ROMANO-BRITISH WORCESTERSHIRE 



APPENDIX II : DORN 



Dorn is a hamlet of Blockley, situated on the west side of the Foss Way, in one of those 

 detached south-eastern fragments of Worcestershire which belong geographically rather to 

 Gloucestershire or Warwickshire. As it thus lies apart from the bulk of the county, I have 

 preferred to describe its Roman remains in an appendix which is itself somewhat of a detached 

 fragment. These remains are of some interest and extent, and appear to denote a village, or 

 'villa,' or some other form of permanent occupation close to the Roman road now represented 

 by the Foss Way. The site has long been recognized as Roman. Nash, writing in the 

 eighteenth century, was able to mention ancient foundations of uncertain age and Roman 

 coins of the third and fourth centuries : Severus (silver), Etruscilla, Carausius, AUectus, Crispus 

 (bronze). Much more has been left unpublished. The present farmer of Dorn Farm tells 

 me that he has noticed evidences of stone foundations about 300 yards south-east of his house, 

 in a large arable field lying between that and the Foss Way, and the spot, which he pointed out 

 to me, is still strewn with fragments of Roman pottery (including Samian), stones showing the 

 action of fire, a few bits of tile, and so forth ; coins have also been picked up here — mostly 

 third and fourth century — and the soil is richer and blacker than elsewhere in the field. West 

 of this, on the line of the Great Western Railway, various Roman remains were found in the 

 construction of a deep cutting : in particular, a number of wells or rubbish-pits, tradition- 

 ally given as eighteen or nineteen, and two very similar sculptured stones which are now 

 preserved at Dorn Farm, where I have been able to examine them. They are altar-shaped, 

 except at the top, with a sunk panel on the face and in it a small figure in relief. One of 

 them measures 44 inches in height, and 15-18 inches in width : the figure on it is that of a 

 Genius, draped with a pallium wrapped round the waist and falling to the knees, booted with 

 cothurni and covered on the head in some not now distinguishable fashion ; the left hand holds 

 a patera over a low altar, the right arm uplifts a Horn of Plenty. The other stone is slightly 

 smaller (42 inches high) ; the figure on it seems to resemble that just described, but is much 

 worn and indistinct. West of the railway again pottery can still be picked up in an arable 

 field. Numerous coins have been found at one spot or another. At Dorn Farm I was 

 shown about 170 — three silver, of Nerva, Julia Maesa, Septimius Severus ; two 'second brass' 

 of Pius, and many 'third brass' and minims. I am informed that Mr. T. S. Potter has over 

 100 coins, ranging from a.d. 250-400, and the Rev. J. H. Bloom has a few 'third brass' 

 of the same period. Without excavation we can hardly decide whether a villa with out- 

 buildings stood here or some wayside village connected with the Foss.^ 



1 Nash i. p. loi, ii. postscript p. 20 ; hence Gough's Additions to Camden, ii. 489, and Allies, p. 87. 

 I am especially indebted to the Rev. J. H. Bloom for help with this site. 



