If you have any feedback or new information about this record, please email the Southampton HER (her@southampton.gov.uk).
Data derived from Heritage Gateway will not be acceptable for any use associated with development proposals and other planning matters.

For important guidance on the use of this record, please click here . © Southampton City Council

Summary

Medieval, post-medieval and early modern evidence found during an archaeological evaluation excavation in 2009 (SOU 1494). Includes medieval pits, linear features and a ditch, and evidence of late medieval iron working.

Protected Status: None recorded

Other Statuses/Codes: None Recorded

Monument Type(s):

• PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• DITCH (Medieval - 1350 AD to 1539 AD)
• IRON WORKING SITE (Medieval - 1350 AD to 1539 AD)
• LINEAR FEATURE (Medieval - 1350 AD to 1539 AD)
• CELLAR (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1750 AD)
• CONSTRUCTION TRENCH (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1750 AD)
• LINEAR FEATURE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1750 AD)

Full description

SOU 1494 (archaeological evaluation excavation at Castle Way Car Park in 2009):
[1]: The site lay in the NW corner of the medieval town, bounded to the north and west by the town walls, to the south by the infilled ditch of Southampton Castle, and to the east by the post-WWII Castle Way. The southern part of the site was heavily disturbed by early 19th century redevelopment. The rest of the site had been levelled in places. The site had been a car park for the last 50 years.

Natural brickearth was encountered in Trenches 1 to 3, but not in Trench 4 due to cellaring. The natural surface was almost level across Trenches 1 and 2 and lower (by c0.70m) in Trench 3; this suggests that the position chosen for the town defences was a natural gully.

A “dirty brickearth” layer (layer 55) was found in Trench 2, formed by weathering and bioturbation of the upper surface of the natural brickearth. No finds were recovered from it. Above this was a yellowish brown layer, 0.10m thick, thought to be a developed soil horizon. No finds were found in it.

Four trenches were excavated across the site, being (from N to S) Trenches 3, 1, 2 and 4.

ANGLO-NORMAN (1066-1200)

TRENCH 3: Immediately above the natural brickearth were two layers (layers 4 and 14). These were originally interpreted as natural deposits but are likely to be redeposited natural, probably the remains of the Anglo-Norman defensive bank (see separate record). A shallow pit (feature 8), possibly of Anglo-Norman date, cut the possible bank.

(The possible rampart layers lay only c0.35m below the car park. In trenches to the south, the area had been truncated and the car park make-up directly overlay natural.)

HIGH MEDIEVAL (1200-1350)

TRENCH 1. Pit 21 cut natural brickearth. One of its four fills was a deposit of limestone rubble and flint cobbles. Other finds included a high medieval louvre, 8 sherds of high medieval pottery and 2 sherds of late medieval pottery. (The late medieval sherds seem to have been discounted as intrusive, although this is not stated. The pit could be late medieval. HER)

LATE MEDIEVAL (1350-1550)

TRENCH 2. Several intercutting features dating to the late medieval period were found. Most were classified as pits, one (feature 60) was possibly a N-S aligned linear feature, and one was perhaps a well (feature 86, not fully excavated). Also present was a short length of linear feature 45, which cut natural brickearth; it was over 0.58m long, 0.30m wide and 0.07m deep, aligned NE-SW. The last feature in the sequence was ditch 43, aligned (very) roughly N-S, over 3m long, 0.70m wide and 0.52m deep, with one fill. Many of the fills of this group of features contained large quantities of iron-working debris and some coal.

POST-MEDIEVAL (1550 – 1750)
TRENCH 3. Linear feature 19, aligned N-S (finds included a fragment of late 18th or 19th century clay pipe) (therefore early modern? HER).

EARLY MODERN (1750-1900)
- TRENCH 1. Foundation trench 38 (alignment not given, but possibly E-W – see fig 9) .
- TRENCH 2. Soil layer 57, cut by the construction trench (feature 83) of a NW-SE aligned brick/cement mortar wall 84, and other layers.
- TRENCH 3. Pit 10, sealed by a humic soil layer containing construction rubble. Foundation trench 6, aligned E-W and filled with unbonded limestone rubble (fill 7), possibly the south wall of a building against the town wall, shown on the 1896 map and possibly a painting of similar date. Later layer and robber trench.
- TRENCH 4. Cellar 36 at south end of trench – cut not found and floor not reached. A NE-SW aligned brick/cement mortar wall was present.

GENERAL DISCUSSION (The documentary evidence is outlined in Section 6.)

In 1617 the strip of land south of the town wall was called “the Rampier”.

The lack of medieval occupation evidence is unusual for a site within the town walls. 16th century documents show the site was not associated with the properties on the High Street frontage, perhaps a continuation of the medieval layout. The roughly N-S ditch found in Trench 2 suggests that E-W property boundaries (present by 1846) were not established in the late medieval period.

The archaeological evidence from this site shows intensive industrial activity, including the use of coal. Apparently, coal has not been found in late medieval contexts in Southampton before. There may have been a smithy in the vicinity, perhaps on the High Street frontage. The north end of the High Street was known as “the street of the smiths” in the medieval period (a will of 1328 is cited).

In the “post-medieval” period (probably means early modern - HER) the site was divided into a number of garden plots running approximately E-W. One of these boundaries was located (was this in Trench 1? HER).

The southern part of the site included a deep cellar/cellars belonging to Nos 4 and 5 Albion Terrace (or Albion Place - CK), a line of tenements developed from the late 18th/early 19th century, shown on 1846 map. The wall found in this area may have been the party wall between the two properties. To the north, the rear garden area of these properties showed deep disturbance and natural deposits were not encountered.
---------------------
HER 15/11/10: This site is still a car park, the possible redevelopment currently on hold.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESH1876 - Evaluation excavation at the Castle Way Car Park in 2009 (Ref: SOU 1494)

Related records

Associated Links: None recorded

If you have any feedback or new information about this record, please email the Southampton HER (her@southampton.gov.uk).

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