Clausentum Clausentum Clausentum was a small town in the Roman province of Britannia. The site is believed to be located in Bitterne, which is now a suburb of Southampton. Antonine Itinerary VII documents the Roman settlement of "Clausentum" as being west of "Noviomagus Reginorum" (Chichester) and from "Venta Belgarum" (Winchester). In 1610, William Camden identified Southampton as being the site of "Clausentum" and described how at Bitterne he had seen "old broken walls, and trenches of an antient castle". Around 1770, John Speed claimed that "Clausentum" was in the area that is now known as Bitterne Manor. In 1792, the Richard
Venta Silurum Roman temple, perhaps dedicated to Mars and the Celtic god Ocelus, have been identified on the site. A bowl with a chi-rho symbol shows that the worship of early Christian worship had begun in the late 3rd century. Following the withdrawal of the Roman legions from Britain, the town remained occupied until at least the mid-5th century. Early Christian worship was still established. The town might have had a bishop. A monastery was founded by Saint Tatheus in the 6th century. The site of the present church occupies part of an early Christian cemetery. The name "Venta" gave its name