Shepton Mallet is a delightful mixture of old and new; a combination of ancient market town and modern indus­trial community, nestling in a fold towards the western edge of the Mendip Hills. 

With a population of some 8,000 residents Shepton Mallet is an ideal centre from which to visit the region's many and varied tourist attractions.

Notable among the town's many features of interest is the Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, the architectural history of the building is a challenging puzzle to those interested in the development of churches.

The 50-foot high Market Cross in the centre of the town dates from 1500, the Victoria Fountain has been recently been restored and nearby is a remnant of The Shambles, a 15th century covered market stall. A thriving outdoor market is still held around the Market Cross every Friday.

In this section of the site, you will find details of the work of the Town Council. The other parts of the site, covering 'Business', 'Tourism' and 'Leisure are accessible from the horizontal menu at the top of the page.

Please take a good look around this site and see what Shepton Mallet has to offer.

The Town Council, with the Chamber of Commerce and Shepton 21 Regeneration group is currently developing these linked sites on behalf of the community and if you can assist with information, data, images or wish to have a page within the site or a link to your own site please contact us

Roman History

Shepton Mallet was in a strategically important place for the militaristic Romans. They set up a small town near the site of the existing British settlement, complete with villas, a pottery, no fewer than three cemeteries, and other important buildings. Nearby was a Roman temple. However, after about three centuries, the Roman town gave way to a small Christian settlement. In 1990 excavations in Shepton unearthed the earliest evidence for a Christian burial, the Chi-Ro Amulet.

During the Roman occupation of Britain, Shepton stood by one of the most important roads in the country, the Fosse Way. Built in the 1st century AD, this military supply road formed an unbroken stone road from Exeter to Lincoln. Almost arrow-straight along its whole length, it passed through Ilchester and Bath on its way north.

Midway between these two towns stood an existing settlement, with its political power centred on nearby Maesbury hill fort. For the Romans, this was a logical place to set up a fortress. No firm evidence of a military encampment has been found in Shepton Mallet, but this is a very likely site. However, several Roman sites have been located, providing clear proof that there was a sizeable Roman town in the area. It is likely that the local people were Romanized Britons, rather than actual Romans.

On the site of the modern Anglo Trading Estate, a Roman kiln was discovered in 1864 when the Anglo-Bavarian brewery was being constructed. It as the first to be discovered in the West of England, and was preserved in situ until recently. Pottery manufactured locally is known among archaeologists as "Shepton Mallet ware".

In 1887, a Roman villa was discovered when the Somerset & Dorset railway was being constructed. However, the excavationsroman pottery practically destroyed the site, and the relics, which include pottery, coins, jewellery and keys, were presented to the local museum. Further Roman houses were identified atCannard's Grave and Doulting.

However, the most important Roman site was discovered by Steve Search in 1988, as he was prospecting with his metal detector near Bullimore Farm on the Fosse Way. Near what is now Tesco's, the discovery of a lead coffin led to the unearthing of an extensive Roman habitation alongside the road, stretching from the Sheppey down to Cannard's Grave. The site was excavated in 1990 by Birmingham University Field Archaeology Unit, and a vast quantity of finds were recovered.

The archaeological findings suggest that the Fosse Way site began to develop in the second century AD, and continued in use for some 300 years. It was the most important town in the area: a smaller village was to be found at Camerton, 14 miles to the north.

A few miles south-east of Shepton Mallet, the temple at Lamyatt Beacon is another key Roman site. Too small to be a settlement in its own right, it was probably closely connected with the main complex at Shepton.

By 400 AD, there had been a crucial change. The early pagans had first become Romanised and had adopted Roman gods. By 400 AD, they had become Christians. The Fosse Way site contains no fewer than three cemeteries. In the largest of these was discovered Shepton's great treasure, the Chi-Rho amulet. This is the earliest evidence of a Christian burial in Britain. However, by this time, the Roman society had all but disintegrated, and it is possible that the small Christian community were living in nothing more than a small hamlet amidst the relics of the Roman town.

By the middle of the fifth century, the settlement had practically vanished without trace, and the entire area apparently reverted to light occupation for the next two hundred years.