Monument Type(s):

• TOWN DEFENCES? (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1901 AD?)
• DITCH (17th century to Late 18th century - 1600 AD to 1799 AD)

Summary

Ditches and depressions containing no dating evidence but sealed by layer of dirty sandy loam containing 17th to 18th century pottery were exposed in a trench cut in 1978 to try and find the Roman Town ditch.

Related records

Associated Finds

• FSA654 - VESSEL (17th century to Late 18th century - 1600 AD to 1799 AD)

Associated Events

• ESA2655 - 1978 Excavation west of Newtown Street, Whitchurch by WAAG
• ESA78 - 1972 WB on new water main, Newtown St, Whitchurch by Whitchurch Area Archaeological Group

Description

Machine cut trench was cut at right angles to Newtown St to investigate possibility of RB occupation west of the C1 defensive ditch located in 1967 and also the medieval stone castle. Ditches and depressions containing no dating evidence but sealed by layer of dirty sandy loam containing C17 / C18 pottery <1>

Features revealed possibly included part of town ditch, but the only dateable layers were C17th/18th <2>

It is possible that all traces of the castle and town wall have been destroyed by the general erosion of the slope <3>

A layer which apparently contained Roman pottery was observed during a watching brief on a water pipeline in 1972 which was claimed confirmed the date of the ditches as Roman. See PRN 05822. <4>

CMHTS Comment: From the evidence presented in the unpublished report [<2>], there seems to be no reason to suppose that Roman levels were encountered, but later evidence from watching briefs [<4>] does seem to confirm this <5>
CMHTS Report <6>

<00> Shropshire County Council SMR, Site and Monuments Record (SMR) cards, SMR Card for PRN SA 02704 (Card index). SSA20722.

<01> Griffiths R, 1978, Evaluation Trench West of Newtown St, Whitchurch, SJ 53994153, Includes section drawing. (Manuscript). SSA7574.

<02> Griffiths R, 1978, Evaluation Trench Pepper St/ Newtown St Whitchurch SJ 54084151 (Excavation report). SSA11722.

<03> Anon, 1978, Whitchurch Archaeological Group - Archaeological Investigations (Article in serial). SSA11698.

<04> Anon, 1979, Whitchurch Archaeological Group - Archaeological Notes (Article in serial). SSA11699.

<05> Buteux Victoria, 1993/ 1996, CMHTS SMR Records Shropshire: Whitchurch, Whitchurch 2704 (Record form). SSA19975.

<06> Buteux Victoria et al, 1996, Archaeological Assessment of Whitchurch, Shropshire (CMHTS) (Historic landscape survey report). SSA12088.

Sources

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.