Record Details

Summary

Evidence of a possible pre-burh palisade, probable 10th century ditch and turf rampart with three rows of timber-palisading, the medieval (12th-14th century) town ditch and other medieval features including a timber lined pit and a stone lined pit. All evidence was recorded during archaeological excavations in July 1967 in the area of Brewery Lane, south of Lichfield Road. Further excavations to the north in 1968 revealed the base of the Saxon rampart, evidence for the possible western entrance to the Saxon burh, and an earlier ditch with stakeholes.

Monument Type(s):

• TOWN DITCH (Norman to MEDIEVAL - 1100 AD to 1399 AD)
• TOWN DEFENCES (Anglo Saxon - 913 AD to 913 AD)
• PALISADE? (Early Medieval to Anglo Saxon - 410 AD? to 912 AD)
• POST HOLE (Early Medieval to Anglo Saxon - 410 AD? to 912 AD)
• BEAM SLOT? (Early Medieval to Anglo Saxon - 410 AD? to 912 AD)
• PIT (MEDIEVAL - 1066 AD to 1485 AD)
• RUBBISH PIT (MEDIEVAL to Tudor - 1400 AD? to 1485 AD)
• WALL (Elizabethan to Stuart - 1600 AD to 1699 AD)

Associated Finds:

• BLADE? (Early Medieval to Anglo Saxon - 410 AD to 912 AD)
• BODY SHERD (Early Medieval - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• BODY SHERD (Early Medieval to Anglo Saxon - 410 AD to 913 AD)
• MAMMAL REMAINS (Early Medieval to Anglo Saxon - 410 AD to 913 AD)
• MAMMAL REMAINS (Early Medieval to Anglo Saxon - 410 AD to 913 AD)
• SHERD (Early Medieval to Anglo Saxon - 410 AD to 912 AD)
• SHERD (Early Medieval to Anglo Saxon - 410 AD to 913 AD)
• SHERD (Early Medieval to MEDIEVAL - 410 AD to 1485 AD)
• WASTE (Early Medieval to Anglo Saxon - 410 AD to 912 AD)
• WORKED OBJECT? (Early Medieval to Anglo Saxon - 410 AD to 912 AD)
• SHERD (MEDIEVAL - 1066 AD to 1485 AD)
• VERTEBRATE REMAINS (MEDIEVAL - 1066 AD to 1485 AD)
• SHERD (Elizabethan to Stuart - 1600 AD to 1699 AD)

Associated Events:

• EST1405 - An archaeological excavation on the western defences of Tamworth Anglo-Saxon Burh, 1968.
• EST167 - Excavation of the Saxon Defences at Tamworth in July 1967. (NRHE Name - Lichfield Street/Brewery Lane)

Full description

An archaeological excavation was undertaken in July 1967 along the line of the western defences of the medieval town and earlier Saxon burh following the demolition of buildings in the Brewery Lane area of Tamworth and the proposed redevelopment of the area. The site had been occupied by comparatively modern buildings and, following their demolition, the area used as a car park. In the layers immediately below the car park surface were many brick foundations, thick concrete floors and modern sewers.
The mechanical opening of a trench 5ft wide, 4ft deep and 132ft long cut across the site (from west to east) to the south of Lichfield Street located the Saxon and medieval ditches. These features were hand excavated, enabling the position of the rampart to be established. An area measuring 20ft by 41 ft adjacent to the trench was then opened to examine this.
Pre-Rampart Features:
Below the base of the rampart and sealed by it was the small ditch, the line of which appeared to coincide with the line of the rampart above. The ditch measured 4ft deep by 6ft wide. In the bottom was a little clean, loose, wet sand in which appeared to be the impression of upright posts (although these were difficult to define). Below the sand was a few ox bones. The ditch may represent an early palisade trench, although if this is the case the presence of ox bones is hard to understand.
Also under the rampart was a wide slot and post hole. The course of these pre-rampart features could not be fully traced within the excavated area.
The Saxon Defences:
The Saxon period ditch had been re-filled before the medieval one was cut. It had been 6ft deep and about 12ft wide at the top. A berm some 20ft wide separated the inner lip from the timbered front of the associated rampart. The fill of the ditch yielded no finds but contained a quantity of sandstone. The rampart had been of turf and only the bottom foot of it remained. A row of post holes approximately 10ft apart indicated the palisade front. Uneven marks between these suggest that upright timbers may have filled the gaps between the main posts (although this is a little tenuous). Behind each of the main post holes forming the front of the palisade, at a distance of 8ft, was another substantial post hole, and 8ft further back still was a third row. These latter post holes coincided with the ending of the turf rampart and it is assumed that the three posts in each line would have been strapped together (although so little of the rampart remained that there was no evidence for how this might have been done). The surviving turf of the rampart ended in a vertical edge at the rear post holes.
To the east of the rampart was a strip of clean, yellow sand approximately 3ft wide, which may have been the base of a cured intervallum road or possibly part of a medieval addition to the narrow Saxon rampart (see also below). No pottery or dating evidence was recovered from the sand.
Post holes indicate that the main rampart timbers were erected in holes with a vertical and a sloping edge and there were probably individual post holes for each timber. Those at the front were 3ft deep after the removal of the turf, the central row of post-holes slightly shallower and the row at the back only 2ft deep. The post holes all contained traces of charcoal perhaps indicating that the bottom of the posts had been charred before erection. The footings of the front palisade were firmly covered with a thick layer of marl, possibly to strengthen or protect the footings from rain etc.
Although great care was taken during the removal of the turf of the rampart it was found to be largely sterile apart from three sherds of grass-tempered pottery, some bones and a small piece of iron. The latter was rusted away completely, although a break in the layers of rust perhaps indicated that the object had been a blade made by a folding process.
Medieval Defences:
The medieval ditch was 8tf deep and 20ft wide at the top, with a flat bottom some 6ft wide. There was no berm, the ditch scarped the front of the Saxon rampart, which was probably added to at this time (although no evidence apart from the yellow sand layer discussed above relates to this phase). Before the medieval ditch was cut the Saxon one had been infilled, partly with sandstone, possibly suggesting the destruction of near-by stone feature (although at this point the ditch was close to the site of a probable gateway to the town, with a road leading from Hopwas, where there were sandstone quarries in the Middle Ages).
Many small sherds of medieval pottery were recovered from the fill of the medieval ditch, ranging from 12th to 14th century in date, with those found towards the bottom of the ditch being of the former rather than latter date. It has therefore been suggested that the medieval town ditch may have been cut in the 12th century but silted up by the end of the 14th century.
Timber-Lined Pit:
Cut into the rear of the rampart was a sub-rectangular timber-lined pit. The pit measured 4ft wide by 6ft long, with the bottom 26 inches below the bottom of the turf rampart. Round posts stood in the south-western and south-eastern corners, with split posts apparently having been used in the other two corners. Traces of the timber-lining were clearly to be seen in the subsequent filling on the south, west and north sides, although not on the east. There were also traces for a timber bottom. The original purpose of the pit is not clear, but the fill did contain 'rubbish', medieval sherds, bones, charcoal, organic black 'smudges', much loose sand and some clay.
Stone-Lined Pit:
The archaeological excavation also cut through a stone-lined rubbish pit to the east of the rampart. The pit appears to have been used in the 15th century as the handle of that date (in Midland purple ware) was recovered from the bottom of the feature. Further sherds of Midland purple ware were also recovered from higher up in the fill.
The Animal Bones:
On the whole the bones recovered during the excavations were fragmentary but in good condition. Many showed sharp breaks and knife marks. Some were split presumably to extract marrow. The size of the fragments and their origin mainly from ox or sheep indicated kitchen refuse.
None of the bones showed disease. All the teeth in satisfactory condition showed their initial sharpness; the degree of wear being slight, suggested that none of the animals were very old. There were very few poultry fragments and one of dog. The bones from the timber-lined pit contained by far the largest proportion of immature bones, i.e. those showing epiphysis. (SB, 29-Jan-2014) <1>

An archaeological excavation was undertaken between July and August 1968 on a strip of land immediately against the southern side of Lichfield Street in order to investigate the possible site of the western entrance through the Saxon defences into the Saxon burh. The turfy sand of what proved to be the base of the Saxon rampart was found immediately below the brick and tile floors of the 19th century buildings which had previously stood on the site, with the remains surviving relatively undisturbed by foundations or services. The post holes of the A.D. 913 defences were found at a higher level than that of the modern road. Below these defences was an earlier ditch thought to be the same as the ditch found below the Saxon rampart during excavations in 1967 to the south (see <1> above).
The Pre-A.D. 913 Ditch:
The pre-Saxon rampart ditch identified in 1967 was again found in the same position relative to the later Saxon rampart during excavations to the north in 1968. The earlier ditch appeared here to run under the modern road (Lichfield Street) and not stop short as the later rampart appears to do. The ditch was V-shaped, with a rounded bottom and was up to 5ft deep and 8ft wide at the top. The sides, which were cut through sandstone and marl, were pitted with many stakeholes inclined at various angles as if for stakes pointing across the ditch or perhaps for the securing of thorns. There were many more stake holes on the inner eastern side than on outer side, and on the inner lip were many vertical stakeholes. No trace was found of the remains of any rampart or post holes which could be associated with this ditch, thought there were some post holes which did not appear to be certainly related to the earlier defences, and whose purpose is not clear.
In the primary silt at the bottom of the ditch were a number of bones, mostly decayed to a brown smudge though fragments of ox teeth were recognisable. The one bone that remained in reasonable condition was identified as the lower end of the humerus of an ox. This showed signs of having been chopped so that presumably the animal had been butchered for consumption. There was no secondary silt, but the ditch was filled with a brown turfy soil containing a few pebbles. There were also a few pieces of sandstone, deliberately struck waste flint flakes, broken pieces of canneloid shale, a heavily corroded piece of iron, and right at the bottom a few crumbs of black, very friable pottery.
The Saxon Gateway:
In line with the palisaded front of the Saxon rampart identified to the south in 1967 was a row of post holes running from south to north, but curving to the east as they approached the northern limit of the (1968) excavation. These holes had held upright timbers and, like all other post holes on the site, contained iron-panning. The posts were approximately 9 inches in diameter, with gaps of up to 5 inches between posts. Immediately over these post holes and following the same line were the foundations of a 17th century wall resting on a thick bedding of clay. The clay is considered to be associated with the wall rather than the earlier rampart and contained a sherd of manganese-glazed pottery.
Immediately inside the palisade was a row of seven large post holes up to 2ft in diameter, touching each other, but ending before reaching the northern limit of the excavation where the palisade post holes curved eastwards round the end of the row of larger holes. Further to the east was another row of five large post holes parallel to the former ones, 10ft away from them, centre to centre, also ending and enclosed by the easterly sweep of the palisade. The enclosing sweep of the palisade shows that the rampart ended at this point also and hence the tow lines of large timbers are regarded as the very substantial abutment to carry the rampart walk on a bridge over the entrance to the burh. All the post holes of the encircling palisade were not found, inside their line passed just under the modern pavement before reappearing in the excavated area and sweeping southwards to enclose the rear of the rampart. Except over the earlier ditch, these posts had been set into a subsoil of gravel. The palisade was reinforced by two further rows of posts on the inner side, all apparently part of the original construction. At the western and eastern corners of the palisade were two large post holes suggesting bollards to protect the corners, or alternatively they may have been used in some way to secure gates closing the entrance to the burh.
At the entrance the rampart had been 28ft wide whereas at the site of the 1967 excavation it was only 16ft wide. This and the curving line of post holes suggests a club-shaped end. Although the pattern of post holes faintly suggests a guard-chamber at ground level inside the inner corner of the rampart, this is discounted, for it would have been very small, the entrance would have had to be on the south side, and there would have been no view or control over the entrance. A further possibility is that the reinforcement of the inner corner of the rampart was to support some structure above - perhaps a guard-chamber entered from the rampart walk.
The sequence of building was first the abutment for the rampart-walk bridge, since this could not have been added to the palisade, then the palisade, and finally the turf of the rampart. Only the bottom 9 inches of the turfy base of the rampart was found. Apart from a few decayed pieces of bone, there were no small finds in or under the rampart. The Saxon ditch found in the 1967 excavation was not found here, although it was expected to have been where the later medieval ditch was encountered.
Post-Conquest Defences:
The large medieval ditch lay at the western end of the excavations and was cut by a modern cellar. It was emptied to a depth of 5ft but no further because of water for which the modern cellar acted as a collecting reservoir. (SB, 30-Jan-2015) <2>

Excavations on the western side of the town defences revealed the remains of a medieval ditch cut into an earlier ditch and turf rampart which may have been those constructed by Aethelflaed in circa 913. These defences lay over a slighter ditch which may have formed the boundary of the royal palace. Below the rampart rows of postholes were revealed suggesting that the ramparts were held together with timber strapping. (SB, 08-Feb-2008) <3> <4>

Following the demolition of 19th century houses and shops, excavation was undertaken of a narrow strip against Lichfield Street near a kink in the present road. The base of the Saxon rampart, section in 1967, 8ft to the south (see <1> above). Was found immediately below the floors of the demolished properties. Post holes gave the plan of the southern side of the western entrance to the Saxon burh. Below was an earlier ditch pitted with many stake holes especially on the inner lip and side. The later town ditch was cut by a modern cellar and was not emptied because of water troubles which threatened to undermine the modern pavement. (SB, 3-Jan-2015) <5>

The defences have been the subject of several excavations (including two by Jim Gould <1> and <2> above, and one by Ken Sheridan on the site of Calcutta Terrace (not sourced).

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