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

A section of medieval ditch was recorded in excavation on the Shropshire Archives site, part of the town ditch running outside the line of 13th century town walls in the Roushill area.

Related records

Associated Finds

• FSA502 - ANIMAL REMAINS (Medieval to Early 20th century (pre-war) - 1066 AD to 1913 AD)

Associated Events

• ESA3750 - 1993-1995 WB on construction of Shropshire Records and Research Centre by SCCAS
• ESA7590 - 2015 Conservation management survey of the town walls, Shrewsbury, by SCAS
• ESA8304 - 2017 DBA and visual impact analysis, Bus Station layover, Raven Meadows, Shrewsbury by Archaeology Wales (Ref: 17/02728/FUL)

Description

Town ditch, excavated on the site of the Records & Research Centre in 1995. It appeared as a linear area of fill, when excavated it had been previously reduced to a width of c.3m, but had possibly been c.5m wide in total. It was filled with a reddish brown sandy silt containing fragments of animal bone, with a greater depth of fill in more varied layers surviving in one area of the site. The ditch followed the bottom of the slope. It appears to have gone out of use in the later medieval period, in part filled up, and in one area encroached upon by a sandstone structure of probable late medieval date [PRN 62536] [<1><2>]. The line of the excavated ditch may be extrapolated south-westwards along the base of the Pride Hill-Castle Street escarpment [PRN 62519]. <3>

A conservation management plan was prepared in 2015 for the entire circuit of town walls surrounding Shrewsbury (excluding around Shrewsbury Castle at the NE corner). This provides a general historic overview of the development of the town defences, together with detailed analysis and management recommendations for individual sections (in gazetteer form in volume 2). This section of town ditch is identified as 3e. The top of the ditch was seen in 1993, but the ditch was not seen in section. <4>

An impact assessment was carried out in 2017 on the site of the former bus layover, Raven Meadows, which lies on this section of the town ditch, at the base of the escarpment along the eastern part of the bus layover. This feature extends roughly north-south. The remains of this feature appear to be shown on the 1882 Ordnance Survey town plan. The town ditch potentially has high evidential value associated with the early town defences, perhaps contemporary with the 13th century town wall if not the Norman castle, and potentially dating back to the Late Saxon period. The infill material may also contain artefacts associated with activity and occupation along the former outer bailey rampart, and later town wall, along the escarpment to the east of the bus layover. In particular there is a high potential for medieval and post-medieval tip deposits of rubbish and demolition material. The condition and extent of this archaeological resource is at present uncertain. <5>

<01> Hannaford Hugh R, 1994, Shrewsbury: Raven Meadows, p1 (Article in serial). SSA10427.

<02> Hannaford Hugh R, 1995, A Watching Brief at the New Records and Research Centre, Shrewsbury (Watching brief report). SSA4152.

<03> Baker Nigel J, UAD Analysis, 17/06/1997 (SMR comment). SSA20432.

<04> Hannaford Hugh R, 2015, Shrewsbury Town Walls: a conservation management plan (2 volumes), Gazetteer 3e (Management report). SSA28223.

<05> Hadley A, 2017, Bus Station layover, Raven Meadows, Shrewsbury, Shropshire: archaeological assessment & visual impact analysis, p.21 (Deskbased survey report). SSA29593.

Sources

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