About the Group

The Group has been set up to provide a forum in which members interested in the Romano-British period can discuss and exchange views and to encourage research, fieldwork and publication. It has established itself rapidly with a monthly lecture programme through the winter months as well as half-day seminars on topics of interest such as ritual sites and Roman roads and a much-commended full-day conference based around the topic of "Water in Roman Britain" in 2008. Workshops and visits to sites have also been arranged. Projects include field surveys at Chiddingfold and Abinger, excavations at Ashtead Villa  and Tileworks   and fieldwork to track the course of Roman roads.

A key aim is to keep projects properly matched to the available resources and designed to answer specific questions. The Group has contributed to the establishment of a research agenda for the Roman period that feeds into the overall agenda for Surrey and conducts its research within this overall framework.

News and Events

Upcoming events from the group are listed here, whilst news from the group can be found here.

Membership

Membership is open to all individual members of Surrey Archaeological Society. The subscription for the year 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 is just £5.00. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Roman Studies Group’ and sent to: David Calow, 14 Beech Lane, Guildford GU2 4ES

Sub-groups

The Group has three sub-groups, concerned with roads, larger settlements (mostly Ewell at present) and rural settlement, and another for the Iron Age is being set up. The roads sub-group has been  active, carrying out several small excavations  to clarify the course of Stane Street (see article in Surrey Archaeological Collections, 94)); David Calow has been making good progress in identifying the course of the east-west Roman road from Winchester to ?London Those interested in rural settlement or the Iron Age group should contact Nikki Cowlard, while Alan Hall should be contacted for Roman roads research and  Frank Pemberton for larger settlements.

Epsom and Ewell. Work in Ewell has concentrated on some aspects of the large amount of unpublished or partially published fieldwork. The Group also had a part in the recent excavations at Hatch Furlong, set up by Jon Cotton of the Museum of London in association with Birkbeck College with the aim of evaluating an area of finds associated with ritual shafts found in the 19th century and in the 1970s. Those interested in participating in the work at Ewell should contact Frank Pemberton.