Roman tile production at Minety & the Building of Roman Britain

Neil Holbrook & Peter Warry

The village of Minety, 12 miles south of Cirencester, has long been known as a place where ceramic tile production took place during the Roman period, and in particular the likely source of tiles stamped with a series of Latin letters which are found in Cirencester, across the Cotswolds, and beyond. In 2022 Cotswold Archaeology commenced a community-based project at Brandiers Farm, the first new field investigation of the Minety tile industry in almost fifty years. The results exceeded our expectations. The talk will describe the tile kiln and its products, and what this tells us about how the Roman authorities created the necessary infrastructure to construct what we know as Roman Britain.

Biographies –

Neil Holbrook is Chief Executive of Cotswold Archaeology. He has a special interest in Roman Britain, and Roman Cirencester and its region in particular.

Dr Peter Warry is an independent researcher specialising in Roman tiles and focusing on what they can tell us about manufacture, logistics and the Roman economy. He has published widely on the subject and his 2006 book on Roman roof tiles remains in demand today.

The in-person event will include the opportunity to view stamped tiles from the Minety kiln site.