NOTES ON A EOMAN VILLA AT THORNFOED. 

 (By J. BUCKMAN, F.L.S., F.G.S., &c.) 



The opening of the villa at Thornford on October 3rd, 1876, though 

 it only exposed a second-class dwelling, yet presented matters of 

 sufficient importance to deserve some notice in the Proceedings of 

 the Club. 



The field in which the opening was made is situate on a slightly 

 rising meadow to the north of the village of Thornford, having the 

 winding river Yeo meandering on its eastern border. The field was 

 drained some few years since, and it was the finding of tesserae, bits 

 of Roman pottery, &c;. f in the disturbed earth that determined us 

 to seek an opportunity to make further enquiries ; this the meeting 

 at Bradford seemed to afford, and, with the permission of Mr. Digby 

 and the consent of the tenant, the works were commenced a few 

 days before the meeting of the Club. The few first trial holes 

 though they showed that the ground had been mostly made up of 

 ancient materials, were yet disappointing, but a little perseverance 

 brought us to a pavement and ultimately to walls, the remains of 

 which bounded four distinct rooms, each of which had a pavement 

 of a different pattern. 



EOMAN FLOORS. 



These floors were of very simple construction, consisting of tesserae 

 of about an inch and a half square, which were made from the 

 white lias, obtained probably from Sparkford, and broken potsherds, 

 seemingly formed from ancient clay tiles. These, which were of a 

 grey stone and red brick, were arranged in simple patterns. 



The involved fret was a little more complicated, but there was 

 only a little of this, and all the four pavements just mentioned were 

 made of the two simple substances named, and cemented upon the 

 clay flooring. 



