The Icknield Way Roman Villa's

The ten villas are all situated in close proximity to the Icknield Way between Gayton Thorpe and Heacham, close to springs or their tributaries, and spaced approximately 1-1.5 miles apart. From the evidence of fieldwalking, partial excavation or aerial photography it is clear that these were all substantial villas, and not simply farmsteads. Some at least appear to have been luxurious, as surface finds have indicated evidence of hypocausts, tessellated pavements and mosaics. Where dating evidence is available the pottery shows a strong bias to the 3rd and 4th centuries (Gregory 1982, 366).

The exact reason for this, seemingly, regular distribution of villas is not exactly clear. Whether they are simply related to the regular pattern of spring and tributaries in this region or directly associated with the route of the Icknield Way itself - or an amalgamation of both - is debatable. It is also, of course, possible that they simply demonstrate the state of our current knowledge and that further study in this region will expose a much large distribution of land ownership and management in the Roman period. Many of these questions cannot be answered with a single season on one site, but it is hoped that the work in 2006 at Gayton Thorpe will enable the beginning of a more informed debate on this subject.

The economies of villas, such as at Gayton Thorpe, were almost certainly largely on agriculture, utilising the outcrop of the gault clay and the glacial drifts which mark this and other rocks to the west for cultivation. On the Higher chalk to the east, the rearing of livestock would probably have been of greater significance.
(click image to enlarge)

Villas and towns formed part of the same economic system, and this is illustrated by their geographical distribution throughout Britain. This interdependence between town and villa not only explains the consistent grouping of villas around towns but also their apparent absence in areas where no towns exist (Rivit 1969, 177-178). In west Norfolk, the linear cluster of villas along the northern stretch of the Icknield Way is, however, one of the few groups in the country which, based upon current knowledge, does not appear to be situated close to any major town. Therefore, it would be logical to suggest that the large-scale farming operations indicated by the presence of these villas must have been supplying another market. With the evidence of large-scale butchery within the extra-mural settlement of the ‘Saxon Shore’ fort at Brancaster (Hinchliffe and Green 1985, 178-9) and the suggestion that this may have been a collection and trans-shipment centre for state supplies of slated meat and perhaps leather (Cotterill 1993, 237), it is possible that this villa network was one of the main sources of livestock for slaughter. Brancaster, founded in the late 2nd century, may have acted as the economic centre for this group of villas. It is clear that much more fieldwork and research is required before a full understanding of this important group of villas and their economic basis can be discussed. However, as suggested above, there is still more work to be done in this region and new discoveries could well result in a radical adjustment of this theory

Cotterill, J., 1993 'Saxon Raiding and the Role of the Late Roman Coastal Forts in Britain'. Britannia 24, 227-239

Gregory, T., 1982   ‘Romano-British settlement in west Norfolk and on The Norfolk Fen edge’ in Miles, D., (ed.) The Romano-British Countryside. Studies in Rural Settlement and Economy, British Archaeological Report, British Series 103 (Oxford), 351-76.

Hinchliffe, J & Sparey-Green, C., ‘Excavations at Brancaster 1974 and 1974’, East Anglian Archaeology 23, 1985.

Rivet, A., 1969 'Social and Economic Aspects'. in The Roman Villa in Britain.