Monument Type(s):

• DITCH (13th century to 15th century - 1200 AD to 1499 AD)
• TOWN DEFENCES (13th century to 15th century - 1200 AD to 1499 AD)

Summary

This site represents: a ditch of medieval date, a town defences of medieval date.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA5849 - 2003-2004 excavations off St Julian's Friars by Marches Archaeology
• ESA7310 - 2011 WB and building recording of the town wall at St Julian's Friars, Shrewsbury by Border Archaeology (Ref: 94/0238/063/94)

Description

Extramural ditch associated with town wall, west of St Julian's Friars as far west as the west end of standing town wall masonry 62393. The existence of a ditch here in the position indicated is virtually certain, given the excavation of the ditch east of St Julian's Friars [site 60177, PRN 62396], though it has not been excavated within the area of this monument. The local topography suggests that here, as east of St Julian's Friars, the ditch will be found immediately outside the town wall. Further west (west of PRN 62393) its position is less certain as the town wall is placed some way up the gradient, though the continuation of the ditch in that area is also certain, from documentary and from excavated evidence (site 60, 1 Quarry Place, 1997). The town ditch could have pre-dated the wall in this area by a few years: a Haughmond Cartulary document of c.1221 refers to a curtilage within the moat and another outside it, in the Sub Wila (Under the Wyle) area: the town wall is not mentioned [<1>] <2>

Excavations west of Severn House in 2003-4 located the town ditch at this point. The northern edge of the ditch was only some 1.3m south of the town wall. The ditch had been subject to a major recut, making its original medieval width difficult to gauge; its eventual width was more than 16m (the southern edge was not located) [see PRN 08553]. Two trenches further east did not pick up the ditch, but this was probably because they were too shallow. <3>

The SMR mapping has had to be adjusted to take account, as far as is possible, of the recut width of the ditch at the west end of this section. However, more information is needed on the ditch, both in the east part of this section and in the neighbouring section to the west [PRN 62570] before it can be mapped with any confidence. <4>

This ditch was not encountered during archaeological observation to the S of the town wall in September 2011. Groundworks revealed a very substantial deposit of 19th or 20th century building demolition rubble, extending below the maximum excavation depth. No earlier deposits were attained. <5>

<01> Rees M U, 1985, The Cartulary of Haughmond Abbey, No 1086 (Monograph). SSA10575.

<02> Baker Nigel J, UAD Analysis, 07/04/1997 (SMR comment). SSA20432.

<03> Tavener Nick, 2004, Land formerly belonging to Vincent Greenhous, St Julian's Friars, Shrewsbury: assessment report on archaeological fieldwork with an updated project proposal (Excavation report). SSA22074.

<04> Gathercole E Clare, 1999/ 2002, Comments by SMR compiler in SMR database, 10/11/2004 (SMR comment). SSA20725.

<05> Logan W & Children G, 2011, Archaeological observation and limited structural record: St Julian's Friars, Shrewsbury SY1 1UD (Watching brief report). SSA27292.

Sources

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