at Chedworth, the chi rho stones were at some point relocated and recycled as steps in the bath house.

The latrine

Chedworth was also supplied with a rare domestic Roman latrine, easily identifiable by its layout. Its occupants sat together on a long wooden bench punctured with holes, sharing the experience without cubicles, and using moss or sponges on a stick for cleaning. It is unlikely that Chedworth’s owners used these latrines, instead they probably used chamber pots, collected and emptied by servants.

Carving of a small Christian symbol called a chi-rho, the first two letters of 'Christ' in the Greek alphabet — Carving of a small Christian symbol called a chi-rho at Chedworth Roman Villa, Gloucestershire | © James Dobson

The beginning of the end …

Around 410 AD the Roman Empire officially pulled out of Britain. It has long been thought that the decline of wealthy Romano-British sites like Chedworth began very soon after. However, the recent discovery of a 5th century mosaic at Chedworth has re-written this history, suggesting that Romano-British life – and the art of mosaic-making – endured for much longer than previously thought.

Medieval and Early Modern Chedworth

After the villa was abandoned and fell into disrepair the ruins may have been quarried for stone in the Middle Ages when many stone churches were being built. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, a lime kiln operated very close to the ruins, and it is likely that it was fed with stone from the villa. But the villa was not completely destroyed, and enough of it survived above ground to be discoverable in the mid-19th century, despite the area becoming wooded over the centuries.

A Victorian discovery

It is said that a gamekeeper discovered the villa by chance in 1864. James Farrer (1812-79), archaeologist and uncle to then owner of the land, John Scott, 3rd Lord Eldon (1845-1926), excavated the site soon after. Using estate workers, Farrer felled the wood and revealed the walls and mosaic floors of one of the largest villas discovered in Britain.

After the 1864 excavations, some mosaics were left for visitors to view but most were re-buried. The outline of the villa was reconstructed by placing nearby stone on top of surviving walls. At the same time, a lodge and museum were built on Farrer's excavation spoil heap

Chedworth Roman Villa and the National Trust

A local archaeologist, Welbore St Clair Baddeley (1856-1945), raised enough money by public subscription to buy Chedworth Roman Villa and pass it to the National Trust in 1924. Ever since then, the Trust has worked hard to understand more about the villa and protect it for future generations. From 2010 to 2018, National Trust archaeologists and volunteers carried out a number of excavations and in 2020 conducted a LiDAR survey of Chedworth’s wider landscape.

Suggestions for further reading

You can discover more about the rich history of Romano-British life in the Cotswolds in this National Trust web article: Archaeological discoveries at Chedworth Roman Villa