Romans

Before the Romans came, Surrey was probably something of a backwater. London did not exist and the local area was probably a boundary area between tribal territories.

BACKGROUND

The Roman conquest of Britain started in AD 43 and progressed rapidly. There is little sign of military activity in Sutton suggesting that the local rulers quickly submitted to the Romans.

A dendro-date (a method used to date items using the rings formed within tree trunks) from a wooden drain found at 1 Poultry(an address in the City of London) shows that the Romans had founded London during the winter of AD 47-8. The town soon boomed and its existence permanently changed Surrey history.

ROMAN ROADS

There are three known roads in or close to Sutton:

Stane Street - the London Chichester Road. This crossed the Wandle at Merton Abbey (near the Savacentre) and then ran across the north of the Borough on or near the line of Stonecot Hill and London Road (the A24) to Ewell where there was a Roman settlement. The name Stane Street refers to its made up surface and straightens - Stone Street. The stone name element appears in Stonecot Hill.

The London - Brighton Road probably passed through Croydon although people have argued for a line along Purley Way. It has been traced as far as the edge of the South Downs and presumably went to a port in the Brighton area although we are not aware of any archaeological evidence for this.

The London - Lewes Road crossed the North Downs through Biggin Hill. It has been traced to the edge of the South Downs and is thought to have run to a port in the Lewes - Newhaven area. The road may also have served the iron works on the Sussex Weald.

The Croydon - Ewell Road. People have speculated about a direct road from Croydon to Ewell from time to time and various routes have been suggested but there is at present no firm evidence.

These roads were laid out by the military. The pre-Roman landscape must have had a network of tracks and lanes some of which are probably still in use.

ROAD SIDE SETTLEMENTS

Roman roads often had small settlements along them. They may have originated as posting stations to supply official travellers and messengers but appear to have developed into small local centres. There are three known or suspected in the immediate area.

Ewell. There have been many Roman finds here and the obvious interpretation is as a roadside settlement strung out along Stane Street for a 1km or so. There may have been some sort of temple or religious site near the spring.

Croydon appears to have been on the London - Brighton Roman road although its precise route through the town is uncertain. Some Roman material has been found around the town and also in the valley below Croham Hurst in South Croydon.

Merton. A settlement has been suggested where the Chichester Road crosses the Wandle although there is no substantial evidence.

SOME LOCAL SITES

The Beddington Villa stood on the now sewage farm a short distance north east of Carew Manor. This was first discovered in the 1870s during the construction of the sewage farm. The site was excavated in the 1980s. Settlement on the site started in the late Bronze Age (about 800 BC) and continued, perhaps intermittently, to the Roman period. There were early Roman finds on the site but no trace of buildings. About 180 AD a villa was erected. Only the front part of this was found in the excavation: the back had been destroyed by the construction of deep sewage tanks. There was a separate bath house a short distance to the west and a large aisled barn to the north which had been rebuilt several times. There was another outbuilding of which little survived apart from the ceiling plaster decorated with a geometric design in red and yellow. The villa was abandoned around the end of the Roman period (about 400 AD).

Beddington Roman Coffins. Two Roman coffins have been found near St Mary's Church, Beddington. One was of lead decorated with a design of beading and scallop shells. The other was carved from a massive block of limestone and contained a female skeleton and some glass vessels. The coffins probably date from the 3rd century. They would have been expensive and must have been used to bury wealthy individuals. It is possible that the owners came from the Beddington Roman Villa about 700m to the northeast but they may have lived in another unknown villa. The lead coffin is now displayed in St Mary's Church while the stone one is in the Dovecote.

The Bandon Hill Cemetery. In the 1970s several cinerary urns were excavated in what is now Bandon Hill Cemetery in Beddington. There was a Roman cemetery on the site of the modern one. The pots date from the second and third century.

Wallington. A scatter of Roman coins - and possibly some pieces of pottery - were found in the vicinity of Holy Trinity Church, Manor Road, in the 19th century.

The Carshalton Villa. In 2002 Sutton Archaeological Services found a flint foundation in West Street by car park behind the Race Horse pub. Only one room was exposed but foundations seen in the sides of the trench suggested that the building extended in the direction of West Street. The site was probably a villa. The finds suggested that it had been occupied in the first and second century. There was also prehistoric material suggesting that the villa may have been developed from an Iron Age farm. The foundations were at about 45 degrees to West Street. A child's burial site was also found.