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Summary

A large ditch running east-west to the north of, and parallel to, Bilston Street is shown on a town map of 1750. It forms the back boundary of buildings fronting on to Bilston Street at this time. To its north is Piper's Meadow. At its eastern end the ditch terminates at a T junction. To the north an arm leads to a possible reservoir, while to the south an arm leads to the back of a building fronting on to Biston Street.
The ditch has been suggested as a possible early defensive line. Evaluation trenching , however, suggests that it dates to the medieval period at the earliest and that it may be related to water management or drainage

Monument Type(s):

• DEFENCE WORK? (Saxon to Post Medieval - 410 AD to 1900 AD)
• BOUNDARY DITCH? (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• DITCH (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• RESERVOIR (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)

Description

Town Map of 1750 shows a large ditch running east-west to the north of, and parallel to, Bilston Street. It forms the back boundary of buildings fronting on to Bilston Street at this time. To its north is Piper's Meadow. At its eastern end the ditch terminates at a T junction. To the north an arm leads to a possible reservoir, while to the south an arm leads to the back of a building fronting on to Biston Street. The present day topography suggests that the ditch flows into rather than being fed by the reservoir, unless there has been considerable reshaping of the land over the last few centuries.(1) Baker suggests that the ditch may be the surviving remnant of a late Saxon defensive line for Wolverhampton, while Roper has suggested that it formed part of a fortified site. (2) (3) There is, however, no other evidence for such a defensive line. (4)

A trial excavation was conducted by Malam in 1982 ahead of development of part of the site. Two trenches were excavated but interpretation was hampered by later building foundations in the western trench and instability due to the waterlogging in the eastern trench. The trench at the east end of the ditch (Trench 1) showed it to have been 3m wide and flat-bottomed. Its bottom was 2.5m below the modern ground surface. A further cut feature, around 1.5m wide with curved sides was discovered immediately to the south of the ditch. It was interpreted as a pit. The fill of both of the features was a compact grey silt. No dating evidence was recovered from the ditch but two sherds of medieval pottery and a large piece of iron-rich slag, possibly from a bloomery, were recovered from the 'pit'. 18th century pottery was recovered from deposits overlying the features. (5) (6)

Further evaluation was carried out by by Lang in 1989 to determine extent of survival prior to redevelopment. A radar survey showed a series of anomalies, but no clear trace of a ditch. Six trenches were excavated. Trench IV, 10m west of Malam's Trench 1, also located Malam's ditch. Two small and abraded sherds of probable 18th century pottery were recovered from the ditch and it was accordingly suggested as being of post-medieval date. A further further feature was recovered which may correspond to Malam's 'pit' in which case this may have been a length of ditch, although it did terminate within the trench. Medieval pottery was recovered from this feature. Excavation report suggests that the ditch may have been connected with the Civil War or may have been a drainage ditch intended to drain water off Piper's Meadow and reduce the water table for the buildings fronting on to Bilston Street. (7) (8) Geospace Radar Survey Results. (9)

Diffcult to determine the function of this ditch without further work. There is no sign of a bank but given the amount of disturbance to the upper levels this is not surprising. At the moment a pre-Medieval date seems unlikely and its function is perhaps more likely to have been related to water management and drainage than defence. Only further excavation could give more certainty. The lower levels of the eastern portion of the ditch may survive in the car park of the present Police Headquarters. (10)

May have been associated either with the 'Great Hall' to the south, or the boundary between the manors of Deanery and Stow Heath (Malam, 1982). (11)(12)

NRHE to HER: Amended record (minor) (11)

<1> Taylor, Isaac, 1750, A plan of Wolverhampton surveyed in 1750 (Map). SBL6097.

<2> Baker, Nigel, 1980, The Archaeology of Wolverhampton, 8 (Bibliographic reference). SBL2364.

<3> Roper, J S, 1966, Wolverhampton - the early town and its history, 10 (Bibliographic reference). SBL6888.

<4> Shaw, Mike, 2005, Comment 2005 (Comment). SBL7102.

<5> Malam, J P, 1982-3, Excavations and Archaeology in Wolverhampton 1980-82, 70-1 (Bibliographic reference). SBL3060.

<6> Malam, J P, 1982, Excavation of a medieval ditch in Bilston Street (Bibliographic reference). SBL2365.

<7> Lang, N, 1989, Evaluation at the NCP site, Tower Street, Wolverhampton (Bibliographic reference). SBL2366.

<8> Lang N, 1989, Tower Street, Wolverhampton: An Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SBL2369.

<9> Geospace Consultancy Services Ltd, 1989, Results: Radar Surv of Tower St Car Park (Unpublished document). SBL2367.

<10> Mike Shaw, 2011, Comment 2011 (Comment). SBL7415.

<11> ESDM and Historic England, 2016, NHRE to HER project, https://nrhe-to-her.esdm.co.uk/NRHE/RecordDetail.aspx?pageid=8&recordid=516124 (Website). SBL7716.

<12> Historic England, Pastscape, http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=870946 (Website). SBL7717.

Sources and Further Reading

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