Jim Irvine: "How I found Rutland Roman Villa"
The story of how farmer's son Jim Irvine uncovered the most important Roman mosaic found in the UK for 100 years
Last night I went to Stamford to listen to a talk by Jim Irvine, the farmer’s son who discovered the Rutland Roman Villa and the most important Roman mosaic to have been found in the UK in the past 100 years.
Jim used to be a neighbour, but this is the first time I’ve heard him tell the story in person about how, in June 2020, he found shards of pottery that would lead him to unearth the beautifully preserved mosaic on his father’s land.
What’s remarkable about the story is that a series of unusual and unexpected events led to the chance find. At any other time and in any other circumstance, the discovery might not have been made and the villa and mosaic would still be under a crop field.
Firstly, the winter of 2019/20 was exceptionally wet and the field where the mosaic was found had flooded, leaving an area where crops hadn’t grown. This is where Jim found the pottery that first attracted his attention.
Secondly, it was during lockdown and the only reason that Jim, his wife, their two daughters and the grandparents were all in the field together was because it was a safe place to meet to exercise. They had chosen the field so the girls could play in the river.
Thirdly, on the way to the river they were attacked by a swarm of bees, with Jim and his mum both being stung. To avoid passing the same spot, they took a circuitous route on the way back which led them by chance to the part of the field where the pottery was found.
And it wasn’t just pottery, there were oyster shells, too.
Jim was intrigued, even more so when he looked on Google maps and found one picture from 2018 that showed clear crop marks in the field. No other satellite images picked up the lines – and further research, including RAF black and white aerial photos from 1945, drew a blank.
Speaking to his father, it emerged that the plough would often break in this field.
Jim realised there must be something under the surface, but there was no record of any historical finds in the field and old maps of Rutland going back to 1840 revealed nothing.
“It was a mystery,” said Jim. “I needed to find out more.”
Having reported his finds to Historic England, Jim waited until August when the wheat had been cut and he could return to the field. Using the Google maps image combined with the position of tractor tramlines, which are broadly consistent year-on-year, Jim dug an eight-foot trench across where one of the lines was.
“I was expecting to find a wall and was annoyed when I didn’t find one,” he said.
However, as he dug down the soil started to change, becoming sandier. Then, his spade hit something hard. It wasn’t a wall he’d found, it was a floor.
“The stones were intact and the soil was easy to scrape off,” said Jim, amazed at the discovery.
“It was lockdown, we had nothing else to do, so we carried on digging.”
As the soil was gently removed, the family – who were all helping with the dig – realised they had found a mosaic. A foot, a shoe and a boot emerged – then a cloak, a head and a bright white eye.
By the end of the day, they had excavated a 20 feet by 8 feet patch and had uncovered a beautifully preserved pictorial mosaic.
Jim called Historic England and a few days later an expert team arrived and the archaeological process led by the University of Leicester began.
What was remarkable about the mosaic was that it wasn’t just a geometric design, which is typical, but a pictorial story.
It depicts scenes from Achilles’ battle with Hector in the Trojan War. The indication is that the 1,700 year old villa was a high status home, probably at the heart of a farming estate.
In no time, Jim found himself the centre of attention, meeting TV presenter Professor Alice Roberts and being filmed for the Digging for Britain series.
You can find out more about the villa and mosaic and watch videos here:
University of Leicester: How we found one of the significant mosaics discovered in the UK
Historic England: Investigations at Rutland Roman Villa
Significant archaeological work was undertaken in summer 2021 and 2022, with more of the site excavated and more international news headlines generated including, “Archaeologists in UK uncover possible first ever luxury barn conversion.”
More than 300 trays of finds have been found at the site and work continues to list and record everything.
Among Jim’s favourite finds are a silver plated coin, a nail cleaner and a set of dividers used for designing and measuring.
“As an engineer, this was the most exciting thing coming out of the site,” said Jim.
The site has now been protected and covered with earth. The field can no longer be cultivated and it will be left as grass.
It has also been given scheduled monument status, meaning it is protected in law and any trespasser can be arrested.
Jim’s only regret about the whole experience is that his remarkable Roman find was made at the same time as the Rutland Ichthyosaur, a huge fossilised sea dragon on the shore of Rutland Water, which attracted even greater worldwide attention.
“My friends joke that I am Rutland’s second best archaeologist,” Jim laughed.
• I’ll be speaking to Jim Irvine soon for a special podcast episode of Rutland Country Life. Stay tuned.
Just got to read this. How fascinating!
Exciting historical find!