Epsom & Ewell History
& Archaeology Society
Iron Age - Romano-British Continuity in Ewell
There is evidence of Iron Age occupation in Ewell. The British Iron Age starts about 800BC and is replaced by the Roman period in 43AD. Evidence has been found for IA activity at Purberry Shot, Nonsuch Park, Warren Farm, Ewell House and the King William IV site in the village itself. Some sites will be rural farmsteads but the site at King William IV seems to have a religious dimension. Iron Age finds have been found in the Springs, likely deposited as an offering to the gods. Springs are often the focus of ritual activity and the headwater of the Hogsmill certainly seems to fit this picture.
Below are links to a display on the Iron Age-Romano-British Continuity in Ewell which won the Margary Prize at the 2020 Surrey Archaeological Society Symposium. You will learn more about sites where there is evidence for both Late Iron Age and Roman occupation, and see the finds from these periods as recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme. This scheme records metal (and other) finds, mainly found by metal detectorists, and you can search the website for finds you are interested in - www.finds.org.uk
Click on the image to the right to access posters