Fic. 1 8. Castor Ware found in Bedford Purlieus, 1844. [For detail sec fig. opposite p. 190] A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE north and west by three detached or almost detached blocks of buildings, furnished with a well in the middle and closed on the south by a wall, through which was a carriage road approach (fig. 19). The principal block of buildings was on the north, fronting the approach across the courtyard. This contained hypocausts, two mosaic floors of geometrical design — the larger a somewhat unusual pattern (fig. 20) — and a smooth plaster floor, painted with a linear design in red, white or brown, and doubtless other mosaics which have perished. Here we may suppose that the owner resided. The east and west blocks, less intelligible in detail, may have been servants' quarters and stores, while near the entrance to the courtyard were the baths, annexed to the east block, and thus, as often, situated at some little distance from the main dwelling rooms. Smaller finds included part of a column in stone. Colly Weston roofing slates, flue and other tiles, Samian, Castor and other wares, glass, a lead weight, animals' bones and other small objects, such as usually occur. Two small uninscribed ' house-altars ' are slightly less common but still well known features of Roman life. The coins include a ' denarius ' of Septimius Severus, but are mostly of the Constantinian period. We may perhaps infer that the ' villa ' was occupied at least during the first half of the fourth century.' (7) Cotterstock, on the Nene, three-quarters of a mile north of Oundle. Here, in the eighteenth century, traces of what was probably a fine villa were discovered in a field called the Guild or Gilded Acre, situate in the west of the parish, towards Hall Wood and Glapthorn, but the remains were never seriously excavated. In July, 1736, a mosaic pavement was found in ploughing — a panel 10 feet square, set in the middle of a larger, plainly tessellated floor. The design shows four small hearts — possibly conventionalized petals of a flower — set in an intricate geometrical pattern of rectilinear character, the whole framed in a guilloche border. At the same time more mosaic seems to have been discovered but destroyed, or at least not copied. Potsherds, ashes, animals' bones, bricks and tiles, hewn stones, and five or six coins of Valentinian were also found. Sixty years later, in 1798, another mosaic was found at the same spot — a square panel, showing a two-handled cup crowned with leaves, with a border at top and bottom of Asiatic shields, the colours being red, white, yellow and dark grey (or blue ?) (fig. 21). ' Trollope, Associated Archit. ^oc. Reports, v. (1859) 97-107; hence a brief note in C. Roach Smith, Collectanea Antigua, . 250. There appear to have been no outbuildings seen or suspected. Part of the remains has been roofed with a hut. 192
