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The Roman Viila at Hemsworth, Dorset. 



By H. Le Jeune, Esq. 



{^Read before the Archceological Section on Feb. iith, igog). 



This Roman villa, recently uncovered, is at Hemsworth, 

 Dorset, situated on farm lands about a mile and three quarters due 

 north of Badbury Rings, and about a quarter of a mile from the 

 Roman road leading irom Badbury to Donhead St. Mary, or about 

 three quarters of a mile from the Via Iceniana or Ackling Way — 

 which is now known locally as the " Wiry Lane " — or the Via con- 

 necting Badbury with Sorbiodunum or Old Sarum. The villa, 

 therefore, was within touch of several Roman roads, and was, no 

 doubt, in close connection with that important stronghold, Badbury 

 Rings, which was the meeting place of five roads, and a probable 

 site for the Roman station Vindogiadia. As long ago as 1831 Dr. 

 Wake Smart wrote as follows : " On Hemsworth Farm were dis- 

 covered the foundations of several rooms, in one of which I saw a 

 beautiful representation of a dolphin surrounded with a fine 

 ornamental border all in mosaic work." (Proc. Dorset N. Hist. Field 

 Club, vol. ix., p. ig). The fact that Dr. Smart says he saw a 

 mosaic dolphin seems to imply that he only partially saw what we 

 are about to describe as the Venus pavement of one of the rooms of 

 this villa; this has five dolphins in tessera on its border, and we have 

 no knowledge of the dolphin ornamentation occurring on any other 

 floors of this villa. It is, however, very curious that Dr. Smart 

 omits mention of seeing the Venus of the central panel. As far as 

 we have been able to trace, the Dorset Field Club papers contain 

 no other reference to this Hemsworth site. Warne, in his " Ancient 

 Dorset," does not mention Hemsworth in words, but he indicates a 

 Roman occupation somewhere near the site by a red mark on his 

 map. Hutchins at an earlier date is, however, more specific. In 

 his " History of Dorset" he notices extensive irregularities of the 

 surface as suggestive of ancient occupation, and he then proceeds 

 to state that "in an adjx)ining field were found the remains of a 

 Roman villa consisting of foundations and six pavements three of 

 which were tesselated." As a matter of fact ten pavements on this 

 site have been recently uncovered. 



Notwithstanding the remarks of Hutchins, Dr. Smart and 

 possibly others, the villa remained covered up by a few inches of 

 surface soil and became quite forgotten, indeed, the plough or spade 

 must at times have gone dangerously near to breaking it up ! 

 Having heard that some small squares of coloured stones had been 

 found thereabouts, I determined to inquire into the matter. Having 

 succeeded in interesting Mr. Linklater, the tenant of the farm, and 

 his friend, Mr. Scott Orr, a search was made for the remains of the 

 villa. Our first efforts to find the spot were not successful, but by 

 the help of an old shepherd whose memory went back more than 

 half a century, we soon hit upon the exact site. Having located 

 the remains about nine inches below the surface, the walls, founda- 



