Monument Type(s):

• TOWN (Roman - 43 AD to 410 AD)

Summary

The Roman Town which succeeded the fort (PRN 00909) at Whitchurch.

Related records

Associated Finds

• FSA255 - PLANO CONVEX KNIFE (Late Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 1600 BC)

Associated Events

• ESA2650 - 1978 Excavations at the Horse and Jockey Inn, Whitchurch by WAAG
• ESA2652 - 1977 excavation at NatWest Bank
• ESA2653 - 1985 observations
• ESA4909 - 1996 evaluation in advance of housing development, Bargates, Whitchurch by CPAT
• ESA70 - 1992 evaluation of land to the rear of 23 St Mary's Street, Whitchurch by Giffords and Partner
• ESA87 - 1989 Evaluation behind 46 Bargates, Whitchurch by BUFAU
• ESA88 - 1992 Evaluation at Castle Hill, Whitchurch by Gifford & Partners
• ESA98 - 1965-1966 excavations to NE of Newtown by Barri Jones, University of Manchester
• ESA7626 - 2015 Trial trenching on Land adjacent to Bollandsfield, Tarporley Road, Whitchurch, Shropshire by Aeon Archaeology

Description

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Building and Works two seasons of excavation were carried out by Barri Jones of Manchester University, at Whitchurch, Shropshire, in August 1965 and April 1966. The work was prompted by a re-development scheme affecting the area forming the western edge of the older nucleus within the present town. This is delineated by the street known as Newtown and derelict property immediately to the east offered a 250ft. strip of land for excavation to within 100ft. of the present High Street.->

-> The excavations at Newton in 1965-6 produced the following sequence following on from the demolition of the Roman Fort (PRN 00909) c 100AD (SJ5405 4160).
(1) Timber buildings, several of industrial character on site by mid C2. Civil settlement?
(2)Substantial stone buildings. Prosperity at greatest in this part of the town in late C2 to C3.
(3)Smaller (?)stone building close to the road with associated timber buildings at beginning of C4. ->

-> The report includes specialist reports on the pottery, coins, metalwork and animal bone from the site, and a report on a 'trepanned skeleton' discovered beneath the floor level of building III. <1>

Excavation in 1977 at Nat West Bank (SJ5415 4140) revealed two square timber lined wells with timbers surviving at the base. Terminus post quern of early C2 for one of the wells, which may have had a small rectangular building and fence at the well head. The well was filled up with material in the late C2 or later. Tiles, masonry blocks and burnt timbers being found in addition to an EBA plano-convex flint knife. <2>

Late C1 / early C2 pottery found rear of 33, High St. <3>

A programme of archaeological evaluation was undertaken in 1996 by CPAT, ahead of proposed residential development at Bargates [now known as St Alkmund Meadow], centred on SJ 5394 4180. The excavations produced no direct evidence of Roman occupation aithough one sherd of likely Roman date was recovered from Trench E. <6>

Excavations on land immediately adjoining the east wall of the Horse and Jockey Inn produced Roman levels (including a possible cremation in a 2nd century flagon), remains of a 14th century building and pits associated with a 17th century building. The Horse and Jockey was built in the 18th century and in the 1830s a cottage with a cellar was built in its yard. The floor of this building overlay a burnt clay floor of a 14th century building.
Finds included "some remarkable groups of post-Medieval pottery" and clay pipes. Under the Medieval cobbling was a 2nd century Roman flagon containing cremation remains, and a coin of Constantine the Great. <7>

In 1992 an archaeological evaluation was carried out at the rear of 23 St Mary’s Street at SJ 5425 4163. The only deposits revealed in this area were C19 to early C20, largely associated with recent demolition of a builder's yard on the site and subsequent levelling. The surrounding ground levels behind the brick walls along N & E limits of site were however more than 2m higher than the level of the site. At least some of these deposits were removed in living memory, and it is probable that any surviving Roman deposits have been destroyed. <8>

An evaluation in 1989 at SJ540 418 to the north showed that no Roman deposits or structures had survived there. It appeared the site had been partially levelled for the construction of the factory that had until recently occupied the site. <9>

An evaluation was carried out in 1992 on land off Castle Hill, Whitchurch, in advance of a proposed building development. Several of the test pits uncovered Roman deposits. Trial Pit A, at SJ 54079 41504, found evidence of Roman material within two layers cut into the natural, with only the eastern edge identifiable. The western edge had been disturbed by the road widening scheme that took place in 1982 [ESA 84]. The area was too restricted to enable clarification on the extent or exact nature of these Roman deposits. Overlying the Roman deposit was post-medieval build up layer and ground surface layer. The natural was 140-410mm below the present ground surface. Trial Pit G at SJ 54134 41497, found a Roman stakehole packed with Roman brick, cut into the natural. There was not enough evidence to suggest whether or not this was an isolated feature or part of a larger structure. Certainly earlier work in the area has indicated the presence of Roman features, such as clay and cobble ramparts and possible well heads. Post medieval cut features including a pit and a wall was also identified here.->

-> No Roman deposits were encountered in the remaining trial pits at SJ 54096 41507, SJ 54121 41513, SJ 54120 41533, or SJ 54124 41522. Trial pit B at SJ 54104 41492 did identify sandstone blocks of possible Roman date, though these could also be of medieval date, taken from the castle.<10>

Summary of documentary, map and excavated evidence relating to the Roman town an later periods, produced in 1987. <11>

Brief interim report on the Easter 1966 excavations at Newtown. <13>

A number of Roman features were recorded in an evaluation in 2015 on land off Tarporley Road, at the northernmost extent of the Roman town (centred SJ 53952 41971). These included drainage gullies and discrete refuse pits, filled with an abundance of Roman pottery (PRN 31969). <14>

Series of references identified by the NRHE, with the following summary. [Not possible to further itemise these]. ->

-> Although Iter II and Iter X of the Antonine Itinerary contain textual difficulties and the Ravenna Cosmography does not give distances (giving only a simple list), the identification of Whitchurch with Mediolanum seems guaranteed by the distance from Wroxeter according to Iter II. This is given as 23 Roman miles via Rutunium, closely comparable with the actual distance of 20 1/2 English miles.
Until recent excavation along the line of the Roman road in question, Wroxeter to Chester, (RR 6a) the only archaeological reference to Whitchurch of any importance was a brief note by Haverfield (a) in his survey of Roman remains in Shropshire. Although during the early years of this century, Roman finds were accumulating in the local museum, they were never published.
The first positive structural evidence for a Roman settlement at Whitchurch was in 1964 during ground clearance prior to redevelopment (at SJ 5403 4160) in Newtown. Excavations were carried out during 1965-66 by G D B Jones and P V Webster for the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works.
The various phases of occupation at Mediolanum may be summarized as follows:
1. Initial occupation with timber buildings, pre AD 75 and associated with the period of legionary occupation at Wroxeter. Phase ended with dismantling of structures.
2. Flavian auxiliary fort from c AD 75 identified by discovery of western defences and part of internal buildings. Demolished soon after AD 100.
3. There was gradual development of the site as a civil settlement. Timber buildings (several of industrial character) occupied much of the site by the mid 2nd century.
4. Substantial stone buildings (I and III) replaced timber structures in the area excavated, suggesting town's property and expansion reached its height in the late 2nd and 3rd century.
5. By the beginning of the 4th century, Building I had been replaced by its successor (II) flanked to the East by late timber structures of uncertain purpose. The settlement appears to have been contracting along the line of the present High Street by the early 4th century and occupation does not seem to have lasted long into the second half of the century.
Material found is currently stored in the Manchester Museum. Most of the casual finds in store at Whitchurch awaiting new museum premises point unmistakably to the cemetery area.
Finds associated with the Roman occupation of Mediolanum include:
1. Pottery found in 1903 on the site of the Poultry Market at SJ 5414 4161.
2. Early 2nd century pottery and bronze lamp found 1903 on the site of Town Hall at SJ 5415 4160.
3. A small pot (date not recorded) was recovered from garden of the 'Plume of Feathers' Inn at SJ 5422 4128.
4. A dupondius of Vespasian (AD 77-78) in fine condition was found in 1958 on the surface of the Roman road on the site of Lloyd's Bank (at SJ 5420 4147). This is now on display in the bank, along with a rotary quern-stone and 1st to 4th century pottery.
5.In about 1960, the demolition of the 18th century premises of Barclay's Bank in the High Street (at SJ 5420 4152) produced sherds of a grey ware poppyhead beaker, and of cooking pots etc. at a depth of around 8ft. This was possibly a Roman rubbish pit.
6. A Trajan gold coin was found in 1969 in the yard of the Victoria Hotel at SJ 5410 4160. The coin is now on display in the hotel. <15>

Sources

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