Fishbourne Palace
Some villas were virtual palaces in their size and complexity. In 1960, a workman was laying a new water main at Fishbourne in Sussex when he unearthed some pottery. Realising he may have found something significant, he reported the find to his superiors. In turn, they contacted the British Museum and an archaeological team began excavating the site. As they dug, a building began to surface. The more they uncovered, the more they realised this was a huge building.
Eventually, they brought the remains of Fishbourne Palace to the surface. This was the biggest single building ever found in Britain, covering an area the size of Buckingham Palace in London. This was no ordinary home, it had been built around 80-90AD by someone who was obviously a person of authority.
But who did this belong to? After many years of research it is generally agreed the owner was King Cogidubnus of the Regni tribe. He was a firm supporter of the Romans and aided them in their conquest of Britain. He was the successor to Verica, who was at war with the Catuvellauni before the Roman invasion. It was Verica who approached the Roman emperor with a plea for assistance to fight off the scourge of the Catuvellauni as they were steadily taking over the whole of South-East England. When the Romans did invade in 43AD. the Regni gave help to the Roman military by allowing them to use Chichester harbour as a landing stage for their campaign in Britain. He also aided them and sided with the Romans during the Boudiccan rebellion. So it is easy to see why the Romans would have rewarded the Regni king for his co-operation.
